MACON, Ga. — UPDATE: Amazon responded back to WMAZ's request for comment saying:
“Amazon remains fully committed to our fulfillment center project in Macon, GA. There are a variety of factors that we take into account when deciding to launch a building which includes customer demand, a dedicated workforce and great local support – and we’ve found all of those in Macon and surrounding communities, including with local community leaders and the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, which has been a strong partner in helping us not only select a site for our new fulfillment center, but also supporting our efforts to become part of the fabric of the Macon-Bibb County community. We assess customer needs on an ongoing basis, as well as our ability to meet those needs through our fulfillment network. We keep the timing of our building launches flexible to accommodate variation in our network capacity. We will share hiring and launch details as more information becomes available.”
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The head of the Macon-Bibb Development Authority says he still expects Amazon's new distribution center to open for business within the next six weeks.
But executive director Stephen Adams could not say Tuesday whether Amazon has given him a specific date for the opening.
When asked whether he believed the center could be ready by the end of March, Adams repeated that he expects it will open in the first quarter of 2019 -- by March 31.
That's the same timetable the company announced in mid-2018.
Amazon's original agreement with Bibb County called for the distribution center to open by Jan. 1, 2019, barring unforeseen circumstances.
Adams would not say when he had last communicated with the company on the opening and referred further questions on the project's status to Amazon.
Since Monday morning, company representatives have not responded to 13WMAZ's requests for an update.
13WMAZ reached out to the development authority and to Amazon after viewers questioned whether the plant was still hiring and whether the opening had been delayed.
Adams on Tuesday noted that Amazon has posted several Macon job openings. Openings currently posted online include HR manager and IT engineers.
But the Macon-Bibb Development Authority delayed responding to 13WMAZ's Amazon questions for more than 24 hours. Adams did not respond to three calls from 13WMAZ on Monday.
Authority spokesman Dan Hall said Monday morning that he was preparing a news release on the opening, but later said he needed to check back with Amazon before responding.
He would not comment Tuesday on whether he had heard from the company this week.
And a spokesman for Mayor Robert Reichert referred questions about Amazon to the development authority.
The company announced in 2017 that they planned to build their $6 million dollar plant on Skipper Road and planned to hire around 500 people.
