A request from Carolinas Cement Company to New Hanover County could result in creation of a $5 million packaging facility on Roanoke Cement Company’s site in Castle Hayne, according to a news release from the company Friday.
 
Carolinas Cement is asking the county for a building permit to upfit and equip a large warehouse on its property so that it can package cement into bags for distribution, said Bob Odom, general manager of development for the Castle Hayne operation.
 
The facility is planned as a simple packaging operation that will not include any type of manufacturing or processing, according to the release, which stated, “These operations are permissible by an air quality permit previously issued to Carolinas Cement Company by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Division of Air Quality.”
 
Nor does the proposed bagging operation require a special use permit from the county, the release stated.
 
“The packaging operation will be part of the existing industrial use of the property as a cement storage and handling terminal and therefore does not require a New Hanover County special use permit. A building permit is required from the County’s Development Services Department,” the release stated.
 
Since the early 1990s, the Castle Hayne terminal has stored and distributed cement manufactured at the company site in Roanoke, Virginia. The cement is transported to Castle Hayne from Roanoke via rail, Odom said.
 
Currently, customers bring their cement tankers to the Castle Hayne terminal and load the dry mixture in bulk. Handling the cement in bags will be more economical and efficient, and could potentially attract more customers, Odom said.
 
“The bagging operation is a low-impact, environmentally friendly investment in New Hanover County,” Odom said. “The demand for cement is growing as the economy strengthens, and this use of our existing property is a smart way to create jobs and move forward on this project. The bagging operation is a $5 million investment that will create more than 10 construction jobs and two permanent jobs for local residents.”
 
Roanoke Cement and Carolinas Cement are both subsidiaries of parent company Titan America. Titan’s products include cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, concrete block, fly ash and mineral beneficiation, according to the release.