During its Jan. 9 meeting, the Washington City council authorized the purchase of equipment (at a cost of nearly $98,000) for the expansion of a power line at the Washington-Beaufort County Industrial Park.

In late summer of 2016, the council was told that expanding a 34.5kV power line into the Washington-Beaufort County Industrial Park would help improve electrical service there and help an industry there expand. The park is jointly owned by the city and Beaufort County.

In August 2016, Brian Alligood, Beaufort County manager and a former Washington manager, told the council that expanding that power line would improve electric service to Flanders Solutions and other industries at the industrial park and could result in Flanders Solutions adding about 60 jobs. Flanders Solutions, which bought Pronamics Industries, currently supplies the nearby Flanders Corp. plant with about 50 percent of the materials it needs to make residential, commercial and industrial filters.

Extending the 34.5kV line into the industrial park would open the door for Flanders Solutions to expand its facility by 12,000 square feet, he added.

Councilman Doug Mercer, who said the project could be a win-win one for the city and county, asked Alligood if the county would guarantee contributing at least $100,000 toward the project. “It appears at this point in time the city’s going to putting in more than the county,” he said.

Alligood said the county could not make such a promise.

Meanwhile, a part of Washington-Warren Airport’s maintenance hangar — the southern part — has a new occupant.

During its Jan. 9 meeting, the Washington City Council authorized the city manager to negotiate (if necessary) and execute a lease for a section (about 2,800 square feet) of hangar between the city and Earl Malpass, who will use that space for aircraft-related operations limited to the storage of private aircraft owned, leased or maintained by him, according to a memorandum from Frankie Buck Jr., the city’s public works director, to the mayor and council members. The Airport Advisory Board discussed the matter and recommended the council approve the lease.

Councilman Doug Mercer said the activities that Malpass will perform at the hangar should help bring more business to the city-owned airport.

Under terms of the lease, Malpass is required to upgrade an electrical panel and install lighting in the hangar. The lease also requires Malpass to mow the grass adjacent to the hangar. The lease ends Dec. 31 of this year, but automatically renews for additional one-year terms unless either party provides written notice of nonrenewal with 60 days before the expiration of the lease.

Malpass will pay an annual rent of $3,600 in quarterly installments of $900. Malpass gets the use of two tie-down spaces without charge for the first year of the lease to offset the cost of installing the electrical panel and lighting.