The Webster Progress-Times

WALTHALL - The Webster County Board of Supervisors continued discussions of the Front Line Apparel Group project on Nov. 21.

The county is applying for loans totaling $750,000 from the Tennessee Valley Authority and Mississippi Development Authority to buy the former Red Kap building, and in turn lease it to FLAG to produce battle uniform trousers for the Army.

In addition, the company has applied for two MDA Community Development Block Grant loans totaling $500,000 for working capital and equipment purchases.

"It appears to me that CDBG is not going to make these loans without personal or corporate guaranties," Planner George Crawford of the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District told supervisors.

He also said a letter guaranteeing repayment would not suffice but that a legal document would be necessary. Crawford agreed to contact Plant Manager Jerry Riggan regarding the guaranty questions and other matters.

Board President Larry Crowley said, "I made it clear (at a previous meeting with Front Line officials) that we would require the same security as TVA would."

A second public hearing on the county's "CAP" loan application from MDA is scheduled for next Monday. The hearing is necessary because previous newspaper public notices did not run the required number of times.

In other business Nov. 21, the board:

€ accepted a bid of $1,150 from Calvin Redwine for a surplus Ford Crown Victoria from the Sheriff's Department.

€ approved a 16th Section lease between the Webster County School District and Ida Mae Reives for a term of one year and 11 months. The School Board has already approved the lease.

€ authorized deputy clerks Sherri Henderson and Wanda Berryhill of the circuit clerk's office to attend Statewide Election Management System training in Tupelo that day.

In previously unreported action from the board's Nov. 7 meeting, the supervisors voted to purchase asphalt for the paving of the east-side parking lot at Walthall Baptist Church, which the county has a lease for use of during workdays. The church is to reimburse the county for the asphalt purchase.