The Bainbridge City Council received an update on the ongoing projects of the Development Authority from Rick McCaskill at their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night.

McCaskill asked for and received approval for the city to cosign a loan agreement between the Development Authority and the State of Georgia to provide funding for the previously approved spec building that the Development Authority is building.

The addition of the city to the agreement will allow the Development Authority to receive a lower rate on the loan.

The floor of the 60,000-square-foot spec building has been completed and the building itself is set to be delivered on Wednesday, May 4. It will then be constructed on site.

“We’re building a box, and we’re building a complete box,” McCaskill said. “We poured the floor so that there can be a four bay loading dock if we need it, but we are not building the loading docks. We are going to go with just a metal building. To finish it off, we are going to require a masonry front.”

McCaskill said that at this time, restrooms are not being built and that they are putting in the capability for “heavy duty electric”, but the only electric that will be run is for the lights.

According to McCaskill, the building is being built so that it is expandable if the tenant requires more than 60,000-square-feet.

He said that since construction of the building was approved and was added to the state’s website, the Development Authority has received inquires from two out-of-state companies.

The Development Authority is also working with two groups that have purchased the Shaw Machine shop and Sylvest Chicken facility with the intention of operating a vegetable packaging facility.

“We are trying to work with them to make it as much of a year-round operation as we can,” McCaskill said.

The Development Authority also expects to break ground in the next couple of months on a large trans loading railroad facility.

“The master plan has five huge spurs on it,” McCaskill said. “You can bring railcars in and load them from both sides.”

He said that the presence of the trans loading facility will help them to recruit more businesses that have need of one to Bainbridge.

McCaskill also said that they are entering into the bid process and have reached agreements with landowners to build two more solar plants in Decatur County. Currently, the largest plant is 800 acres, but the proposal is for a 2200-acre and a 1700-acre plant.