The 200,000 square feet of the Barwick-Archer industrial building in Kensington are still in need of heavy renovations. (Messenger photo/Christi McEntyre)
Real Bright Sunrae Water, a division of Sunrae Environmental Inc., announced that it expected to be up and running by early July.
The company, which plans to sell bottled water, said it would hire 20 people. It intends to buy the water from Walker County and bottle it, company officials said.
Larry Brooks, Walker County economic development director, announced in May that Sunrae would set up operations in the old Barwick-Archer building, a former carpet manufacturing plant in Kensington. Contacted this week, Brooks referred all questions to Sunrae.
Mike Schieck, owner of Real Bright Sunrae Water and its parent company Sunrae Environmental Inc., has not yet returned calls seeking comment.
A visit to the Barwick building on Wednesday around lunchtime found a group of about a dozen workers, apparently on lunch break, who may have been there renovating the interior of the building. The workers declined to comment, unwilling to say exactly what work they are performing.
There were no machines or bottling equipment immediately visible.
“We were told to direct all questions to him,” said a group foreman, referring to a supervisor, who could not be reached for comment.
"ANNOUNCED EARLIER WAS THE BOTTLED WATER BUSINESS BUT WQCH IS THE FIRST TO REPORT THAT SUNRAE WILL ALSO BE RAISING SHRIMP AND SEVERAL KINDS OF FISH AS FOOD PRODUCTS, THERE.
"LARRY BROOKS, WALKER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPER, SAID THE REASON FOR DELAYS HAS BEEN THE FACT THAT FINANCING FOR THE TWO NEWLY-ANNOUNCED BUSINESSES HAD COME THROUGH SO THAT ALL THREE BUSINESSES ARE NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AT THE SAME TIME. SCHIECK SAID THERE WERE NO COUNTY INCENTIVES INVOLVED IN LOCATING HIS OPERATION HERE.
"ON-SITE WE SAW THE WATER FILTERING AND BOTTLING EQUIPMENT, READY TO BEGIN PRODUCTION AS SOON AS THE 'CLEAN ROOM' THAT WILL CONTAIN IT, HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
"ALSO ON-SITE ARE THE NEW, BRIGHTLY-PAINTED TANKS THAT WILL HOUSE THE SHRIMP AND FISH-RAISING OPERATIONS. SHIECK SAID HE HAS ALREADY CONTRACTED THE SALE OF HIS FIRST BATCH OF SEAFOOD. ALL THREE BUSINESSES WILL BE USING WATER FROM THE WALKER COUNTY WATER SYSTEM. WATER FOR THE FISH AND SHRIMP TANKS WILL BE RE-CYCLED AND FUTURE PLANS INCLUDE USING THAT WATER FOR AN AQUA-PONIC GROWING OPERATION TO RAISE VEGETABLES.
"TALKS ARE ALSO IN PROGRESS... THAT COULD RESULT IN OTHER RELATED BUSINESSES CO-LOCATING WITH SUNRAE, AT THE KENSINGTON SITE."