ATLANTA (July 17, 2023) – Candler County Industrial Authority is the newest recipient of OneGeorgia (OGA) Equity Funding via a $500,000 grant. This grant will be used to construct road, water, and sanitary sewer extensions within the Metter-Candler I-16 Industrial Park.

These extensions will lengthen Lytell Road, which currently runs through the park and stops short of a wetland area, by 3,000 linear feet overall.

The water extension will install 3,000 linear feet of 8-inch water main, and the sewer extension will install 3,200 linear feet of sewer force main and 500 linear feet of gravity sewer.

Both extensions will run along Lytell Street in a 20-feet wide utility easement and will begin from the existing tap at Fortner Road.

The road extension will install 1,200 linear feet of asphalt road consisting of 8-inch graded aggregate base course, 2-inch binder course and 2-inch surface course with roadside ditches included along the roadway for storm water collection.

Each extension will run through the existing wetlands from the existing temporary cul-de-sac at Lytell Road and provide a cul-de-sac at the other side for vehicle turnaround.

These extensions are integral to the success of Candler County Industrial Authority’s “Project Loop,” which anticipates the arrival of new additions to the industrial park (i.e., 4Fungis Regenerative, a mushroom manufacturing facility expected to arrive by 2026) and improvements made by existing park tenants.

Alongside the jobs created via the construction of the extensions, “Project Loop” expects to create 95 new jobs by 2026, 25 of which will be “quality, head-of-household” jobs created by 4Fungis Regenerative’s arrival.

The Candler County Industrial Authority also proposed these extensions as predictive needs for future expansion, adding necessary infrastructure to attract new tenants to the Metter-Candler I-16 Industrial Park.

This will provide new jobs and economic benefits to the community which is what the OGA Equity Fund is about.

“DCA is committed to bolstering local economies through partnerships and resources, and the utilization of OneGeorgia for these projects illustrates the initiative of the leaders in these communities,” DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn said. “Building strong communities through business development and job creation has incredible, lasting benefits for our state.”

The OGA Equity Fund is a flexible community and economic development tool, providing financial assistance via grants and loans to eligible projects in rural communities. This helps build the necessary communal infrastructure for economic development.

OneGeorgia programs are administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

For more information about the OneGeorgia Authority and Department of Community Affairs, visit dca.ga.gov.