The Slidell City Council is looking forward to the future after closing a deal to sell its property on Gause Boulevard to Textron Systems.
“So this is big for the people of Slidell,” Councilman Trey Brownfield said Monday morning. “This is going to draw people, they’re going to move here, they are going to do business here. They are going to shop local, they are going to eat local.”
Brownfield tells WDSU the council approved the sale at its April 14 council meeting.
“This property was sold to the city for about a dollar, many years ago, from the Department of Homeland Security.”
It may have been only a dollar to purchase, but the price to maintain the building costs around $700,000 per year.
Brownfield tells WDSU a Textron representative inquired about the building last summer.
Textron, which builds armored vehicles for the military, leases a part of the building, but once the $3.4 million sale is finalized, it will not only own it but also plan to bring more than 100 jobs to Slidell.
“They’re going to be doing some renovations here; they are going to be adding and doing renovations at their other location here in Slidell,” Brownfield said. “So it’s great to have all of these jobs created here.”
Judy Graham lives in Slidell, and she tells WDSU she’s excited about the job growth heading to the area.
“I think it will create a lot of opportunities, help a lot of families put food on the table,” Graham said.
“The starting salary for the new jobs is around $95,000, which is 61 percent higher than the average wage in St. Tammany,” according to Textron.
The company will invest around $5.4 million to renovate the building. Construction is expected to start this year and end in 2027, according to the company.
As for Slidell, the sale will not be finalized until another couple of months; however, once it does, the city is not sure how they will dedicate the $700,000 per year they’ll soon have.
However, Graham has some ideas on how she would like to see it spent.
“I would say recreational facilities for children,” Graham said.
According to Brownfield, Textron is actively hiring for positions.
READ MORE:Slidell property sale leads to potential job growth
