Guilford County OKs $2M in PTI Incentives

Dec. 17—GUILFORD COUNTY — The Guilford County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday night to approve a $2 million economic incentives package for Piedmont Triad International Airport.

Economic developers said the incentives would help pay for infrastructure costs as they try to recruit an aircraft manufacturing operation to the airport. The county board agreed to move $2 million from its general funds and fund balance to its economic development assistance program.

Brent Christensen, president and CEO of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, was the only speaker to address the county board during its public hearing on the economic incentives grant for the airport. Christensen noted a number of positive economic developments announced recently in the area and said this is another opportunity to help continue that success and momentum.

"It's not so much an incentive as it is an investment in the infrastructure that will make way for economic development opportunities," Christensen said. "If you look at what has happened on that airport field (in the last decade) ... $100 million of investment in state, federal and airport funds. In that same 10 years, employment has gone on the field from 4,500 to 8,600 jobs so almost a doubling of jobs that are at or above the county's average wage."

PTIA is in the running for an aircraft manufacturing operation that could create at least 1,000 jobs with an average annual wage of $60,000, The High Point Enterprise reported earlier this month. The name of the company hasn't been released.

Haeco recently invested $70 million in its new hangar there, Christensen said, and Honda's investment totals $240 million. All the property and structures are owned by the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority. The airport has 1,000 acres available for new development.

A proposed amendment to the $25.9 billion state budget would set aside $106.7 million for airport improvements. The state money would go toward site and roadwork and construction of one or more hangars. The budget legislation in amended House Bill 334 doesn't provide a private investment figure by the aircraft manufacturer, nor how many other airports are competing for the project.

In other business, the board voted unanimously to increase its investment in the county's Law Enforcement Building. The vote amends the board's Sept. 17, 2020, authorization to proceed with construction of a 40,000-square-foot, two-story building with the total not to exceed $15 million. The project's current balance is $1.8 million.

The board agreed to increase spending by $13.1 million with the additional money to be paid from proceeds of two-thirds bonds issued in 2017 and 2019.

The action consolidates funding sources, allowing the project to move forward with the first phase of demolition and with buying materials, said Eric Hilton, Guilford County facilities and property management director.

"The construction environment right now is such that steel and other materials are extremely long lead," Hilton said. "It would be good for us to go ahead and finish some of the design elements, to get those long-lead items on order to get our place in line at the mills to lock in some pricing and try to forestall some of the inevitable escalation that's going to happen on the project."

After Vice Chair Carlvena Foster asked how Sheriff Danny Rogers feels about this project, Hilton explained Rogers expressed concerns the project is not designed to allow future expansion. The sheriff's office wants to preserve the existing secure parking area under the jail, which Hilton said is the only direction the county could expand this facility after it is built. There has been some preliminary investigation into the cost of adding a third level, Hilton said.

While Foster and board member James Upchurch had more unanswered questions, they agreed to amend the funding because they did not want to delay what is expected to be a 26-month construction project. Board members said they want to discuss the project again at a future work session.

[email protected] — 336-888-3534 — @HPEcinde

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