The Clayton County Water Authority has pledged to provide expertise in water and sewage treatment in the coming year to the public works administration in Timis County, Romania, according to Wade Brannan, general manager for the county treatment facility.
The initiative is the result of a meeting between Mr. Brannan and members of a Romanian delegation from the city of Timisoara, who visited Atlanta last month on an economic development mission aimed at learning about potential measures for infrastructure improvement in their home region.
The Romanian visitors also met with members of Clayton County’s police force who have said they will travel to Romania, perhaps as early as this summer, to conduct training workshops on drug enforcement practices, Constantin Ostaficiuc, president of the Timis City Council and spokesman for the Romanian delegation, told GlobalFax.
Mr. Ostaficiuc said the delegation had also visited Hartsfield International Airport, March 6, to learn about the role the facility has played in Atlanta‘s development as an international business center.
With the second-busiest airport in Romania, Timis County hopes to replicate some of the lessons learned in Atlanta, including improved airport facilities, to foster economic development in its own region, he explained.
He added that Timis County hopes to build upon its traditional manufacturing base and has plans underway to construct an industrial park in an effort to attract U.S. high tech firms that want to take advantage of the region’s eight universities and skilled workforce.
Mr. Ostaficiuc also pointed to his county as a possible regional headquarters for U.S. companies with operations in Eastern Europe.
Additional opportunities exist for U.S. engineering and consulting firms in the re-building and modernizing of much of Timis County’s infrastructure, including roadways, public works and public waterways, he said.
For additional information, e-mail Mr. Ostaficiuc at cjt.vp@banat.ro. Contact the Clayton Chamber at (404) 608-2770.