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exception of a small remnant concentration in old Midland, there is not any tree concentration of industrial uses nor a great concentration of any particular category of uses. However, with Coming building a large fiber optics manufacturing facility to be complete in 2000, some related businesses will likely locate near them. A concentration of industrial uses will likely develop in this area, along US 601 and Wallace Road. This area also contains the most industrially zoned land in the planning area. Very few of the area's industrial uses may be classified as traditional industries and partially as a result, do not rely heavily on local labor. One of the newer facilities is the Pepsi-Cola distribution center. Most of the approximately 65 employees who work at this center live in Stanly County. Two other uses, which are not traditional industries, are related to auto racing. These are Rahmoc Enterprises and the Concord Motorsports Park. Neither of these are major employers in the area, although especially in the case of the speedway, they attract a large number of people to Cabarrus County. There are more traditional industries in the area as well, such as Whitley Manufacturing and Presnell Insulation, a textile business in old Midland, and H.R. Mullis Machine. Each of these industries is large enough that at full employment they draw from a regional base of employees. To staff its fiber optic manufacturing facility, Coming, Inc. plans to hire over 600 people, with over 400 of these coming from the local/regional employment base. There is a large amount of vacant land that is industrially zoned. Unlike the lack of commercial zoning prior to 1993, which may have affected commercial growth, the areas of industrial property clearly show that growth is not limited by availability of land. The main factors affecting growth seem to be the previous lack of water and sewer and relative isolation from the interstate road network. The improvement of NC 24/27, the completion of the eastern part of the Charlotte outerbelt and extension of utility services should dramatically affect both commercial and industrial growth rates. PUBLIC FACILITIES The only public facilities in the plan area are the Bethel Elementary School and the Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site. The Cabarrus County Board of Education has completed a facility study and each year reviews and revises their plans. Planning throughout the county will adhere to their recommendations. The Board of Education plans to acquire property and build a new elementary school in the plan area between years 2000 and 2005. There are no current plans to build a middle or high school in the area. As the p, opulation grows in this and other areas of the county, new school locations will continue to be evaluated. The Parks and Recreation Department is also updating its Master Plan and its recommendations will address the whole the County. This section, therefore, will concentrate on one of the County's major public facilities -- the Reed Gold Mine. The Reed Gold Mine is an important cultural and historical facility for this area, the region, and the state. The site of the first major gold discovery in the United States, it 10