Lincoln County moved forward Tuesday in establishing a newindustrial park by approving the issuance of $2.24 million inbonds.

Development of the new industrial park is expected to costaround $4.7 million. The county bond issue will be matched by citybonds, and the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce VisionPartnership campaign will chip in $500,000 toward the purchase ofland and development of the park.

The park will be located on approximately 500 acres near the endof Brookway Boulevard near Interstate 55.

Tuesday morning was the deadline for anyone opposing the bondsto lodge a written complaint.

Although some supervisors said they had received numerous callscomplaining about the bonds, no written complaints were filed.

“I had about 30 calls on it,” District Three Supervisor NolanEarl Williamson said.

A total of 1,500, people or 15 percent of the population, wouldhave to have filed written complaints to stop the bond issuance.Even then, the complaints only would have forced a public vote onthe bonds during the next county election, County Attorney BobAllen said.

With the current industrial park near capacity, a new park isvital to continued economic and industrial growth in the county,said Anthony Bell, chairman of the chamber’s Industrial DevelopmentFoundation.

“Without the land we’re not really in a position to compete(with other counties),” he said. “You can’t really get anindustrial prospect interested without being able to show them asuitable location and offer them the incentives they need to locatethere.”

It’s been a long process to develop a new park, but peopleshould start to see infrastructure work or construction in progressat the new industrial park around the middle of the year, Bellsaid.