Eupora Mayor Pete Fortner Jr. is the new president of the Webster County Development Council.
Fortner, who served as vice president last year, was elected at the WCDC Board's quarterly meeting on Jan. 20 at the Eupora Depot. He takes over the presidency from District 4 Supervisor Larry Crowley.
"I hope we can do some improvements for our county," said Fortner after he was elected by acclamation.
He referred to hopes that plans for the former Wood College campus will lead to some employment there, and also mentioned projected industrial activity.
Other officers elected by acclamation last week were District 2 Supervisor Mart Salley as vice president and, for another year, Belinda Stewart as secretary-treasurer.
The dues-paying membership re-elected Sandra Dewberry as the at-large board member.
Meeting earlier that day at the Courthouse, the Board of Supervisors reappointed three county representatives to the WCDC Board: Paul Duke of District 2, Earlean Bowen of District 4 and Barbara Pumphrey of District 5. Representatives for districts 1 and 3 for this year have not yet been determined; those districts were represented in 2003 by Laura Marshall and Jack Haney, respectively.
The board accepted the proposed budget for 2004 as presented by Stewart. Before doing so, the board members passed a motion to authorize the president's Advisory Committee to give prior approval for any expenditures of $500 or more. All voted "yea" except Duke.
Steve Anderson said during his executive director report that Hawkeye Glove is up and running. It anticipates having nearly 60 employees by the end of this week and has the potential for around 125 employees. The Golden Triangle Planning and Development District is developing a grant application for heating and air conditioning improvements there.
Anderson also reported that he is working with a prospect for the old Futorian building who would manufacture products using fly ash from the the lignite mine in Choctaw County.
He said the WCDC's web site (www.webstercountyms.com) is basically completed and pointed out that this is an important economic development tool. The recruitment video for the county is taking shape and shooting may start in the next few weeks. An upcoming WCDC-sponsored program is a free energy savings workshop for business owners that will be Feb 10 from 9 a.m. to noon at the depot.
Also, Anderson said a ribbon-cutting committee has been formed that is chaired by Charlotte Newman of The Webster Progress-Times. New businesses or businesses under new ownership anywhere in Webster County ceremony may contact her at 258-7532 to set up a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Chairmen of the Vision to Action committees also gave reports and Anderson thanked them for their work.
"It's great to see the committees at work," he said.
The committees had a joint meeting Monday night with Jack Russell, former chief strategist on distressed areas with the Appalachian Regional Commission, to discuss the implementation of plans and their progress.
DEPOT MOVE VOTE
Anderson, at the meeting's conclusion, thanked Crowley for serving as president and the city of Eupora for use of the depot, which houses his office.
The board voted at a special meeting on Nov. 6 for the WCDC offices to be moved into the depot. Neither the media nor the general membership of the council, which receives public funding from the county and each of its municipalities, was notified in advance of the meeting that Crowley had postponed from a previous date. The meeting was conducted at the Courthouse in Walthall, according to Anderson.
The meeting minutes approved by the board last week show that Fortner made the motion to move the offices and Dewberry seconded it. Through a vote by secret ballot, the motion carried by a vote of 10-4, the records show.
In other business at that meeting, the minutes reflect that a letter from Mathiston Mayor Jimmy Carden was submitted and read to the board. Because of time conflicts, he had selected Jeff Haney, a Mathiston alderman, as his designee to the board. Haney was invited into the meeting and welcomed as a board member, state the minutes.
MEMBERSHIP
The 2004 WCDC membership, as of Jan. 20, consisted of:
Individuals: Charlene Bagwell Graham of Huntsville, Ala., and Cynthia Wilson, who is county Extension director.
Utilities: Four-County Electric Power Association.
Industry: Britton Industries, MMC Materials Inc., Mississippi Lignite Mining Co. and Dixie Craft Trailers.
Businesses and other entities: Watkins, Ward & Stafford, Central Service Grill, North Mississippi Health Services, Deweese Title Loan, Meek Insurance Agency, Oliver Funeral Home, The Webster Progress-Times, Belinda Stewart Architects, Duncan Veterinary Clinic, St. John Catholic Church, Eupora Electronics, State Farm Insurance, attorney Henry Ross and Sandra Dewberry Insurance.
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