Michelin to let option expire

There’s word this afternoon that the once-extended Golden Corner Commerce Park option held by Michelin has expired.  In an interview with 101.7/WGOG NEWS, County Administrator Scott Moulder said the option expired yesterday.  According to Moulder, the county had told the corporation that it would not be willing to extend the lease a second time and Michelin responded by saying it was not ready to make a commitment.  Oconee County had been dangling GCCP property since August 2014 in hopes that Michelin would make the park its home for what some saw as a potential major employer and an economic infusion into a part of the county that has missed out on similar kinds of development.  In a statement, Moulder also said, “We are disappointed as a lot of effort was put into this economic development opportunity, but we won’t pout and sit on our hands….”  Both Moulder and Paul Cain, the county council chairman, say they are going to continue efforts to bring development to GCCP, which still sits empty on highway 59 between Fair Play and Earles Grove.