ATHENS, Ala. – A recent amendment to the Indorama Plastic Recycling Facility expansion plan could mean additional jobs and revenue for the people of Athens.

Limestone County Economic Development Association President and CEO Bethany Shockney is excited after the city council passed an amendment to the 2019 agreement with Indorama on a $40 million expansion plan which originally promised 60 new jobs. Now, there will be 87.

“They came back and said we have more that we would like to locate in this community and we were happy to do this for them,” Shockney said.

Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said the city council was impressed with the proposal and passed the amendment Monday night.

“They’re investing another 11.5 million dollars that makes the total investment about 51.5 million dollars,” Marks said.

The city agreed to a 10-year tax abatement for the property, but the school tax will give city schools a boost of around $900,000, according to Marks.

“It’s a win-win. We’re adding new jobs and we’re also producing a great bit more revenue,” he said.

Head of Recycling operations at the Athens Indorama Facility, Byron, Geiger said the following in a statement to News 19:

“Athens and Limestone County [have] been very good to work with, and in this very competitive landscape with other cities and states these incentives that are available to companies wanting to expand their operations make the difference when choosing a location,” Geiger said.

Shockney mentioned keeping the facility in Athens will help cushion job with losses occurring during the pandemic, as well as diversify the city’s job opportunities.

“When we can diversify on skillsets for jobs like that, that strengthens our overall economic base so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket,” Shockney said.

The expansion is estimated to be completed in late spring to early summer of 2021.