PEMBROKE — The Pembroke Town Council this week approved an application for a $1.2 million grant from Golden LEAF Foundation that would pay for a sewage plant that could help bring an industry to Robeson County.

The sewage plant is part of an incentives package for Project Sweet Daddy, the name given by the Robeson County Board of Commissioners to a food manufacturing company that is thinking about locating near Pembroke. The council took the action on Tuesday during a special meeting.

“The plant is a pre-treatment of their waste,” said Pembroke Town Manager Oryan Lowry. “It’s going to clean up whatever gets discharged from their facility.”

According to information provided by the county about Project Sweet Daddy, the industry would create a total of 150 jobs with a starting wage of $9.50 an hour.

“It opens up the potential for future growth in the area for an industry that is coming to the county and to the town of Pembroke,” Lowry said. “We’re hoping to have an approval within the next seven to 14 days.”

The Golden LEAF Foundation was established using money from the settlement with cigarette companies years ago to help local economies hurt by the loss of tobacco jobs. Paul Brooks, the chairman of the Lumbee Tribe, and David Stephenson, a Lumberton businessman and farmer, are two of the 15 members of the board of directors for the Golden LEAF Foundation.

The application deadline for grants this year was Friday, which forced the special meeting by the council. The council’s regular monthly meeting is Monday.