CHESTER CO. — Leaders of a tire company planning to bring 1,700 jobs to Chester signed on the dotted line Tuesday.
Officials with Giti Tire were in town to close on 1,152 acres of land on a huge mega site off Interstate 77. The plant property will stretch from exit 65 all the way to the next interchange at exit 62.
Chester County Economic Development director Karlissa Parker said she hopes Tuesday's move will give nervous residents confidence that the deal is for real.
"Some people here were concerned that the company hadn't actually bought the land," Parker said. "For people in Chester, I hope they can say, (sigh) ok, Giti is coming."
Since the June announcement of the tiremaker's $560 million investment, the company has been quietly working on the details, preparing to break ground in January.
However, now the county is facing a lawsuit from a Columbia grading contractor who wanted to bid with others for the site work. The lawsuit was filed by Richardson Construction alleging the county violated bidding rules, by considering only a "top five" list of companies.
The county said it followed its policy for competitive bidding, however the lawsuit alleges that the bidding process is different when grant money is involved. In this case, roughly $36 million in incentive money is part of the deal to bring the tire company to Chester.
Richardson has asked a judge to stop the bidding process. Channel 9 was not able to reach the Columbia company for comment on Tuesday.
Parker said even if a legal squabble slows the process, it won't change the big picture, Giti tire, is coming.
"I know the company has really wanted to move forward. I see nothing from them to indicate that anything has changed," she said.
Parker said Giti tire is also looking at other sites that could be used for other purposes. The county is also working closely with Fairfield and York counties in an I-77 alliance to bring spin off businesses to the area.
A judge will hear the dispute between Chester County and the contractor on Friday morning. It's not clear how long the injunction could delay the grading of the site. It could be settled on Friday.