Seeking to recruit tenants for Riverstone Technology Park, members of
the Halifax County Industrial Development Authority on Friday morning
approved a teaming agreement with Carpathia Hosting, Inc.,
headquartered in the northern Virginia city of Ashburn.
ìThis is a company that has access to numerous prospects looking for
office and data center space,î explained IDA Executive Director Mike
Eades. ìThey have a list of clients that we might never have access
to.î
Carpathia currently is active at the Russell Stover site in
Clarksville, where information tech giant EDS is hoping to establish a
data center for the Department of Homeland Security. EDS is one of two
companies still in the running for the DHS contract, which has been
estimated in size at $560 million.
The Homeland Security project involves the construction of a ìmirrorî
data center to back up a similar facility in the Midwest. The data
centers will consolidate the flow of information among Homeland
Securityís far-flung agencies ó including U.S. Customs and Border
Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, FEMA and the
Coast Guard ó in two centralized locations.
If EDS wins the Homeland Security award, the companyís Clarksville site
could lure a number of spin-off companies to the region, according to
knowledgeable sources. Carpathia, described on its web site as
providing ìenterprise application hosting for government agencies and
businesses,î has close ties to EDS and other technology firms.
Eades said the teaming agreement is non-exclusive and in no way limits
the IDA to deals it might make with other clients. ìWe are just trying
to extend our search for tenants,î he explained.
According to language in the agreement its purpose is simply ìto enter
into a business development effort in the interest of obtaining tenants
or buyers for the Riverstone Technology Park and the Riverstone
Technology Building.î
Carpathia Hosting and the IDA will work closely together in the
exchange of business and technical information and the two parties
agree to cooperate fully toward obtaining suitable users for the
property, the agreement states.
The agreement further states that Carpathia will register any prospects
with the IDA, which in turn will have three working days to respond in
writing of their interest in the prospects.
If the IDA accepts the prospect then Carpathia will work exclusively
with the prospect to structure a deal that is mutally acceptable to
both the IDA and Carpathia, according to the agreement. The IDA will
not deal directly with Carpathiaís prospects except on matters dealing
with state, regional and local economic development incentives and
services. Carpathiaís intent would be to buy or lease the property
directly from the IDA and then build out the appropriate space for
their prospect.
Eades also reported that MBC is looking at a proposal to lease
additional square footage in the Riverstone.
Also on Friday morning IDA board members agreed to give Halifax County
a 3.52 acre tract on the Georgia-Pacific parcel adjacent to the Barnes
property to allow for the construction of a transfer station for the
countyís solid waste collection. They requested that any of the land
that was not needed for the transfer station be deeded back to the IDA.
Eades also reported that a traffic impact analysis needs to be done for
the Wilkins/Barnes/fairgrounds property before federal and state money
can be used there. He also added that the contract with the D. H.
Griffin Company to demolish the former GP building will likely be
finalized within the next two weeks in order that work can begin there.
Following early discussion led by Jack Dunavant about the wooden beams
in the GP building, Eades said Griffin had brought in a consultant to
advise them about the value of the beams. The consultantís report noted
that the beams were of no particular value, Eades said, but Dunavant
says he will continue to try and negotiate a deal with Griffin which
would allow him to possibly remove the beams which he still considers
to have high value.
IDA members also expressed their gratitude to members of the Tobacco
Commission who anted up some $98,646 to cover state incentive money for
local industries after the state fell short on its promise to provide
funds for the incentives. Five local companies were the beneficiaries
of the incentive money with Pacific Headwear being the largest,
followed by Dollar General. Other local companies receiving the
incentive funds were Cherokee Tobacco, Annin & Company and Charles
Parker. The incentives are offered to those companies that locate
within the enterprise zone and meet certain employment requirements.
The IDA which welcomed new member, Lisa Kipps Brown for her first
meeting on Friday morning, will conduct its next meeting on Friday
morning, September 21.