At the fourth in a series of lunchand-learn meetings sponsored by the Rockdale Municipal Development District, a big crowd at the Patterson Civic Center heard from Dr. Adam W. Perdue, a research economist from the Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center, about long-term growth prospects for Milam County and, more specifically, Rockdale.
The meal consisted of catfish, mashed potatoes and green beans and was catered by Lee’s Landing.
Perdue told the participants that people want to be close to something when looking for a place to live, and that the ideal commute stretches to no further than about 35 miles from whatever it is they want to be close to, for instance, their jobs, school, college and other things.
The new Samsung chip plant in Taylor could add to Rockdale’s growth because it is within that 35-mile range.
One interesting point Perdue made was, “For every 1,000 jobs created, say at a factory, those jobs will create another 2,000 to 4,000 jobs long-term.”
Everyone in Rockdale has heard the rumors about what is going on at the old Alcoa property, now called Sandow Lakes Ranch, but no announcements have been made. When asked about a timeline specifically for Rockdale about what sort of growth would happen if a large employer choose to open at Sandow Lakes Ranch, Perdue said, “The growth will start immediately. Construction workers would come from all over and need to live, shop and eat in Rockdale. Even though the construction jobs are temporary, once the construction is finished, the new employees would then come in to start their permanent jobs.”
Perdue said depending upon how long the construction takes, Rockdale’s timeline to reach its growth potential would be about five years. It would come with taxes, jobs, housing and new businesses.
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