A new food processing center’s opening date has been pushed back to April, with more than half the construction left to be completed.
The Piedmont Food and Agricultural Processing Center, which broke ground in October in Hillsborough, will not open in March as previously anticipated due to delays in the contract with the general contractor, said Noah Ranells, Orange County agricultural economic development coordinator.
The county has hired Concord-based Morlando Construction LLC to oversee the building effort, which is about 47 percent complete.
Ranells said the largest efforts in the construction process thus far have been demolishing and replacing the floor and installing plumbing.
As of now, Ranells said there is no specific opening date set, but equipment is being purchased and applications are being evaluated in hopes of hiring a director for the center soon.
“We’re looking for a strong entrepreneur attitude,” he said. “Someone who has experience with food business and good fiscal management.”
The food processing center also received almost $80,000 from a state Specialty Crop Grant funded though a U.S. Department of Agriculture program, Ranells said.
He said the building has received about $1.4 million in grants, which he said would not only cover the entire construction but also leave $75,000 to go toward operation costs.
Orange County Commissioner Barry Jacobs, who serves as chairman of the steering committee for the processing center, said he’s seen a lot of community interest in the project.
