Kewanee grant a good step
By Staff
Aug. 31, 2003
Lauderdale County supervisors should proceed with all due haste in applying for a $447,000 federal grant to fund an environmental study of a possible industrial site at Kewanee. The action is a first step toward attracting industrial prospects as part of joint economic development efforts between Mississippi and Alabama.
No studies had been completed on the Kewanee site when Hyundai, the South Korean automaker, considered it last year for a $1 billion auto manufacturing plant. The site got scant consideration, though, especially since Gov. Ronnie Musgrove pushed another site in Rankin County. Hyundai went to Alabama.
Now, as other global auto companies seek a presence in the American South, it clearly is in the best interests of Lauderdale County to do whatever is necessary to position itself for future consideration. Given the current state of manufacturing in Mississippi, the sooner the better.