JACKSON – Funding for the proposed Enviva wood pellet manufacturing plant industrial access road has been secured.

On Monday, Northampton County Economic Development Director Gary Brown presented the Board of Commissioners with two grant funding agreements, one from the Golden LEAF Foundation and another from the Department of Transportation, that together produce $360,000 for the road.

Brown said the road will extend approximately 1,800 feet from Lebanon Church Road to the project site, situated in the westernmost section of the Northampton Commerce Park.

“Northampton County has been awarded a $200,000 from the Golden LEAF Foundation and received a $160,000 award from the North Carolina Department of Transportation to provide partial funding for construction of the Enviva industrial access road,” Brown said.

Brown said that funding will be combined with $500,000 from the North Carolina Department of Commerce Industrial Development Fund for construction of the road. According to information provided by Brown, staff and project engineers anticipate that combined funding from the three grantors will provide for all project costs. A preliminary estimate of the road project was previously approximated at $750,000.

Commissioner Virginia Spruill moved to approve the Enviva Infrastructure Agreement with the Golden LEAF Foundation, the Locally Administered Project-State Public Access Agreement with DOT and authorize Chairman James Hester, County Attorney Charles Vaughan and County Manager Wayne Jenkins to execute all subsequent related documents as may be necessary to administer the project.

Commissioner Fannie Greene offered a second and the motion passed without objection.

Last year, Enviva announced their planned $60 million investment. The wood pellet manufacturing facility will result in the creation of more than 60 full-time jobs.