Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 9/1/16

Tyson Foods Inc. is preparing to spend $14 million on capital improvements and other expansion-related activities at a poultry facility in Wilkesboro, N.C., the processor announced yesterday.

Tyson said the project is expected to create as many as 75 jobs and the cooked poultry products facility, although it is contingent on the company winning approval of a community development block grant from the N.C. Dept. of Commerce.

Wilkesboro officials are expected to apply for a $1.9-million state grant to design and build a clarifier at the local wastewater treatment facility in support of the Tyson expansion. The Wilkesboro Town Council also is scheduled to hold the second of two required public meetings to discuss the town’s grant application on Sept. 12.

Tyson has worked with the N.C. Dept. of Commerce in the past and commissioners in Wilkes County are expected to schedule their own public hearings on Tyson receiving public funds from the county in return for unspecified expansion goals, according to local news reports.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.