The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners took the next step Monday night in enticing a company to bring a $1 billion titanium recycling plant to Fayetteville.
Robert Van Geons, the CEO of the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, presented a joint initiative with the city of Fayetteville called “Project Aero” during the board’s regular Monday meeting. CityView previously reported the initiative would include tens of millions of dollars in tax rebates over the next two decades should the proposed plant meet growth goals for tax value and the number of employees.
County commissioners voted May 6 to approve $1.3 billion in bonds for the plant, which would be operated by the company American Titanium Metal. Records from the state of Delaware show the company was established in September 2023.
The proposed plant would be located on a 200-acre site at 557 Bethune Drive, near the Goodyear tire plant off Ramsey Street, and less than a mile from the Cape Fear River, according to county documents. Should it come to fruition, the plant would bring 450 new full-time jobs with an average salary of $120,000 over the next 20 years, according to a May 14 memorandum from County Attorney Rick Moorefield and Van Geons. The lowest-paid job at the plant would pay $85,000, Van Geons said Monday.
“I think you’ve all seen the use of titanium in everything, from inside people’s joints to in aviation and many other applications,” Van Geons said, noting that titanium is among the minerals recognized by the U.S. Dept. of the Interior as vital to the country’s economy and national security.
The company is still considering other sites in several states, Van Geons said.
Van Geons told the board that pollution would not be a concern from the potential plant.
“Titanium production in this case is incredibly clean,” he said.
Seventy-five percent of the titanium will come from “remnants from production operations,” Van Geons said, comparing it to using a gold bar to make jewelry, then melting the cast-off pieces for additional jewelry.
“It is 100% recyclable,” he said.
The plant’s only output would be process cooling water, Van Geons said. PWC would extend sewer services to the plant and would handle that output, he added.
“We are pursuing grants to extend water and sewer infrastructure and to add signalization on Bethune Drive and 401 North, as well as widening Bethune Drive and adding turn lanes,” Van Geons said. “About 12 trucks a day, in and out, would be the truck traffic in addition to the employees.”
Should the county fail to receive those grants, the county and the city of Fayetteville are each prepared to contribute $535,000 to support water and sewer infrastructure, according to county documents.
The city and the county will also provide up to 120 acres of land for the project, pending a separate public hearing, Van Geons said.
“These are all performance-based incentives,” he said. “The company must make the investment. They must pay their taxes. They must create the qualifying number of jobs.”
Rachel Cepis is a resident of Slocomb Road, roughly a four-minute drive from where the plant would be located. Cepis, the sole resident to speak at the public hearing, said she was “in the middle” of supporting or opposing the project.
“My concern with big companies is they don’t know me. They’re not part of my community. They don’t have my best interest in mind,” Cepis said. “So when something happens and there’s a spill or there’s an accident, we, then — the residents that live there — are left to deal with the outcome of that.”
Cepis said she wanted to hear more about the potential cons of the project.
“I’m not a pessimist, but not everything is perfect, so there has to be some negatives to this, and as a resident living within that 10-mile radius [of the plant], I would like to know what those are,” she said, noting she already deals with water contaminated with “forever chemicals” by the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant.
In addition to pollution concerns, Cepis said residents are worried about the impact on wildlife in the area and how the new facility’s arrival would change their tax rates.
“I just don’t have enough information to make an educated decision on if I support or I’m against it,” she said.
Chairman Glenn Adams told Cepis he understood her fears.
“When they tell you, ‘Trust the government,’ you kind of worry about trusting the government,” he said. “Once the company actually figures out who they’re going to choose, there’ll be a lot more information that you’ll be able to have.”
Commissioners Jeannette Council and Michael Boose were not present at Monday’s meeting.
In other business:
- The board unanimously approved its consent agenda, which included items like opioid response programs. Read more details here.
- The board unanimously appointed Clifton Johnson and Melissa Pennington to the Joint Fort Liberty & Cumberland County Food Policy Council.
- The board unanimously voted to reappoint Kassandra Herbert and appoint Charles Jones to the Joint Planning Board.
- The board unanimously approved rate increases for the Southpoint Water System, Gray’s Creek Water and Sewer District, Kelly Hills Water and Sewer District and NORCRESS Water and Sewer District. Read more about those increases here.
The board will next meet at 9 a.m. June 3 at the Cumberland County courthouse.
Reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@cityviewnc.com or 910-423-6500.
This story was made possible by contributions to CityView News Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization committed to an informed democracy.
