The deal to remove debris from a collapsed building collapsed itself Monday, putting the downtown project on hold again.

&#8220They decided they wanted somebody else to do it, and that’s fine with me,” said Freddie Parson, who had been hired by owners Preston and Mary Reuther. &#8220I’m not affiliated with it.”

The former Thomas Furniture at 711 and 713 Clay collapsed Jan. 25. Twenty-three workers escaped the multistory masonry building that they were cleaning for the Reuthers who wanted it to become an antique shopping mall and farmer’s market.

Parson had also been approved by city officials to stabilize still-standing buildings at 707 and 709 Clay.

Monday, Preston Reuther said Parson was too slow in starting work, and that deals were reached Monday with Vicksburg contractors Pete Buford and C.G. Ford to take over the job.

&#8220I terminated (Parson) because he’s taking our money and hasn’t provided any services,” said Reuther, who estimated he’d paid Parson $20,000. &#8220Every day he said, ‘We’ll start tomorrow; we’ll start tomorrow,’ and tomorrow never came.”

Last week, the city rejected the Reuthers’ proposal, based on reports by engineer John Madison and architect Skippy Tuminello, to bring down the intact, abandoned structures at 707 and 709 Clay, which shared a wall and facade with the collapsed portions. The still-standing structures should be stabilized to prevent any further collapse before any decision is made on their fate, said the city Architectural Review Board in a decision backed up by a unanimous vote of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Those orders are still in effect, said Victor Gray-Lewis, head of city inspections, but the city must receive insurance from the new contractors and an engineering drawing detailing how they will go about stabilizing 707 and 709 before they can go ahead with the demolition.

&#8220It really doesn’t change anything,” said Gray-Lewis, who had not yet received any paperwork from Buford or Ford this morning. &#8220They’re still on the same time line as far as following the city’s order.”

Separately, records show Parson was indicted on a false pretense charge in November 2003 for failing to perform services or buy materials after accepting $13,800 from Charity Holm-Whaley, owner of Planters Hall, to do repair work on the historic site, according to Warren County Circuit Court records. The former Planters Bank branch and Confederate officers’ headquarters at 822 Main St. was built in 1834 and is one of the state’s oldest surviving brick buildings.

Parson’s trial, which has been pushed back several times, is scheduled for May 30, said District Attorney Gil Martin, who would not comment on the case or the reasons for delaying the trial.

Parson said the charge had nothing to do with his being asked to leave the Clay Street job, but Reuther said the decision was made after he was approached by Holm-Whaley.

&#8220When we heard that, it really confirmed what had been going on,” he said.

Parson also was sued in civil court for two other construction jobs in 2003 and 2004.

Reuther was charged with simple assault on a complaint Saturday following a fight at his business on Clay Street Friday, said Suzane Ebeling of the Vicksburg Police Investigations Department. Details on the charge were not available.

C.G. Ford said Monday he had not been officially hired for the project, but was looking into accepting the job.

&#8220I’ve been contacted about it,” he said, adding that he hadn’t looked at the property. &#8220There’s a lot to do before they hire somebody.”

Next door to the collapse, work continued this morning on the Adolph Rose Antiques building, where crews are nearing completion on the patching of a large hole in the 120-year-old building’s west wall caused by its neighbor’s fall.

Parson said he hired Riverside Construction president Louie Miller, who is overseeing his company’s work on the Adolph Rose property, to move a crane supporting a buttress beam that was helping secure the structures at 707 and 709 Clay and replace it with a more permanent support on Friday.

&#8220He got a lot of good done the day he was here,” Miller said.