NATCHEZ &045; Even before International Paper announced it would close its Natchez mill by mid-year, community leaders had been planning to create an alliance to work on economic development.

IP’s announcement makes their work all the more urgent, officials have said in the wake of the news.

&uot;We just sent out letters&uot; inviting people to the meeting, said Laura Godfrey, president of the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce, which is joined in the alliance by the Economic Development Authority and the city and county.

Officials hope to involve the four surrounding counties, as well.

&uot;We want to expand our group to make this real inclusive,&uot; Godfrey said. &uot;We have had a plan before but not a lot of people for carry-through. We want a wide range of people for this alliance or council to be effective.&uot;

Alderwoman Sue Stedman said that &uot;regional strategy&uot; will strengthen the group’s efforts.

&uot;We have some perceptions to overcome,&uot; Stedman said. &uot;There’s a perception that we have had our noses in the air. We’ve got to overcome that perception.&uot;

&uot;We just need to take advantage of every opportunity,&uot; she said. &uot;We need to look at what the needs are. Š Let’s get solutions that fit the need.&uot;

For example, Stedman said, Alcorn State University’s Natchez campus has an &uot;excellent nursing school&uot; &045; and there is a nursing shortage in the state. If people are willing to be retrained, that’s an opportunity for them, she said.

And even though it’s the impending layoffs of 640 people are the worst immediate aspect of the plant closure, Stedman said that workforce can be attractive to new industries.

&uot;It’s one of the very things that’s cutting your throat, but it’s also the thing that makes you attractive to other industries,&uot; she said.

In announcing the plant closure, mill manager Steve Olsen said it is not the fault of the employees there.

&uot;I was very appreciative of the comments Steve Olsen made about the workforce,&uot; Stedman said. &uot;We’re very proud of them. We need to do what we can to help them.&uot;

Despite being &uot;shocked and stunned,&uot; by the IP announcement, Godfrey said the community must &uot;work together and we’ve got to move forward.&uot;

Moving forward, said Adams County Board of Supervisors President Lynwood Easterling, means doing what they can to help laid-off employees as well as looking for new industries.

&uot;We’ve got to get positive,&uot; he said. &uot;We need to work quickly.&uot;

Fred Middleton understands on more than one level the need to work together. As chairman of the chamber, he said residents and other businesses need to buy locally. He knows that first-hand, as well, as co-owner of a supply company that did a lot of business with IP.

&uot;It’s the domino effect,&uot; he said. &uot;We do business with other businesses.&uot;

Middleton said he plans to talk to state and federal officials about the help they can bring to the area.

&uot;There has not been a new plant in southwest Mississippi since the 1960s,&uot; Middleton said. &uot;That’s not just Natchez &045; that’s the whole region. That’s not acceptable anymore. From this point on, we’ve got to demand from each other that we work together.&uot;

On Friday, Gov. Ronnie Musgrove announced a new plant that will bring about 40 jobs to the Natchez area. Details of the deal will be released later this week.

Mike Ferdinand, director of the Natchez-Adams County Economic Development Authority and an architect of that new business deal, said the community has to be competitive.

&uot;There’s a greater urgency in what we do now,&uot; he said.