Lamar Braxton was relieved Monday when Adams County supervisors voted to deed Thompson School to the local Head Start program.

&uot;Certainly I was relieved to know we have finally resolved all the issues and everybody can move on,&uot; said Braxton, who is the CEO of local Head Start provider AJFC Community Action Agency.

All four supervisors at Monday’s meeting voted in favor of a resolution to grant the deed.

Supervisor Darryl Grennell is attending the National Democratic Convention, in Los Angeles.

But Board Attorney Marion&160;Smith said he spoke with Grennell Friday about the resolution and Grennell agreed with it.

Thompson School has been a hot issued in recent weeks since supervisors first voted to deed the property to AJFC.

Alumni of the black high school, Grennell and fellow supervisor Thomas &uot;Boo&uot; Campbell had wanted the county to maintain ownership of the school by granting AJFC a long-term 50-year lease instead of a deed..

Braxton said AJFC needed either a deed or a lease to secure the agency’s future with the building. The agency needs this assurance so it can receive grant funding for building maintenance, he said.

Eva Dunkley, of the Thompson Era Reunion, described the county’s decision as something alumni can &uot;live with.&uot;

&uot;It’s not what we wanted, but it’s what we expected,&uot; she said.

During a meeting last week among AJFC officials, alumni and local politicians, AJFC agreed to address alumni concerns by leasing the school’s band room, gym and auditorium to the alumni.

The alumni have received non-profit status from the state and also are applying for federal non-profit status.

&uot;We got what we wanted …,&uot; Dunkley said. &uot;We just didn’t get it through the lease.&uot;

State Rep. Phillip West, a Thompson alum, also wanted the county to grant AJFC&160;a long-term lease. &uot;I don’t feel any different than I did last week,&uot; West said. &uot;I don’t think anybody who felt one way or the other has changed their mind.&uot;

Because of ongoing maintenance problems at Thompson, the Mississippi Department of Health gave AJFC until Aug. 31 to award bids for roof repairs. If it does not, it could lose it’s license.

For this reason, Smith said Monday it was not accurate to say the county was giving away Thompson School.

The county has invested a great deal of money into Thompson without being able to bring the building up to health department standards, Smith said. It also could lose the Head Start program if AJFC does not comply with the heath department, he said.

&uot;(The deed is) a sound financial proposition for the county,&uot; Smith said. &uot;I think there’s been a misconception that the county is giving something away, and I don’t think that we are.&uot;

The county is getting something in return — financial savings, education for the Head Start children and employment for about 100 people, Smith said.

And as part of the deed agreement, the property will revert back to the county if AJFC ever stops using it for educational purposes.

AJFC educates more than 500 children ages infants to 4-year-olds at Thompson School.

Braxton said he thinks AJFC will meet the Aug. 31 deadline to award bids for roof repair.

Braxton said AJFC plans to sub-lease the school’s gym, band room and auditorium to the alumni in exchange for the alumni assuming liability and maintenance of those sections of the building.

The General Missionary Baptist State Convention, which owns Natchez College, has also expressed interest in some of the Thompson School property. The convention wants to build a secondary boarding school at the location, but officials have not worked out those details.

&uot;I don’t know if they will ever pursue this any further,&uot; Braxton said about the convention.