City to rebid fire station project
The expansion of the Holly Springs Fire Station at 127 Falconer Avenue in Holly Springs, in the works since Dec. 21, 2020, of the former mayor Kelvin Buck administration, is going to be rebid.
It is the third advertisement for bidders since the inception of the project, when during the Buck administration, bids came in at over the money in the budget because of rising costs of materials.
A2A Architects in Oxford prepared the architectural design and specifications to include the plan for a new two story dormitory with kitchen, conference room, meeting rooms and laundry downstairs and four single bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs and a captains quarters. Restructuring of the old station includes a room for an administrative assistant and a larger office to be used by a captain and lieutenant.
David Drope, engineer with IMS Engineers in Memphis, Tenn., asked the Holly Springs Board of Aldermen to readvertise for bids.
IMS will oversee the project as engineer.
Ward 1 alderman Bernita Fountain said the first bid to expand the Holly Springs Fire Department station during Buck's term came in at $1.2 million and all bids were rejected because they were over budget. The bid was taken during the COVID19 pandemic when prices for materials hit an all-time high, Fountain said.
There was $800,000 left in the project from Buck's term, she said.
The station was to be built with a Capital Assistance Program loan.
Bids were advertised again Dec. 15, 2022, then again to run in the Jan. 26 and Jan. Feb. 2 issues of The South Reporter. The bids will be opened at the Feb. 14 meeting of the mayor and board of aldermen.
Annexation Hearing
The annexation hearing in chancery court scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 24, has been pushed back to May 11. The annexation plan, developed under the Buck administration, met with stiff opposition from residents from some areas who did not want to be included in the City of Holly Springs, saying they did not want to pay city taxes. Residents in other areas of the proposed annexation favored the plan saying it would move the city forward.
Sports schedule
Signups for basketball ages 5-12 are ongoing at the Holly Springs Multi-Purpose Center, according to Marvin Bruce, director of Parks and Recreation.
Youth baseball signups for the Dizzy Dean league, part of the Marshall County Sports Association play, will include ages 3-14, he said.
Plans for youth football this year are also underway. A track program may also be added, Bruce said.
Parks and Rec. is also planning for a movie night and a senior’s activity day.
Sidewalk grant
The city has prepared to execute an agreement for a matching grant to construct a sidewalk from College Avenue on West Boundary Street to Woodward Avenue, according to mayor Sharon Gipson.
She said the city is in the final stages where it can move forward on the grant.
A sidewalk proposal for Hill Street was rejected because it did not connect to other areas in the city, Gipson said.
In other business, the board of aldermen:
• approved payment of $9,393 to BankPlus Wealth Management Group for a street bond.
• authorized payment of $230,982 to First Security Bank as one of two payments a year on the police station bond.
• approved payment of $1,938 to the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration for the December 2022 court settlement.
• authorized payment of $184 to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for the December 2022 court settlement.
• approved payment of $138,754 from the General ACH Fund to the general operating fund for the December sales tax collect.
• approved transfer of $2,096 from the general ACH fund to the public money market fund for December’s tourism tax collect. Payment of half of that, $1,048, was approved as the Holly Springs Tourism Bureau for its half of the collect.
• authorized transfer of $26,029 from the general ACH fund to the public money market fund for December’s tourism tax collect. One half of that, $13,014, was approved as payment to the Holly Springs Tourism Bureau.
• approved transfer of $4,192 from Municipal Aid from the general ACH fund to the general operating fund.
• authorized travel for the mayor, board of aldermen, city clerk and city attorney to attend a CMO elective evening course provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The course is an overview of incident command for elected officials in Oxford.
• approved travel for Michael Holmes to attend the Mississippi Fire Academy for Hazardous Material Technician -1 class.