Facility's completion is delayed

A New Delhi-based company that recently broke ground on a new location in Columbia County's Horizon North Business Park has had the completion date for its new site slightly delayed, Columbia County development officials were told Tuesday.

Uniparts USA Ltd, which plans to offer as many as 50 jobs and held a groundbreaking in May, had an original target finish date for a first phase by August.

Zack Daffin, the county's development authority director, said the company's first- phase construction now could be completed by the end of August or by the beginning of September.

Daffin told members of the Columbia County Development Authority at their Tuesday meeting that the later date is the result of rainy weather and some site-work issues.

"The construction process has been much slower than expected,'' he said.

The company, which will make parts for John Deere tractors, is expected to grow to a 100,000-square-foot operation.

In its first, 35,000-square-foot phase, it will operate as a distribution facility. In a second phase, it will include some light manufacturing.

Also at Tuesday's meeting, Daffin told development authority members that he has been in contact with a company in Oklahoma that has expressed interest in Columbia County.

He said he couldn't give details about the company, but he said "in the next couple of months, we'll know what they will decide.''

In other action, development authority members also voted to approve the release of 28.6 acres in the Horizon North Business Park to Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate Co. in exchange for more land to be added to the park.

Blanchard and Calhoun plans a development of the land that has been released.