LEE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Southern Base of the Research Triangle Region

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 19, 2004


DESPITE DODGING SNOW, ICE AND RAIN,
INDUSTRIAL PARK EXPANSION ON SCHEDULE

SANFORD -- Mother Nature sure hasn't helped the construction industry of late. 
But despite dodging winter storms and trying to work on saturated ground, 
expansion of the Lee County Industrial Park should be completed on schedule.

That was the conclusion of a field inspection report issued late last week by 
Jeremy Thomas, project manager for ms consultants inc., which is handling the 
current expansion project.

"It's been wet," said Thomas. "We're working on the sewer first, and it's been 
very muddy for the past month or two. But the contractor is doing his best to 
dry out the site, so they can go ahead and lay the lines."

Current construction includes a two-lane road through the 8,500-foot-long 
corridor linking Colon and Womack Roads and a sanitary sewer system to serve 
new industries at the park and about 2,500 other acres around the Colon Road 
area.

The first 1,000 feet off of Colon Road are being paved as part of the current 
construction, along with the first 500 feet off of Womack Road, where Central 
Carolina Community College is building its new telecommunications school. The 
rest will be filled with gravel to make the road accessible, and paved as new 
industries move in.

According to Thomas, about 25 percent of the force main sewer lines have been 
installed already, from the exiting pump station to Womack Road, including 
bores under the Noble Oil railroad and three thoroughfares through the park.

The wet site has caused some delays, the report says, and mud has presented 
problems for workers and local residents. But, Thomas said, the contractor has 
already made plans to add manpower to the project, so construction will be 
completed on schedule.

Work on the road has not suffered quite as much, since major grading for the 
road was not scheduled until early March. Land has already been cleared and 
everything is going as planned.

"Our schedule, as far as some of the subtasks, has been revised because of the 
wet site," said Thomas. "But the completion date has remained the same all 
along. We're expecting to finish the sewer project around the end of March and 
the road project around the end of July.

"We're hoping that the site dries up and we can get a dry spell over the 
next two months. If we get that, we can wrap up the project."

The Lee County Economic Development Corp. is a nonprofit organization 
established to attract industry, enhance job opportunities and promote sound 
planning across Lee County. Funding is provided by the county, as well as the 
City of Sanford and Town of Broadway, the county's two municipalities.

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Media Contacts:
Bob Heuts, Director
Jane Haber, Administrative Assistant
919-774-8439 (phone)
919-775-5410 (fax)
info@lcedc.com (e-mail)

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This release: http://www.lcedc.com/media/releases/nr021904.txt