Times-Enterprise Editorial Board
It would be a mistake for Thomasville and Thomas County leaders to assume that the area’s successful past will be enough to ensure its economic future. Preparation, not reputation, is the only way we can maintain our status as one of south Georgia’s economic hubs.
We agree with Mills Herndon, owner of a local real estate agency, that Thomasville and Thomas County need to act aggressively in the pursuit of land for an industrial park. America’s struggling economy will eventually turn robust, and we must be prepared to make sure we do not get left behind.
The search for suitable land has been ongoing for several years, and we join Herndon in the call for leaders to quit dallying. Too much is at stake.
Mills, recently appointed by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to a commission that will address regional issues in 14 counties, warned in a Sunday Times-Enterprise story that “... Right now, we are not a player in the state of Georgia in prospects for industrial property.”
Herndon said the area’s lack of industrial space keeps it off the radar of potential suitors. Our environment and climate, an abundance of natural resources, good schools, good government, superb recreation facilities and a dependable work force simply are not enough to make sure the economy is fruitful for as many citizens as possible.
“We’re dying on the vine if we don’t take the necessary steps for growth,” Mills explained.
It is past time for city and county leaders to agree on a land purchase and the method to pay for it. We believe this is one government expenditure most people will support.
