By Joyce Lavene

Midland Town Council members got good news from Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railroad (ACWR) at their July meeting. ACWR’s marketing director Russ Smitley came to talk about the Gladstone Industrial Park plans that could bring unexpected prosperity to the town.
The park would be 70 plus acres near the intersection of Old Camden Road and Flowe’s Store Road. The park would have the advantage of being only about four miles from Interstate 485 and would have its own spur on the railroad line. The property is owned by Rob Wallace who also owns the property where the Midland Industrial Park is located off of Hwy. 601.
Smitley also said something Midland residents have wanted to hear for a long time—that the transloading facility in Old Midland would be moved to this site—when possible.
Smitley presented an overview of the project which is already being marketed across the country. “We looked at the potential for this project between the railroad and the community and thought they dovetailed well with what the town wants to do.”
The railroad hired Land Design, a firm from Charlotte, to help plan the facility. President Dale Stewart was at the meeting to share his insights into the project as well. The idea began with the railroad quickly outgrowing its space at the transloading site in Old Midland.
“There has been a tremendous amount of work already put into this,” Smitley said. “We had to look at wetlands, archaeological spots and environmental needs.”
ACWR will be the exclusive advisor on the project. It will be  a multi-modal park which will be developed into a major logistics hub serving the Charlotte and mid-Atlantic markets over the next 15 – 20 years, possibly hiring thousands of workers. Predevelopment efforts are already underway.
Smitley showed the marketing video, which has been sent out to more than 600 target prospects, saying that the site is tremendously marketable with the cost of fuel and the ability to develop other parcels of land around the site.
“We recognize that our coming here originally was a great source of concern for the people of Midland,” Smitley said. “That was one reason we wanted to work with the town on this project, why we’re here asking for annexation into the Town of Midland. We want to collaborate with the community so that we can both be prosperous.”
Smitley said the problems caused by the transloading facility being opened in Old Midland were unintentional. “We apologize for that.”
The project is several months away from specific development but companies are beginning to show interest in the site. “We are proud of the business that we have brought to Southern Cabarrus County,” Smitley said. “We are even more excited about the potential we see for better jobs, taxes and investment to the region.”
Council member Don Fleener said the town was “excited” about the development.
Mayor Kathy Kitts read from a statement prepared for the meeting. “This is the culmination of hard work, positive and progressive thinking and cooperation that goes beyond this council to the determination and diligence of staff, previous councils and most importantly, our wonderful community.”
Kitts went on to say, “As Midland strives to strengthen its economic presence, this unique opportunity is, hopefully, only the beginning and will continue Midland on the path to a town with desirable employment opportunities in a number of diverse number of professions. On behalf of the Midland Town Council and the citizens of Midland, I would like to thank Aberdeen, Carolina and Western for this opportunity and a strong relationship moving forward.”
There will be  a Public Hearing held on the annexation of the Gladstone Development into the Town of Midland on August 9.
Cutline:
Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Director of Marketing Russ Smitley (front foreground) said all the right things to the Midland Town Council as well as the people of Midland at the July meeting last week. He is pictured here at the meeting with Land Design’s Dale Stewart (middle) and industrial park property owner Rob Wallace (far left).