Little Canoe Creek certified Alabama AdvantageSite
![Commissioner Larry Payne speaks Tuesday at a press conference announcing that Etowah County's Little Canoe Creek megasite has been designated an Alabama AdvantageSite. [Marc Golden/The Gadsden Times]](/gcdn/authoring/2018/04/24/NTGT/ghows-DA-6a9a337f-1be8-1205-e053-0100007f2f1b-5b1eb15d.jpeg?width=660&height=495&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
The Etowah County Commission on Tuesday announced that the Little Canoe Creek megasite is now certified as an AdvantageSite.
The certification from the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama provides potential incoming industries with a guarantee that the site is ready for major industrial use. That includes a detailed inspection of everything that a large company would rely on, including utilities, rail and highway access, down to the geological soundness of the land for the construction of a major manufacturing site. Qualifications also include proof of acreage and aerial surveys.
Achieving the approval has been a lengthy process, with construction firm Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood performing more than 50 bores into the ground to test for soil stability and overall land quality on the 1,100-plus-acre site last March. By September, the commission started meetings with the EDPA about certification.