Work underway on long awaited Aurora industrial park

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - The Aurora Industrial Park coming after eight years of planning, as a part of a $5 million town investment.

The town will be starting construction at a soybean field in a couple of weeks. Part of Beaufort County Community College (BCCC) campus will be built right next to it.

The town of Aurora has been waiting to bring in the industrial park, and the construction is finally approved and fully funded.

Mayor Clif Williams says the town overcame many obstacles to roll out this plan, from the COVID-19 pandemic, and hurricanes, to naysayers in the town.

Key players, including the Golden Leaf Foundation and the Department of Commerce, came together to make this construction happen, in hopes of revitalizing the town’s commerce and job market.

Williams says, “I’m going to do something that is typically not done. I am going to have the industrial park sold out before we get started. I am excited for the future of Aurora.”

BCCC is also expanding its campus next to the industrial park with Nutrien donating to enhance both the economic growth from the industrial park and the education in BCCC.

Kurt Ryan, the Chairman of Aurora Leadership Council shared, “They’ll teach, as I understand, trades, mostly to employees of Nutrien and other companies that are in support of Nutrien, the mining industry down here, so we’re really excited about that. It develops a workforce, it keeps people local.

Nutrien told WITN, “The new facility will provide training for skilled, high-paying jobs in support of industry, mining, and a range of other courses to benefit the citizens of Richland Township and the region.”

The town council says once the construction for the industrial park is finished, they will start working on providing more affordable housing for expanding their job markets and opportunities that will come along with the industrial park.

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