By LARRY HILLIARDLedger Staff Writer

The maker of gypsum board has expressed an interest in building a plant in Cherokee County, sources close to the negotiations said.

The plant would locate on a 25-acre site near the Flying J Truck Plaza and 198 interchange in Blacksburg, the sources said. Gypsum board is a building material.

The site is owned by investors, including Dickie Moorhead, who failed to respond to amessage left for him. The land has been for sale for about three years.

The site has attracted interest because of its proximity to the railroad as well as other infrastructure.

Jim Inman, director of the Cherokee County Development Board, declined comment.

Cherokee County Interim Administrator Ben Clary said he wasn’t aware that a gypsum board maker was looking to locate here.