|
Catfish plant belly-up in Wrightsville?
Jennifer Bellamy
People in Wrightsville want to know what happened to a plant that was supposed to bring jobs to their city.
In April, the city's economic developer Mary Jo Stephens said a catfish processing plant would open in July. Now Stephens says so much time has passed since she last spoke with the owner, Warren Thomas, that she can't even remember when it was.
Some say this isn't the first time someone has swept into their town with an idea for the building. People in the community say they're not surprised they haven't seen anything come of the catfish processing plant, bur say they wish they had.
Felicia Wiley owns a restaurant in downtown Wrightsville. She says she's had customers asking for updates on the plant, and others searching for jobs.
"You know more jobs, the better the economy is," said Wiley.
She says she can only hire so many people, but that's part of the reason she felt excited about news that a plant would come to the city and bring more than 100 jobs.
Now Wiley and others in Wrightsville say they don't know what the plant will do.
"I hate that. That plant would actually boost the economy. I feel like that plant would help my business," said Wiley. She thought the plant could add to the number of lunch-time customers her restaurant saw each day.
Everyone expected the plant to open last month, but the plant's doors are locked up.
A legal notice from the law firm of Spivey, Carlton and Eatonfield says the building will be sold at foreclosure auction on the first Tuesday in September.
13WMAZ tried to contact Warren Thomas who purchased the building for the catfish plant. He has not returned our calls.
The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says Johnson County's unemployment rate in June was nearly 13 percent.
| 
