FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 25, 2011
STATE OF ALABAMA FARMERS MARKET AUTHORITY
Grand Opening Celebration Nears For Gulf Coast
Agricultural And Seafood Co-Op
Gov. Robert Bentley, along with members of the Alabama Farmers Market Authority and other local and state officials, will be on-site in Bayou La Batre Monday, March 28 as the Gulf Coast Agricultural & Seafood Co-Op
(GCASC) commemorates its grand opening with an 11 a.m. ribbon cutting ceremony.
GCASC, a waste processing facility, is an economic, environmental and social sustainability project intended to turn 5,800 tons of shrimp and crab processing waste annually into a marketable product.
According to Don Wambles, Director of the Alabama Farmers Market Authority, the project redirects up to 40 tons of waste from
area landfills each day, saving disposal costs totaling over $200,000 per year and improving the area’s quality of life by removing odorous wastes and water pollutants. The facility was constructed to be in full compliance with the U.S. Clean Water Act. Along with allowing for habitat restoration and preserving area fishing operations, the facility provides a point of connection and educational opportunity within the community through the bird habitat, wetland and industrial viewing areas.
With Alabama’s unemployment rate slightly above 9 percent today, the GCASC project also will serve to help the Bayou La Batre area facilitate a stronger, more diverse workforce. GCASC will result in the creation and preservation of some 391 Alabama jobs in the Bayou La Batre area, and is forecasted to create 200 new jobs within the private sector over the next three years.
The Alabama Farmers Market Authority secured funding for this $6.5 million plant through the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration and the Alabama Department of Conservation Marine Resource Division, along with local matching funds.
Conceived, designed and built by Alabamians, GCASC is unique in that it provides an innovative, cost-effective solution with an emphasis on environmental sustainability. Certified through the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Rating System, which encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building development and practices, the building utilizes a geothermal heating and cooling system, is double-insulated, constructed from recycled materials, and is designed to withstand a 150 mph wind gust from storms. Due to its construction and overall function, the project reduces fossil fuel and water demand, greenhouse gas emissions and improves area air quality.
The ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday at the new by-product processing facility, 9450 Little River Road in Bayou La Batre. For more information, contact the Alabama Farmers Market Authority, 334-242-2618.
MEDIA CONTACT: A.J. JONGEWAARD
Cell: 205-617-3933
Email: aj@dcwins.com
