1

James Lane, right, general manager of Coca-Cola’s Northampton plant, talks to Gregory Bialecki, state secretary of Housing and Economic Development, and Mayor Clare Higgins Monday after he announced the plant will expand its operations. They are standing beside one of two areas adjacent to the plant where construction is under way.

NORTHAMPTON - Machine operator, mechanic and product-line technician are the kinds of jobs Coca-Cola Co. plans to fill next spring as it expands its bottling plant on Industrial Drive, according to the Atlanta-based beverage giant.

Construction is already under way and expected to put 60 people to work in Northampton before another 40 permanent employees are hired by the company over the next several years.

"It's going to be happening fast," said James G. Lane, the plant's general manager, at a press conference Monday. "It's a very aggressive timeline. We're expecting to be up and running in May of next year."

The plant is expanding by 16,000 square feet with plans for a new pre-treatment facility for effluent, a chilled cooler and loading docks. The approximately $33 million project is designed to expand two chilled fruit beverage product lines, including Minute Maid.

"It is the biggest investment, the biggest expansion we've seen at the site since we opened our doors in 1995," said Lane, of the 455,000-square-foot plant, which employs 172 people.

The plant expansion hinged on reconstruction of the nearby Bradford Street sewer pump station, which services Coca-Cola and surrounding homes and businesses in the Northampton Industrial Park.

On Thursday, the City Council approved a $1.5 million project to repair and increase capacity at the station. The state will be contributing two-thirds of the money through a Massachusetts Opportunity Relocation and Expansion Jobs Capital grant.

Gregory Bialecki, state secretary of Housing and Economic Development, formally announced Monday that the city would receive $1.125 million to pay for the infrastructure improvement. City officials say the upgrade is needed with or without Coca-Cola Co's expansion and it will contribute the remaining $375,000 out of its sewer enterprise fund.

"This infrastructure improvement will help create these jobs," Mayor Clare Higgins said.

Bialecki tied the state grant award to the governor's continued efforts to promote job growth and long-term economic recovery. He noted some 60,000 jobs have been created in the commonwealth so far this year, an encouraging sign on the job front.

"There are a lot of great signs that our economy is recovering," Bialecki said. "But there's still a lot of room to go to make up those jobs that were lost during this last great recession."

Higgins said Coca-Cola has been a "steady, stable employer" in Northampton for many years and praised the company for taking the risk to expand its plant during tough economic times.

"This is jobs and tax-base expansion at a time of great financial stress in this economy," Higgins said.

The mayor also gave praise to Teri Anderson, the city's economic development coordinator, for "doggedly" working on the project, which was long in the works. "It wasn't always clear what path to take," the mayor said.

The bottling plant was one of three in the running nationwide for expanding the company's product lines for chilled juices. The plant now makes non-carbonated beverages such as Vitaminwater and Powerade, which do not require chilling and are stored in ambient temperatures.

Earlier this year, the Northampton City Council granted Coca-Cola a tax break through a tax-increment financing plan. The incentive is designed to give the company a $34,760 tax break on its new growth over the next 13 years.

Coca-Cola's $33 million investment will cover construction costs as well as new machinery and equipment. Lane, the company's general manager, said a ground-breaking ceremony is planned for September.

Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.