Lowndes County supervisors will consider a request from District 3 volunteer firefighters to apply for an assistance to firefighters grant when they meet 9 a.m. Tuesday at the county courthouse.
District 1 Supervisor and Board President Harry Sanders said members of the department spoke to him about applying for the grant because they were seeking funds to purchase updated equipment. Pending Lowndes County approval and Mississippi Insurance Department accepting the application, the grant would provide 95 percent of funding for the equipment purchases with the fire department matching the other 5 percent. Sanders said while the amount provided in the grant would be discussed during the meeting, District 3 VFD’s match would be approximately $2,000.
In other business the board will hear from Golden Triangle Planning and Development District project analyst George Crawford on applying for a CAP loan and approving an environmental project review related to the board’s approval of a contract to bring building material manufacturer CalStar Products to Columbus. The county will apply for the 20-year, $5.35 million loan through the Mississippi Development Authority to purchase a speculative building in the Golden Triangle Industrial Park from industrial development company Agracel for $2.85 million and use the remaining balance to tailor the facility to company specifications. Once CalStar begins operations, it will lease the building from the county.
The Delaware-based company has agreed to provide at least 58 jobs to begin with and that total could possibly rise to about 100 in time, Golden Triangle Development Link CEO Joe Max Higgins said during the board’s April 15 meeting.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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