Video: Itawamba County Looks At Future Development

[syndicaster id=’6217380′]

ITAWAMBA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s been nearly one month since Wal-Mart announced it’s plan to close more than 100 Express Stores.
The announcement came as a surprise for many because the stores business had been steady.

Now, economic leaders are left trying to fill the empty buildings.

“It did come as a shock to us,” said Vaunita Martin, Director for the Itawamba County Development Council.

That was her reaction when she heard the Mantachie Wal-Mart Express was closing.

“The Mantachie Wal-Mart Express Store was the number one store. So they were doing very well in Mantachie, and we saw a growth revenue in taxes there for the town,” said Martin.

The building is now empty but Martin wants to find another business to fill it.

Discussions recently began with the board of aldermen on what other business is needed.

“What kind of companies, businesses are needed in Itawamba County that we don’t already have, that would be a compliment to the county and bring those from outside the county in to do business in Mantachie,” said Martin.

One way the council is looking at the needs in the county is through a newly launched website, geared towards economic development and tourism.

“We have all types of information located with company profiles, it shows where those in Itawamba county are spending their money. So it gives us a good idea about the type of businesses that might work there,” added Martin.

Wal-Mart still owns the building and the land and they haven’t set a price for it yet.

The new ICDC website is www.itawambams.com

Categories: Local News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *