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City focuses on streets By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer  | Photo by Sue Watson
West Boundary Extended
Engineer Larry Britt discusses erosion control on W. Boundary. |
Utilities
general manager Don Hollingsworth and consulting city engineer Larry
Britt are busy finishing up several road projects in town and getting
ready to go to work on others, as well as programming new projects. Reporting
to the Holly Springs mayor and board of aldermen on Tuesday last week,
Hollingsworth received approval from the board to install special order
riprap in areas where sand is coming out of banks and filling culverts
on West Boundary Extended. The small stone will not be a trap for
mowers and equipment used to keep weeds and grass down on banks and
rights-of-way, he said. The erosion problem was cause for a
supplemental agreement with the contractor to put down filter material
then stone at an estimated cost of $68,726. The money is available from
contingency funds in the project paid for with State Aid Division road
funds.  | Photo by Sue Watson
College Avenue project
Work is underway to mill and overlay College Avenue from West Boundary to Memphis Street. |
A second street project to mill and
overlay West Boundary from West Valley to Chulahoma Avenue was approved
by the board of aldermen for programming. The project is estimated to
cost several hundred thousand dollars. Mayor
Andre’ DeBerry and Hollingsworth discussed needs to upgrade the lagoon
while the city programs a wastewater treatment facility. Hollingsworth
said the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has permitted
the continued use of the lagoon which carries the city to 2014.
Municipalities will be required to treat wastewater with chlorine, then
remove the chlorine and ammonia before emptying treated water into
streams. The removal of these ions is required to reduce the dead zone
in the Gulf of Mexico, he said. Old-fashioned
aerators that are used to put dissolved oxygen into wastewater to
enable microorganisms to degrade nutrient wastes are wearing out, he
said. The gear boxes in the 25-year-old units are wearing out and will
not be replacable, he said. Also, a rubberized floating blanket that separates the lagoon into two cells is falling apart. “This
gets us by three or four years,” said Hollingsworth, adding that if the
city had the money to build the modern wastewater treatment facility it
would take that much time to build it. DeBerry
said the city is looking to Sen. Roger Wicker, Sen. Thad Cochran and
Rep. Travis Childers to help get funding for the new facility which
will enable the city to not only handle its own sewage but that from
rural areas as well. In other matters, the board of aldermen: •
authorized the recreation department to accept a senior citizen to work
20 hours a week and be paid by Experience Works Senior Workforce
Solutions. • approved an audit of water, sewer, gas and electric departments by Watkins/Ward/Stafford. The studies are required by TVA. •
adopted a required fuel cost adjustment increase from Tennessee Valley
Authority for the month of May. This follows an increase in April. The
increase provides no revenue for the Holly Springs Utility Department
but is required by TVA. A residential customer whose monthly
electricity bill is $105 will pay 60 cents more with the increase. • ordered a public hearing for clean-up of four dilapidated properties. •
discussed a proposal from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development that the city accept the Mississippi Industrial College
Apartment Complex properties for $1, then turn the project over to a
developer/invester to repair the dilapidated units. DeBerry said the
repair would cost over $4 million but the developer would recoup
investments over time through rent and tax credits. The
complex has about 100 units with only 50 occupied. The board authorized
a resolution to send a letter of dissatisfaction to the management
company as a first step in possible takeover of the properties. |
