RALEIGH — FedEx apparently has its eyes on the Triangle for not one, but two blockbuster projects that could mean thousands of jobs for our area.

WRAL understands through sources that the overnight package company has a separate plan on the drawing board to build a multi-million-dollar satellite tracking center, and the Triangle is in the running for it.

FedEx already has 400 employees at a cargo center at RDU International Airport. But, its presence here could get much, much bigger.

The Triangle is one of six areas in the Carolinas under consideration for FedEx's new mid-Atlantic hub, which could create up to 1,500 well-paying jobs.

And, sources tell WRAL that FedEx also wants to build a new satellite center to track its packages, and the Triangle is on the short list for that project, as well. People familiar with the situation say this second operation could employ upwards of 1,000 people, with some salaries as high as $60,000 per year.

Sources add that the two FedEx projects would not necessarily come together as a package deal. But, if the Triangle got both of them, it could mean a total of 2,500 new jobs.

A FedEx spokesman said that he has no knowledge of this second project.

Neither did the Cary Town Council, which voted to oppose the first FedEx project, the mid-Atlantic hub, primarily because of the potential noise pollution. Council members say word of this second project doesn't affect how they feel about the first one.

Another person familiar with the situation believes that the two FedEx projects have to be linked, so opposing the hub could keep our area from landing the satellite tracking center.

FedEx plans to make its decision on the mid-Atlantic hub sometime this summer. Our sources did not know when the decision on the tracking center would be made, nor did they know what other cities were under consideration.