Georgetown sawmill may be new home for multi-tenant manufacturing space

The formerGeorgetown Timber sawmill could see new life as amulti-tenant manufacturing spaceafter being closed for more than eight years.

A spokesperson with theDepartment of Economic Development and Tourism confirms the province isconsideringthe former lumber yard as one possibility to locate a new business.

Other potential sitesincludetheclosed East Isle Shipyard in Georgetown, andthe formerMcCainplantand former Strait Crossing fabrication yard in Borden-Carletonthe province saidin a written statement.

33employees were out of work after the sawmill closed in 2007. It was the province's largest lumberyard at the time.

The province says it is looking at obtaining an existingsitebecause it would haveinfrastructure in place such as power, water, sewer and buildings.

A provincial spokesperson said PremierWade MacLauchlanhas taskedHeath MacDonald,Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, with reviewing major physical assets that can translate into potential business development opportunities.

"A critical piece of rural development is infrastructure and preparing to have the infrastructure ready when opportunities arise.Just last week, we issued a tender for cleanup work at the former Strait Crossing Fabrication Yard," said MacDonald in a statement.

The Georgetownpropertiesareowned by J.D. Irving Ltd. Spokesperson Mary Keith said the former sawmill has not been sold. The province says there has been no offer made to Irving and it has no confirmed tenant at this time.

Rural community should get same opportunities says Georgetown MLA

"There'sseveral local businesses around here who could be good tenants," saidSteven Myers, MLA for Georgetown-St. Peters."The people down here deserve to have the same type of opportunity to work in their community as they do anywhere else."

While there are several buildings on the sawmill property, Myers says the only building that would be suitable would be the planer mill building. He says it's the newest building on the property.

"It's by no means new and it hasn't had a tenant in a long time so I would expect the government to be able to get it for a fair deal and I would expect the government would be able to get a tenant in there at an extremely fair deal."

"Georgetown is a great vibrant community. The community down here is doing a lot on their own and I think government needs to pitch in when it comes to putting in businesses in vacant properties like this one and like the shipyard that's down the road," said Myers.

TheEast Isle Shipyardhas beenclosed for about six years.

Georgetown mayor says development would be 'huge'

"Like most of Atlantic Canada we're in a situation where the jobs are quite limited and with the situation that's happening out West there's not even jobs available out there. So anything that would increase the chance of local people getting employment would be certainly beneficial to our community," saidGeorgetown mayor Lewis Lavandier.

"It would be huge because we've gone in sort of a different direction since we've lost our timber yard and our shipyard. We've gone to tourism and focused on that ... but I think if something kind of an industry, some type of industry came here in this area it would just be icing on the cake," said Lavandier.