Construction season needs dry weather

The main hinderance to building access roads to the new battery manufacturing site in the Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park is rain.

Justin Hall, executive director of the Marshall County Industrial Development Authority, told the board of supervisors that a tentative date for breaking ground at the Project Poppy site is the last week in June.

Construction roads are now being built to move materials to the site, but one road has lots of soft spots and engineers are trying to solve the problem, according to county engineer Larry Britt.

A wet February, March and April has slowed down road work in the area near Curl Road.

The extension of Del Stover Road that serves the Amazon warehouse is in the works to connect the road to Highway 72.

Hall said there is a DIP (Development Infrastructure Program grant) to extend Del Stover about 1,800 feet to Highway 72 available. The road will cross over the former North Magnolia Subdivision and take about a year to complete, he said. The project is expected to be concluded in March of 2025, he said.

Meanwhile, IDA is working with education partners to ramp up teams of people to work for Project Poppy, Hall said.

A public comment period is to be held by the Mississippi Department of Transportation to present several trajectories of connectors to Highway 72 near Curl Road, Hall said.

County consultant Gary Anderson briefed the board of supervisors on legislation that the county needs for road and bridge projects.

District 3 supervisor Keith Taylor said Congressman Cindy Hyde-Smith and Senator Roger Wicker would be the go-to people in Congress to get federal highway transportation grants. Congressman Bennie Thompson, who oversees the Department of Transportation work in Washington, should also be included in the effort, Anderson said.

In supervisor reports, District 4 supervisor George Zinn III recommended Bobby Sims to help establish a Parks and Recreation commission. He said Sims has offered to do some of the footwork pro bono. Zinn asked for a motion to allow Sims to be the Parks and Recreation coordinator.

“We need to discuss it first,” said Taylor.

“After talking two years and we haven’t got on first base,” Zinn said.

He was referring to the construction of baseball and soccer fields at the Marshall County Fairgrounds.

“Where are we on getting the Funeral Home (the old Reynolds Funeral Home in downtown Holly Springs) transition in place?” Zinn asked Buildings and Grounds manager Simpson Stroupe.

Stroupe said he has a sheat of everything that needs to be done.

“What I need to do first is the kitchen,” Stroupe said. “It is the main thing now.” And dirt work for the Medic #1 substation beside the old jail needs to be moved forward.

Stroupe said he doesn’t have enough help to work the list of things he has to do now.

“You have a list of things to be done in the Funeral Home?” Zinn asked.

Stroupe said six or seven offices have to be built. He will bring prices to the next board meeting (May 20), he said.

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry suggested that the projects that cannot get done perhaps should be contracted out.

District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker asked how Stroupe sets priorities on work. He has two voting precincts that must be ready for this year’s election on a certain date, the Early Grove precinct on Clear Creek Road and the Hudsonville precinct.

Walker said a bathroom has to be installed in one and a well and septic tank in the other to get the precincts ready. Zinn said some of the board members need shirts and asked if a board order is in place to buy shirts.

Taylor said advertising money in the budget can be spent to buy shirts for board members.

“We need to know if it’s legal,” Zinn said.

Terry asked Stroupe if the repair work at the Red Banks Fire Department has been looked at.

Stroupe said he and Roger Garrison are looking for the water line that goes into the building and how the sewer lines run.

Terry said he thinks the building is sound.

“We start lots of projects but never finish them,” Terry said, including work to set up phone lines for 911 and zoning at the old Medicaid building, now in use by those two agencies.

Spaces are needed for the Veteran Affairs officer, Emergency Management office, and for Stacey Reed at the 911 address office.

Stroupe said there are two vacant offices at the building and a wheel chair ramp needs to be put in for Veterans Affairs space.

Walker said Leland Reed asked for two or three offices for his equipment.

Terry said there is space for 911 and the phone lines are already in.

Taylor said he wants to put Veteran’s Affairs in a small office.

“Why are we prolonging it?” Terry asked. “Why can’t we go ahead and move him in that building? We have it 99 percent complete.”

The VA office is now at the old jail.

Stroupe said Emergency Management has trailers that have to be parked, but the office space is ready.

Susie Hill reported for chancery clerk Nicole Phelps who was absent.

She requested travel for Rosalyn DeBerry, Cameron Ray and another clerk for training; travel for two constables; and travel for six deputies for regional drug training.

The claims docket came to $1,012,596.

The board went into executive session to discuss litigation strategies, personnel and property acquisition.