Remember when officials announced a peanut plant would be built in Greenwood and bring 150 jobs only to recant the same day?
The rest of the story has finally come out.
Greenwood is competing with Clarksdale for the peanut plant, and Clarksdale is offering cash incentives that Greenwood doesn’t have, according to Greenwood City Council President Ronnie Stevenson.
How did Clarksdale get the money?
It sold its hospital, Stevenson said.
The topic came up Thursday while the City Council weighed whether to move forward with consideration of selling Greenwood Leflore Hospital.
Stevenson said the only reason Mississippi attracted the Toyota plant near Tupelo and Nissan factory in Canton was that the state put up money. Not having that capital funding has put Greenwood behind the eight ball in competing with Clarksdale, Stevenson said, even though he said Greenwood is an overall stronger community.
“In today’s world, if you’re going to get industry in your county, it takes money. You’ve got to buy them, almost,” Stevenson said.
“I understand that situation, but nothing to say the state won’t put money in the Delta at some point,” said Councilman David Jordan, who also serves in the state Senate.
That prompted scoffs from Stevenson and Mayor Carolyn McAdams.
“You’re looking at fast dollars,” Jordan said to them.
“No, we’re looking at reality,” McAdams replied.
Jordan said there’s a federal program coming here — referring to the health care reform known as Obamacare — that “may lift the yoke of some of this stuff off of us.”
“I’m afraid that we may be making some hasty generalizations here; we may be moving too hastily right now. I know you’ve got dollar signs in your eyes, Mr. President,” Jordan said to Stevenson.
“No, I don’t. You’re assuming wrong. You’re dead wrong,” Stevenson responded.
He said he’s not made up his mind yet about whether selling the hospital is the best option.
“Right now today I wouldn’t know how to vote on selling that hospital. My mind is not made up, period,” Stevenson said. “Matter of fact, today if I had to vote about selling the hospital, I would vote ‘no.’ I’m voting to move forward to see what we have.”
The council ended up voting 6-1 to advertise for bids on the hospital, hold a public hearing and form a 10-person committee to decide what requirements the city and county should ask from bidders on the hospital. The county and county, which co-own the hospital, have the option of rejecting all the bids.
Jordan cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he doesn’t have enough information.
As for the peanut plant, the Clint Williams Co. of Madill, Okla., is currently building two peanut warehouses, one in Greenwood and one in Clarksdale. Plans for the processing facility, which would bring a lot more jobs than the warehouses, aren’t finalized.
• Contact Charlie Smith at 581-7235 or csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
