The decision to rebuild the Carlisle Tire and Wheel Co. plant in Bowdon now rests in the hands of the corporation’s feasibility committee.

Approximately 320 workers at the agricultural tire manufacturing plant were left without a job in November following a fire that destroyed the plant. The cause of the fire remains undetermined.

Bowdon Mayor Jim Watts said the company formed the committee at its last corporate meeting to study the return on their investment to rebuild the plant, and the city could learn of the company’s decision in as early as two weeks.

“The feasibility committee was created to see how feasible it would be for Carlisle to rebuild with the economy being what it is now,” Watts said. “We’re very optimistic that they will rebuild and come back to Bowdon.”

Watts said to add a few extra incentives to the company - on top of the hundreds of existing skilled workers living in the area that worked at the former plant - the city offered a package of incentives to the company. The package included the addition of 27 acres in the city’s industrial park that could accommodate the rebuilt plant and tax breaks from the federal government down to the local level.

“The company will retain their existing property, which it will be up to them to decide if they want to use it for green space,” he said. “The 27 acres in the Industrial Park is only a couple hundred yards away from the property now. The company already has a machine shop on it.”

City Manager Jimmy Meigs said the city is in the process of completing two phases of environmental tests on the former plant site to ensure that no environmental or chemical hazards were created by the fire.

So far, Meigs said all tests have come back negative.

“Those tests are something we would’ve needed to do any way, but it helps to have the tests done,” Meigs said. “That way there is no delay to rebuild if the company decides to rebuild.

“We are holding our breath until we hear a final decision,” he added. “We’re remaining optimistic and hopeful. We were hoping for a decision at their last meeting, but I understand they need to study the costs and returns on their investment. I understand the need for the committee, and what they are doing.”

City officials said some of the displaced workers are performing assembly work at a temporary location in Heflin, Ala., and the plant extended benefits in December to the remaining 90 percent of displaced workers that have been jobless.

Construction crews have been at the site cleaning debris for the past two weeks.

The plant was a substantial contributor to the city’s tax base and its employees spent money at local grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations. City officials said local businesses have felt the pinch since the plant was eliminated from the local economy.