A news article and editorial on Sunday pointed out that several key dates on the critical timeline released by the Industrial Authority concerning the Wiregrass biomass project had been missed, including the date for which a construction manager was to be hired and a date by which purchasing contracts with electric companies were to be finalized.

The reporter who conducted the interview with Industrial Authority Project Manager Allen Ricketts has been subsequently repeatedly contacted by Ricketts for what he deems “false reporting.” According to Ricketts, the timeline was never official and was only something the Industrial Authority threw together to appease the Times when given an official Open Records Request. Ricketts is apparently unaware that legally he cannot produce a document that does not exist to comply with said request. If he knowingly did so, as he now claims, that is a clear violation of the Open Records Act.

The Times refuses to print a retraction because there is nothing to retract. The timeline was provided to the newspaper in a full meeting with Ricketts, Industrial Authority director Brad Lofton, board member Mary Gooding, a vice president with Wiregrass, and three members of the editorial staff of the Times. At no point when repeatedly questioned about the timeline did anyone say it was not a binding document produced and provided as part of the Economic Development Agreement. At no point did anyone say “they made it up to make the Times happy.”

The Times still possesses the Open Records request and the information supplied to the newspaper as a result of the request on the Industrial Authority’s own monogrammed jumpdrive. If the members of the Industrial Authority and Ricketts wish the newspaper to state publicly, as Ricketts has requested, that the information provided by law to the Times contained false documents, then the Times is happy to report it as so.

If this project doesn’t break ground in two months, which is appearing to be less and less likely, the Industrial Authority employees and board members have only themselves to blame for woefully mishandling this project and anyone who dared to question it.