The Webster Progress-Times

WALTHALL - Officials have expressed doubts that a proposed deal to lease the former Red Kap building to a Connecticut-based manufacturer will be fulfilled.

As of Tuesday, the Webster County Board of Supervisors had heard no word from officers with Front Line Apparel Group since Dec. 19. Company officials previously told supervisors they expected the U.S. Defense Department to award it a contract by that date to produce battle uniform trousers for the Army. Assurances that the county has sought from the company include proof and authentication of the existence of a manufacturing contract with the federal government.

The county has applied for state and federal loans totaling $750,000 to buy the vacant Red Kap building in Mathiston, with plans to lease it to FLAG if the company meets all of its conditions. The board has not yet accepted either loan.

During Tuesday's meeting, board President Larry Crowley called Ron Levine, FLAG president, to check on the status of the contract. He reached an answering machine and left a message, which Levine had not returned by the end of the meeting.

Crowley also said he had called Doug Sullivan, who is Sen. Thad Cochran's state office director, to check on the contract. He said Sullivan was to do so but he had not called Crowley back as of Tuesday.

In addition, supervisors pointed out that the Defense Department's website has not listed any contract being awarded Front Line on or since Dec. 19. Supervisors took no official action Tuesday but, based upon their discussion, took the lack of any recent communication from Front Line as a sign that no contract had been awarded.

Rehire Employees

Other business Tuesday included the rehiring of all county personnel for 2006 at the same terms and on the same conditions. In a separate motion, Bobby Hill was hired as a road hand for District 1.

The board voted to enter into a 36-month service contract with Benecom Technologies of Pearl for hardware maintenance of the Courthouse's AS 400 computer system. The $2,835 expenditure will be charged equally to budget line items for the chancery clerk's office, Justice Court office and auto tag hardware in the tax assessor's office.

The supervisors also voted to close out the grant-funded Tomnolen Water Association improvement project.

Recessed Meeting

At a recessed meeting last Friday, supervisors voted to:

€ approve the attendance of all county election commissioners and the two deputy circuit clerks at a workshop this Wednesday sponsored by the secretary of state's office and Diebold Election Systems.

€ enter into a six-month extension of the county's grant with the state Department of Environmental Quality to clean up illegal roadside dumps.

€ apply through the state Health Department's Mississippi Rural AED Program for two more free automated external defibrillators, one of which will be placed in the sheriff's truck and the other at the Cumberland Volunteer Fire Department.

€ approve monthly claims.

Mart Salley (District 2) had a medical appointment and was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting. Board members, the chancery clerk and board attorney will be attending the Mississippi Association of Supervisors' Midwinter Education and Legislative Conference next Monday-Wednesday in Jackson. The next board meeting is Jan. 17 at 9:30 a.m.