MANSFIELD — 84 Lumber, a Pennsylvania-based building materials supplier, will renovate a vacant property on North Main Street at the Airport East Industrial Park to house a new truss manufacturing facility.
Mansfield council approved two pieces of legislation Tuesday night that make it possible for this to take place.
The first piece authorizes the Richland County Growth Corporation on behalf of the city of Mansfield to enter into a certain lease with Pierce Hardy Limited Partnership for lots four, five and six at the Airport East Industrial Park.
The second piece authorizes the Richland County Growth Corporation to execute on agreement of sale for five buildings on lots four, five and six at the industrial park to Pierce Hardy Limited Partnership and sell those five buildings via bill of sale.
Tim Bowersock, economic development director, noted that Pierce Hardy Limited Partnership serves as the real estate holding company for 84 Lumber .
The buildings will be sold for $280,000, Bowersock said. The price was determined based on an appraisal that the former owner had done, he said.
The roughly 12-acre property is located on North Main Street, just past Crall Road. It used to be the site of Roberts & Dybdahl, Inc, but has sat vacant for the past eight or nine years, Bowersock estimated.
“It’ll be good to have some activity back on the site,” he said.
Bowersock said the company hopes to get started right away on making improvements and renovations to the property.
“It should be an excellent project,” he said.
Initially, the company intends to hire 58 employees, with an average wage of $16 an hour, Bowersock said.
“They do project that within three years, there’ll be about 150 employees onsite and it’ll be a three-shift operation,” he said.
Councilman-at-large Don Bryant asked what types of jobs will be offered. Bowersock responded that it’ll be mostly labor, with some skilled jobs. “It’s more of a labor-intensive operation.”
He added that besides the position of plant manager and possibly one senior management position, the business plans to hire locals.
Bowersock guessed the business will be up and running by July.
In other news, council approved legislation authorizing the Richland County Growth Corporation on behalf of the city to sell two acres of land at Reid Industrial Park to Mightyfruit Trucking.
The business is currently operated out of the owner’s home in Mansfield, Bowersock said.
“This will give him a permanent location,” he said. “And it’ll be the first project in Reid Industrial Park.”
Bowersock said the business will break ground in late May or early June and the construction should be completed by the end of August or early September, he said.
“In addition to these (projects), there are a number of projects in the works,” Bowersock said. “Activity in my office is at a level that I haven’t seen probably for the last nine or 10 years, or even longer.
“Hopefully, this is going to be a much better year than we’ve seen over the last seven or eight years,” he said.
