This award provides funding to Pitt County to extend sewer to serve Project Down East, which is North State Steel. North State Steel is a structural steel fabrication company that has been in operation in Pitt County since 1984. It currently has 52 employees in Pitt County and a total of 70 in North Carolina. North State Steel plans to add 11 jobs over the next two years and add a new 3,800 square foot office building to its current facility. The jobs are expected to pay $56,055, plus benefits. This wage is more than $10,000 over the Pitt County average of $45,723. The company will also make a capital investment of $1 million. The company currently relies on a septic system but will need to connect to public sewer for this expansion. Greenville Utilities will extend a sewer line approximately 650 feet to serve the expanded facility. The sewer will also be available for future extension to serve others in the area. The total cost of the water and sewer extensions is $603,303. Other funding will come from the NC Department of Commerce Utility Fund ($100,000), Pitt County ($100,000), Greenville Utilities Commission ($203,303), the Greenville ENC Alliance ($25,000), and the company ($75,000).
