Future job training center draws interest from area officials
CHARLESTON -- It isn't that Mississippi County officials are eager to see a business leave -- but they are interested in knowing when, if it has to happen.
Gates Rubber Company announced in March that their Charleston plant would close but did not release an anticipated date for that closure.
In a bid to turn "lemons into lemonade," Carlin Bennett, presiding county commissioner, proposed using the Gates building to establish a higher education center focusing on jobs training.
During Thursday's regular County Commission meeting, Bennett reported that last week's gathering of federal, state and local officials to open discussions on the idea "went very well."
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