A nationally known chicken restaurant is finally coming to this Middle Georgia city

Excitement is building in one Middle Georgia city for the planned opening of a new Chick-fil-A.

The restaurant, expected to open in August, is the first in Forsyth, and Monroe County, about 25 miles northwest of Macon.

“Oh my gosh,” said Joyce White, executive director of the Development Authority of Monroe County. Chick-fil-A “is the buzz.”

White played a key role in getting the chicken chain to come to the county of about 29,000 people.

The authority had land near Interstate 75 that it wanted to develop, but it wasn’t large enough for an industrial use. So White called a contact of hers at Chick-fil-A headquarters to see if there would be interest in building a restaurant there.

“They’re just a great company with great morals and principles, but so is this development authority,” she told The Telegraph last year. “The negotiating period was long, but it was easy and always very respectful. So, we finally sealed the deal.”

The restaurant, at the intersection of Highway 18 and Industrial Park Drive, will bring more than 60 jobs to Forsyth and Monroe County.

The new Chick-fil-A should have no trouble building a customer base from locals and visitors alike. Interstate 75 has more than 93,000 travelers per day, officials estimate, and around 65,000 public safety officers pass through the nearby Georgia Public Safety Training Center per year, White said.

The Monroe County Reporter newspaper last week reported that Nick Jones will be the franchisee for the Forsyth Chick-fil-A. The paper said Jones has been an owner/operator of a Vicksburg, Mississippi, Chick-fil-A for the past 11 years.

Staff writer Jenna Eason contributed to this report.