Now that $2.5 million has been appropriated, planning can begin to expand the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s laboratories located here and add up to 65 new jobs when the project is completed.

The Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce held a press conference Wednesday to make the announcement that an 18-month effort by local state representatives and senators had resulted in the funding to begin planning an expansion of the GDOA’s seed laboratory located near the Henry Tift Myers Airport and the addition of a new weights and measures facility.

Deputy Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Terry Coleman said that Tifton was continuing to grow and was a “vibrant city.”

“We are going to be able to keep up with the boom in agriculture, food, fiber and fuel production in this county,” Coleman said.

Coleman said Tifton, already considered a hub of agriculture education, research and production, would be the place where expansions such as those being discussed would continue to happen.

State Representatives Austin Scott (R-Tifton), Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla) and State Senator Joseph Carter (R-Tifton) were also on hand for the announcement.

“This project is an example of being able to work together and work hard to bring things back to Tift County,” Carter said.

Roberts said the delegation that worked with state appropriations to include the planning funding in the state’s budget wanted not only to bring jobs to south Georgia but to make government accessible to people here.

Scott thanked GDOA Commissioner Tommy Irwin and said the process to get funding to plan the facility began 18 months ago. He also said another city in north Georgia was considered for the project and thanked Irwin for the opportunity to locate it here.

The $2.5 million will pay for an architect and plans are to consolidate all GDOA laboratory activities to the Tifton site and to upgrade existing facilities to current needs. The current facility, located on U.S. Highway 41 S., is nearly 20 years old and, according to a needs assessment report furnished by Scott, the brick building has been well-maintained but more space is needed for various functions to operate properly.

The existing building has 11 chemistry labs. According to the assessment, the existing seed lab has outgrown its space and needs to double in size to be effective. To accommodate programs currently handled in the Atlanta area, the Tifton expansion is planned to include a new fuel and metrology lab plus four additional chemistry labs. The assessment suggested that the existing seed lab space be used as administrative offices. If the plan is carried forward as suggested in the assessment, the project would add over 18,000 square feet to the facility.

The new 27,000 square feet fuel/metrology building would be located separate from the GDOA laboratories and administrative offices and would include a weight and measures and fuel lab. The plan also includes a new 3,000 square feet storage building for hazardous material storage and yard maintenance storage.

To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.