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Infrastructure
to be laid for medical center
By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer
Bids were opened at the recent Holly
Springs Board of Aldermen meeting for engineering and consulting work
on a Community Development Block Grant that will help put utilities in
place for Alliance HealthCare System’s medical center.
The medical center will go in along U.S.
78 as Phase II the Holly Springs Commons development area, where several
new business projects are under construction as part of Phase I.
Larry Britt, with Elliott and Britt, one
of the bidders for the engineering of the project, reported on several
other city projects in progress at the meeting.
He said it will be another year and a half
before the Highway 4 Bypass to the north of the city will be ready for
paving. All but one of the box culverts has been poured and bridge pilings
are being put in place. The bypass will go over the railroad and form
a clover leaf to feed traffic into Highway 178 and U.S. 78 at the north
Holly Springs exit, according to Don Hollingsworth, with public works.
Work continues on the entrance to the Holly
Springs Commons and the first layer of asphalt, curb and guttering has
been laid at the Phase I development site. Steel is being raised on the
strip mall going in at the Commons.
Mississippi Department of Transportation
is doing a traffic study at J.M. Ash Drive and Highway 7. But the location
of traffic signals will not be pinpointed until the Commons opens, Britt
said.
Possible locations of traffic lights are
in front of McDonald’s and at J.M. Ash Drive, that will feed traffic
into the KFC area at Mary Rahe Drive.
Hollingsworth said traffic lights will
not go up until the study shows about 465 cars passing through every two
or three hours.
Alderman Garrie Colhoun asked Hollingsworth
if the intersection at Wal-Mart is going to be widened. He said the intersection
is too narrow for two lanes of traffic to flow through from Wal-Mart to
the northbound lane on Craft (Highway 7).
Alderman Tim Liddy asked about the design
of the intersection at J.M. Ash Drive.
Hollingsworth said a consultant wanted
traffic to exit the intersection straight off into the KFC area. Traffic
signals will be synchronized to provide a smooth flow of traffic, he said.
That means drivers who get through one
traffic light without stopping will make all the others without stopping,
providing traffic slowdowns do not occur.
In other business, the board of aldermen:
- approved a contract request from Quality Photo and New View Creations
to lease space in the old recreation department building adjacent to
City Hall.
- In making the request, Lawrence White with Quality Photo said
the businesses cannot pay the going rates for space on the square,
after Liddy voiced concern the city could be construed as in competition
with property owners in town.
- “There are no other possible uses of the building other
than demolition,” Liddy said.
- “All of us are acutely aware of vacancies on the square,”
Mayor Andre’ DeBerry added. “If we could keep business
on the square we would be well served to do so.”
- DeBerry said he understands competitive rental prices.
- “But maybe something owners need to look at is what they
are charging,” he said.
- Alderman Russell Johnson said he was concerned about the air
conditioning in the old recreation office building.
- DeBerry argued that A/C will not be needed for a few months.
A window unit might cool the entire space, he said.
- Hutchens asked for a clause in the contract that required the
renter to pay for half of any repair cost of the cooling system.
- White asked for a two-year lease that could be renegotiated.
He would pay utilities and $200 a month.
- Board attorney Ki Jones suggested a one-year lease which White
said would be acceptable.
- The board then unanimously passed a motion to lease the building
to the two businesses.
- Liddy restated his concern about possible appearances that the
city was offering space at prices below what property owners are
charging.
- Hutchens agreed with Liddy but added, “$200 is not a lot
of rent. Of course, our building is not a lot of building. I am
willing to go with a one-year lease and see what happens.”
- heard about leaks needing repair at the Multi-Purpose Building.
- received an update on the city’s new website, www.hollyspringsms.us.
- Information Technology director Ken Robinson asked the board
for permission to hold a photo contest, taking submissions representing
areas of the city in each of the four seasons. The photos would
be used as background images on the webpages, he said, “to
give a well-rounded look at the city.”
- Photos of a favorite flower, a season or about nature would be
useful, he said.
- Robinson also suggested the photo contest winner could pick a
business to be featured.
- Liddy said he liked the photo contest idea, but featuring a business
photo would be like advertising.
- DeBerry said the ideas were to publicize the website.
- “We want to get everybody involved,” Robinson said.
- He also suggested a means for city departments to receive e-mails
where the public could report emergencies, like downed power lines
and trees or broken water mains.
- Liddy said phone numbers should be published for departments
and would be better to use to report emergencies than e-mails.
- Robinson said IT will provide identification badges for all city
employees.
- Other types of security devices were also discussed with DeBerry
explaining that the security measures are “born out of Homeland
Security.”
- discussed a solid waste contract and passed a motion to rebid the
solid waste contract.
- passed resolutions supporting a $571,900 bond issue for improvements
and repairs on the Highway 4 Marshall/Benton water and sewer project.
The board authorized Watkins, Ludlum, Winter and Stennis to handle to
bonds.
- Passed a motion to change the scope of a gas project that would have
provided service from Red Banks to Mt. Pleasant.
- Hollingsworth said not enough residents signed to extend service.
The board will propose to use the funds, instead, for construction of
a police station.
- authorized Rev. Ruben Pegues to reapply for a HOME grant on behalf
of the city.
- approved a request to let Guardian offer a dental insurance enrollment
plan to city employees.
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