It appears that Franklin City Council made a good decision Monday when it unanimously agreed to partner with Franklin Southampton Economic Development Inc. and an industrial real estate developer to maintain and market Pretlow Industrial Park.

We hope for good news from this partnership based on the success experienced by the Hollingsworth Companies at the Southpoint Business Park in Prince George, where close to 1,000 jobs have been created.

With a track-record that seems to be promising, it was worth paying the firm $18,000 annually, not to mention the bonus of FSEDI footing the bill for the first year of the three-year contract.

The agreement means that Hollingsworth will prepare two parcels on the site for development by handling the testing and securing the business licenses so a company can move in within six months instead of the typical year.

Hollingsworth also agrees to market the space in Pretlow nationally to increase exposure.

At first glance, it appears this agreement could pay dividends in the future, and we applaud the city and

FSEDI for taking this positive step.