Alabama Company Receives Tax Abatement

The announcement of a planned $16 million Decatur facility by Marine Terminals of Alabama Inc. meets hopes by city leaders that Nucor Corp. will attract additional industry to the city.

The City Council awarded a tax abatement to the Nucor supplier. Company officials said the plant would employ 84.

John Caddell, a Decatur attorney who handles tax abatements, said the company would initially hire 60 people with an annual payroll of $3.8 million. Within four years the number will grow to 84 with a $6.1 million payroll.

Marine Terminals will provide scrap handling, scrap processing inventory management and port operation services, Caddell said.

Joe Jarvis, chief financial officer, said the company is already doing some work in Decatur for Nucor. The company also works with Nucor at plants in Arkansas, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Jarvis said the Decatur facility, which will be on Nucor property, will handle about 2 million tons of scrap per year.

He said Marine Terminals has already started providing the services to Nucor in Decatur with equipment from its Arkansas plant.

Jarvis said Marine Terminals unloads scrap steel from barges, railroad cars and trucks, cuts it into pieces small enough for Nucor to handle, and sorts it for Nucor use.

The City Council agreed to a $435,000 abatement of non-educational ad valorem taxes over 10 years.

The city also waived construction-related transaction expenses that Caddell said would total about $248,000 over two years.

The manager of the Decatur facility will be Pete Wall. Decatur (Alabama) Daily