Last modified: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 2:35 AM EDT The Swank Cookson facility on the East side of Attleboro. (Staff photo by Mike George) ARA: Firm committed to city plan BY GEORGE W. RHODES SUN CHRONICLE STAFF ATTLEBORO - A redevelopment authority official said Tuesday that Cookson Precious Metals is committed to the city and its redevelopment of the former Swank Co. building for jewelry manufacturing. The comments came the day an article appeared in The Sun Chronicle that raised questions about the project because of a Cookson plan to open a facility in the Dominican Republic. Michael Milanoski, executive director of the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority, said the article contained "inaccuracies." He said the impact of the company's moves on local employment won't be as severe as reported. He went on to say the company has brought 343 jobs to facility on the corner of O'Neil Boulevard and Pearl Street. That number is more than the number originally promised in a complicated deal set up about three years ago to bring Cookson to the city, he said "Several hundred new net jobs are on the campus," he said. The number includes 75 jobs from the Leach and Garner plant in North Attleboro which was bought by Cookson in September. "Some of the Leach and Garner jobs will be moved to the Dominican Republic, but that has nothing to do with our deal," Milanoski said. About 60 jobs duplicated by the transfer of some Leach and Garner operations to Attleboro were eliminated without a net loss, he said. The creation of a plant in the Dominican Republic does not include the transfer of full time jobs from the Attleboro facility according to a press release from Cookson. The 200 jobs at the Dominican plant are culled from overtime equivalents, temporary employees, outside contractors and employees from the Leach and Garner facilities in the Virgin Islands and North Attleboro, the press release said. Cookson is in the process of combining the former Swank property and its Stern Leach plant located next door into one campus by the closing of a part of Hazel Street. The company has already spent about $6 million in improvements on the former Swank building, which is owned by the ARA. Swank sold its property in Attleboro to the ARA, which intends, in turn, to sell it to Cookson. Swank remains as an independent company. Other jobs transferred into the city include 90 from Cookson's Excel Co. in Providence, 106 from Masters of Design in North Attleboro and 72 from the Inverness Co. Cookson will take ownership of the building once environmental cleanup is complete.