Phipps Bend industry projects, expansions see progress

ROGERSVILLE — Hawkins County Industrial Development Board met on Thursday to hear from its chair, Patrick Lund, about new and expanding companies. Ongoing projects The $900 million Project Rocks is working on the engineering for its building. Lund said Rocks — which is the polysilicon producer Highland Materials — is awaiting a loan from the U.S. Department of Energy. The company was awarded over $255 million in tax credits for its work in clean energy. The facility is expected to create 400 jobs. Several existing companies in Phipps Bend Industrial Park are looking to expand. Project Third recently closed on a property, Lund said. The overall expansion represents a $5 million in capital funds, set to create around 50 jobs. Project Choo Choo is still in its idea stage, Lund said, although it is estimated to create 40 to 60 jobs. Project Transparent involves property that was sold to an existing industry years ago. Lund said the project, which is the merger of two industries, is finalizing its engineering phase. Project Campbell, previously known as TopCoat, is working on its building. It is set to create 100 jobs. Project Conductor represents a $11 million investment, creating 38 to 40 jobs over five years. It is located in Rogersville. Energy storage company Tenaska's expansion is also "proceeding nicely," Lund said, also in the engineering phase. Other updates The board heard updates from its other members and partners. Charles Johnson, the campus coordinator for the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, said spring enrollment has increased by 30 students from last semester. He expects the school's expansion to break ground in March. That project includes a new trucking lot and renovations for the welding shop to host nursing classes too. Seth Rhoton, the Hawkins County School District's work-based learning coordinator, said more of their students are dual enrolling in TCAT programs. He also said the district's high schools will open new workshops after spring break. The Tennessee Department of Transportation will conduct a traffic study in Phipps Bend. As the industrial park has grown, the board is looking to balance its traffic flow. Lund expects to receive recommendations from the study, if there are any, by summer. Rebecca Baker, the board's executive administrator coordinator, said they will add more security cameras around the park and replace old ones — particularly near the abandoned nuclear plant. Lund said people tend to break into its building, which is dangerous to its deterioration. He hopes to seal it up permanently alongside the Tennessee Valley Authority, who started and left the project decades ago.