Railcar company ready to pick Shoals

A Canadian boxcar company has decided to build a huge manufacturing facility in Colbert County, the TimesDaily has learned.

The announcement is expected by mid-week, several sources say.

At least 1,500 people -- and possibly as many as 1,800 -- will be employed at the plant, which will be built at Barton Riverfront Industrial Park. The park is just off U.S. 72, about 15 miles west of Tuscumbia.

If the company follows through with its plan, the project will become the largest employer in the Shoals, ahead of Coffee Health Group's 1,499 workers. Some say it will be the biggest economic development announcement in the Shoals since Congress voted to place the Tennessee Valley Authority headquarters in Muscle Shoals in 1933.

The railcar company is owned by National Steel Car from Hamilton, Ontario, but it will operate under a different name, sources say.

They added that contracts for the project have yet to be signed.

The plant, which would use the bulk of the available land at Barton's industrial park, will stretch a mile long and will be more than 350 feet wide.

Freight and other train cars will be manufactured there and will be transported throughout North America.

Numerous economic development agencies and others have worked on the project for more than a year. Among those have been the Shoals Economic Development Authority, the Alabama Development Office, the governor's office and the Retirement Systems of Alabama.

The mayors of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia have also been closely involved in the project, along with members of the Colbert and Lauderdale commissions and state legislators who represent the Shoals.

SEDA Executive Director Forrest Wright declined comment on the sources' information, stating his agency does not comment on pending projects.

Gov. Bob Riley also declined comment on any particular project that the state is recruiting. He said, however, that the state has been recruiting a project for northwest Alabama.

"Northwest Alabama has needed a mega project for some time, the type of economic development that can literally transform the entire region for the better," Riley said. "We're aggressively pursuing such a project that could mean more than 1,000 new jobs.

"I believe we'll be able to announce something very soon."

Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office, also declined comment.

Riley added that the state has "been on a roll" in the economic development category for the past four years.

"We've recruited several mega projects that have brought good paying jobs to Alabama," he said. "I'm confident you're going to see another mega project coming soon to our state."

It's unclear how much money state and local governments will have to provide the company in the form of incentives and tax abatements, but sources say several millions of dollars are involved.

A half-cent sales tax will begin being collected in Colbert and Lauderdale counties on Aug. 1, with all revenue earmarked specifically for economic development purposes. That money will pay for local governments' commitment to the railcar project, which has been known as Project Tiger.

The state's portion will likely come from a bond fund, which had its borrowing cap increased this summer by a statewide amendment. Several other economic development projects are also vying for money from that fund.

Tom Smith can be reached at 332-0140 or tom.smith@timesdaily.com.

Dana Beyerle can be reached at (334) 264-6605 or dtb12345@aol.com.