Commissioners reserve profit for industrial park plan

Polk County no longer owns the Jervey-Palmer building in Tryon as it closed on the sale of the property May 24.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners met Monday, June 3 and heard from interim county manager Marche Pittman that the closing had occurred with the county profiting $49,050 after settlement costs.

Daystar Enterprises Inc. purchased the building and property for $50,000 with the county paying $950 in settlement costs.

Commissioners decided to put the money towards an industrial park plan and is giving the money to the county’s economic tourism development commission (ETDC).

ETDC member Bob Morgan told commissioners during the May 31 meeting that Polk needs a county owned industrial park. He said it’s much more difficult for the county to sell a concept than to sell a physical property. Morgan said he’s not advocating the county construct a building, but he envisions a well laid out park with utilities and landscaping for potential businesses to be able to locate.

He asked commissioners for the money to used for planning of an industrial park.

“However it is done please let us have the funds so we can get about the task of developing jobs,” said Morgan.

After vacating the Jervey-Palmer building the county originally tried to donate it to the Town of Tryon. Tryon ended up declining the offer saying the exchange became too complicated.

The building was originally constructed in 1929 as the first St. Luke’s Hospital. A new hospital was constructed in Columbus and opened in 1973 when the hospital gave the county the Jervey-Palmer building after the county approved a bond to pay for the new hospital.

It has not been made public what plans Daystar Enterprises has for the 17,777 square foot Jervey-Palmer building that is located on 4.92 acres of land along Carolina Drive.

Daystar Enterprises also purchased the former Grover Plant in Lynn last year with plans to create retail spaces there.