In a unanimous decision, the Manchester City Council votes to purchase the land that will be the future location of a waste conversion plant.

The plant, operated by Waste Not Technologies, is expected to bring more than one thousand jobs to the area.

Manchester's mayor and city council members say tonight's decision is the beginning of a bright future for Clay County and surrounding areas. Now that they've voted for the city to purchase the property, just a few more steps remain before they break ground.

After some routine business, Manchester's mayor and council members made a decision they say will help save the local economy. Council Member John Pennington says, "It's unbelievable, the impact it would have, if everything pans out that we've been lead to believe will happen."

That is, that 1,400 jobs will come to Manchester with the plant. Mayor Carmen Lewis says Waste Not Technologies is working with Frankfort to get a storm water pre-construction permit. She says they hope to break ground at the site as soon as November 1, assuming everything goes according to plan.

"Really just getting our surveys--starting with the surveys--so we can get go ahead and get that land purchased, because it has to be in our name before they can start the site work," she says.

The construction company will hire an additional 50 to 75 people--another economic boost. Some council members want to hold a public hearing for folks who live around the site.

Pennington says, "I think that we need to meet with these people to assure them that everything possible will be done so that there won't be any discomfort to those people."

What seemed too good to be true is just a matter of days away. Mayor Lewis says, "We're just so excited; so excited not only for Manchester and Clay County, but for the region here. It's something that the people of Eastern Kentucky have waited for for a long time, and now it's here."

She says hopefully the plant will be operating in about a year. Waste Not Technologies does not currently have any operating waste conversion plants. They are also looking to build in other states, but the one in Manchester will likely be the first plant up and running.