Montgomery County is quickly becoming known for progress.

“We’re always looking for more jobs and industry,” Ryan Poston, presiding commissioner, said last week.

While a project to build a pet food factory in Montgomery County isn’t quite set in stone, some preparatory processes are underway.

Montgomery County officials are applying for federal funds for a water supply and processing project. This will support the proposed pet food plant on Booneslick Road, between New Florence and High Hill.

A full description of the project can be viewed at the Montgomery County Courthouse 8 a.m. to noon, and 1-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Most information continues to be reserved, even from local people who are involved. For example, the name of the company and the number of people who will be employed have not been publicly released.

“I don’t even know,” said Brent Speight, president of the Greater Montgomery County Economic Development Council. “Sometimes, information like that getting out can kill a deal.”

Withstanding any bad luck, it looks like this project will go forward.

“It’s close to fruition,” Speight said. “There’s been some grants applied for. Details about what this is are kind of off the grid.”

This project will include five buildings totaling about 538,000 square feet and a 60,000-gallon-per-day wastewater treatment facility.

County water service currently is not established in the area. Neither the High Hill nor the New Florence municipal water systems can handle the capacity needed by the new plant, nor can they provide for other development in the area that may come.

The total estimated project cost is $24,419,000. It also will include a 300,000-gallon water storage tower, a well house and pump.

The project site is 53 acres, with about 5.54 acres along the eastern property line within a 100-year floodplain surrounding a tributary of Elkhorn Creek. Construction will occur outside this area but treated water will be discharged into this tributary.

Site development will include storm water retention ponds to direct new runoff away from the floodplain and wetland areas.

Montgomery County officials will submit a request to the Missouri Department of Economic Development for release of Community Development Block Grant funds on or after June 5. These funds will be used to help pay for construction of water services infrastructure.

More development

Another major project coming to Montgomery County is an Uncle Ray’s potato chip factory. Twenty-one semi-truck loads of steel was recently unloaded at the site, located at the south side of Montgomery City, according to Speight.

“It will open next year,” he added. “It will take four months to build the building, and eight to 10 months to install the equipment. There will be 47 trailers used to bring the equipment in.”

The building will be 90,000 to 100,000 square feet.

Speight said this $32 million project will open in June 2021 and initially employ 44 people. Initially just potato chips will be made and sold regionally (the company is headquartered in Detroit), but when other kinds of production lines are opened, this plant could eventually employ 300 to 400 people.

Another project, the Love’s Travel Stop in New Florence, will open June 25.