Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce officials are scheduled to meet with Titan Tire of Natchez Manager Dave Fines at 8 a.m. today to see what the chamber can do to assist the plant.

Fred Middleton, chairman of the chamber’s economic development committee, confirmed that he, chamber CEO Anne Stowers and chamber Chairman Bobby Russ will meet with Fines at the plant.

&uot;We’re going to ask them what the city can do to help them and let them know that the community is behind them 100 percent,&uot; Middleton said.

At least 50 workers were fired last week from Titan Tire of Natchez. And CEO Morry Taylor has said Titan officials are evaluating &uot;the direction the company’s going&uot; given an impending recession, and that if the company did decide to cut jobs, it would do so in Natchez.

Still, Middleton pointed out that the plant has been a &uot;good corporate citizen&uot; ever since Armstrong Corp. opened the factory decades ago, and many families have several members who have worked at the plant.

&uot;Also, how they’re faring affects the whole area – people with mortgages, car notes, children to care for, bills for college,&uot; Middleton said. &uot;I see a lot of Louisiana plates at that plant as well as Mississippi ones. So if they’re prosperous, the whole Miss-Lou will prosper for that.&uot;

Middleton added that he would also like to discuss with Fines how the tire industry is general is faring – and how such slowdowns are affecting the Natchez plant.

&uot;Also, I’d like to see if there’s any chance that the Nissan plant being built near Jackson will have an effect on Titan,&uot; Middleton said.

Adams County Supervisor Lynwood Easterling said the board of supervisors will probably discuss Titan’s troubles at the next regular board meeting.

But he, like most local officials, has not heard firsthand news about the plant’s current situation or its future from Titan officials themselves. Officials also do not yet know what extra incentives could be offered to give Titan a financial boost.

&uot;We would do anything we could for them, within reason,&uot; Easterling said.

&uot;We worked closely with them on tax breaks in the past,&uot; he said.

Easterling added that he was surprised by news of layoffs and possible changes in the company’s &uot;direction.&uot;

&uot;With the Nissan plant, I&160;thought that, if anything, we’d be hearing about growth&uot; at Titan, he said.

The City of Natchez will consider renewal of Titan’s city tax break in the near future, &uot;and that’s something we can offer them to stay here,&uot; said Alderman David Massey.

Beyond that, he is not sure what the city can do to entice Titan not to make further personnel cuts or leave the city.

&uot;But I do believe it’s high time we called them and offer them a hand,&uot; Massey said. &uot;Any time 300 jobs are on the line, the city’s willing to do almost anything to keep them, … just as we would with any industry.&uot;

He noted that city officials worked with Johns Mansville in recent years to keep that industry from moving away from Natchez.

But hopefully, the situation at Titan will not become that desperate, he added.

&uot;This news has just come out,&uot; Massey said. &uot;They haven’t said they will have more layoffs or move from here. Hopefully the layoffs they’ve already had will be the last.&uot;

And Massey said that helping Titan would not be detrimental to United Steelworkers of America Local 303L, which has been on strike from Titan of Natchez since September 1998.

&uot;If we can keep them, hopefully that will benefit the union also,&uot;&160;he said.

Mayor F.L. &uot;Hank&uot; Smith could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but Mayor Pro-Tem Theodore &uot;Bubber&uot; West said the city &uot;is always willing to work with any industries to see what can be done to maintain those industries.&uot;

&uot;But the EDA is helping to address that situation,&uot;&160;West added. &uot;Whatever they (the EDA board members) recommend, the city is willing to work with them. Still, the city doesn’t know what we can do in that regard, since no one (from Titan) has addressed us yet.&uot;

The recent appointment of new EDA board members should help boost economic development in general, he said.

But Jack Dallas, a new board member of the Natchez-Adams County Economic and Community Development Authority, said he is not yet sure what the EDA could do to retain Titan.

&uot;If there were something we could do – I’m speaking just for myself here – I’d be willing to do it, but I’m not familiar enough with the situation to say what that would be,&uot; said Dallas, who also worked at the plant when it was owned by Armstrong.

Charles Yarbrough of the EDA’s economic development committee said Titan would have to contact the EDA to ask about possible incentives.

&uot;We approached Titan one and a half years ago, and they said there was nothing we could do for them,&uot;&160;he said. &uot;We’d be glad to look into anything we can do to help them, … if they call on us.

&uot;But the fact is that business is slow, … and business will have to pick up&uot; in order for Titan to get a financial boost, he added.

&uot;They’re like any other business – they’re doing the best they can. They’re providing 300 jobs, and they should be praised for that.&uot;