Economic Development
Nestled in central Georgia, Fort Valley is a rural city of 8,000 residents with a strong sense of community energy and pride. Home to the historic Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley has been selected as one of a few Georgia ciies to receive the designation of a "City of Excellence." The award is based upon the city being one of Georgia's best managed and most livable cities. The city was recently named a "Top City" by Georgia Trend Magazine.
From 1910 to 1986, the Woolfolk Chemical Works site was used for the manufacture of inorganic and organic insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides. In 1986, EPA initiated its investigation of the release of hazardous substances, which resulted in placement of the property on the EPA Superfund/National Priorities List in 1988.
In 1988, concerned local members of the Woolfolk Citizen’s Response Group, state and federal agency staff, local government officials, and prospective responsible party formed a round table group called “The Alliance.” With the community’s technical advisor, the group has met every six weeks for 12 years to monitor, discuss, and criticize the process of testing and remediation at the Woolfolk site. It provides a constructive forum for divergent interests to reconcile their differences and move forward. This team of parties is completing a huge project in record time and moving on with redevelopment.
Redevelopment has already started with the Thomas Public Library and the Troutman House. Thomas Public Library was constructed in 1997 on property donated by Canadyne-Georgia, the successor to Woolfolk Chemical Works, and serves as the official repository of all site records. The Troutman House, built in 1855, sits directly across from the Woolfolk Site and after years of disrepair and neglect, today the Troutman House has been fully renovated and serves as home to the Downtown Development Authority and MainStreet, the Georgia Peach Festival, the Peach County Chamber of Commerce, the Welcome Center, and the Peach County Development Authority.
Today, as remediation draws to a close, Fort Valley is focused on the future. Redevelopment of the site is critical given its strategic location in the heart of downtown Fort Valley. Following a community planning process, the City has developed a site layout that celebrates the recovery, provides needed space for vital community services, returns residential development to the site, and offers opportunities for retail growth in the heart of downtown.
The City of Fort Valley and its partners are actively pursuing private investors, federal and state agencies, and foundations to help fund this redevelopment effort.
Click here to download PDF of this site plan