Crane sightings all along Humboldt area skylines

Tyson locating here responsible for upsurge of construction

by Danny Wade

For those driving in and around Humboldt, you might have noticed the skyline looking a little different. Construction cranes can be seen at multiple locations. All of these cranes have something to do with Tyson Foods coming to town.

The Tyson feed mill located in Fruitland, Tenn. has used a crane for the newly constructed grain tower. The crane is still at the location and the mill project nears completion.

On the southwestern side of Humboldt, two cranes can be seen at Humboldt Utilities’ sewage treatment plant where a brand new, multi-million dollar plant is being constructed. The upgraded treatment plant was a necessity in order to handle the added usage of the Tyson poultry plant that is under construction.

Speaking of the poultry plant, there were at least five large cranes at the site last week. Four were being used for construction of the building, while a fifth crane was being used to build the new water tower for the Gibson County Industrial Park.

There were a few smaller, portable lift cranes on the construction site to move materials around and to lift lesser weight supplies.

With the larger cranes and the smaller ones being used on construction sites, there could have been a dozen or so cranes in use over the past several months. That very well could be a record for Humboldt and Gibson County.

But don’t think crane usage will be coming to an end any time soon once the Tyson buildings are completed. City and county officials believe more growth is on the way—probably not industrial growth, but commercial growth.

The city and county are working hard to entice a nice, upscale hotel to locate near the industrial park, along with new restaurants and retail businesses.

Humboldt’s and Gibson County’s landscape is changing with more changes certainly on the horizon. The excitement of new jobs, new businesses and additional tax dollars make for a good outlook on the future. Who knows—maybe the banks will need a crane to haul in all those new dollars coming to town.