The Baldwin County Board of Commissioners held a special called meeting Wednesday afternoon to listen to a presentation from representatives concerning wastewater treatment plants at the newly acquired Sibley-Smith Mega Industrial Park.
The presentation was made by company officials with AUC Group, a leader in the wastewater treatment industry for more than 45 years. Making the presentation was AUC Group Vice-President Carl Baker and John T. Croom, senior business development manager. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Several local officials attended the meeting, including four of the five county commissioners. They included commission chairman Sammy Hall, vice-chairman Tommy French, Johnny Westmoreland and Henry Craig. Emily Davis, also a commissioner, was unable to attend the meeting. County Manager Ralph McMullen also was there.
A host of other people attended the meeting, too, including three representatives from the city of McIntyre in neighboring Wilkinson County.
“Baldwin County is serious, and we’re really excited about exploring this new opportunity,” McMullen said. “We’re looking for a homerun.”
In his presentation, Croom told local officials that it his hope that the company can be of assistance to Baldwin County, as it has to many other clients over the past four and a half decades.
Croom first talked a little about the overview plan for the new industrial park, the latest mega site in Georgia, which consists of more than 1,600 acres. He also talked about the company’s standard designs, etc.
The presentation was titled: “A Decentralized Option Overview.”
AUC Group systems are specifically designed to save money, and the facilities are modular and scalable on demand, according to a company brochure.
“Throughout each stage of a development, our facilities provide effective treatment of current wastewater flows, and the AUC lease program allows customers to retain capital for their business and avoid prematurely committing to an oversized facility.”
Baker said the company has both short- and long-term leasing arrangements, as well as lease to own options, and installment sale programs.
The same company official said AUC also offers a wide variety of treatment systems.
“We do a lot of modular plants,” Baker said, noting that his former company merged with AUC a few years ago. “We’re really in the expansion mode and that’s why we have John now. We think the Southeast is the place to be. We’re really glad to be here.”
Baker told local officials that the company could build wastewater treatment plants on site within six months after a client’s request.
At this time, local officials haven’t decided how they will proceed with such infrastructure at the new mega industrial site. Another meeting is expected in the near future between local officials and AUC Group officials.
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