An aviation-products manufactuer, Workhouse Aviation, got a nice incentive package to put a new facility in rural Jones County that was expected to create about 50 jobs. The company broke ground in November and was scheduled to see construction bids come in in a couple of weeks.
But now it has pulled the plug on the Jones County site and is starting over with a site selection, possibly still in Eastern NC.
Why? Because it found that it couldn’t have its cake and eat it, too. Initially, Workhouse was going to build its own building. But then it asked the county to do it instead, and desperate local officials agreed. But converting the facility from a private project to a public one meant taking on a lot more paperwork, bidding requirements, and delay.
“We have decided to look for a new site,” Workhorse president Melanie McTaggart. “We’re looking for a site more conducive to the growth of our industry.”
In other words, a place where local government officials will do their work at public expense without public accountability. Here’s hoping they don’t find such a place in North Carolina.
