County pushes projects forward

As spring weather sits right around the corner, the board of supervisors and county engineer Larry Britt recently pressed on with current projects for the year.

Bids were opened on a paving project that would provide a road to serve Project Zeus (Amazon).

Standard Construction won the bid at $393,212. Other bidders included Murphy Paving of Tupelo at $450,486 and Lehman Roberts of Memphis, Tenn., at $562,307. The bid was awarded to Standard Construction. Engineers’ estimates put the cost of the project at $471,713.

Three things remain to be done to finish the elevated water tank near Niagara Bottling, Britt said.

Those include fencing, pressure testing of the lines and filling the tank.

Supervisors approved a change order for $9,500 and an additional 30 calendar days for contractors to finish the tank.

A waste water and gas extension job at Cooper Tire is about finished, Britt said. Supervisors approved a claim of $206,459 from contractors. They also approved a project to take electricity to a lift station in Chickasaw Trail at a cost of $6,900. Extending Gateway Global Drive to Mc-Cormick and work on Mt. Carmel Road were notched forward by the payment of a claim of $84,719. SB Construction of Clarksdale has the contract. Britt said the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) project guidelines have changed the payment schedule from about two weeks to from 45 to 60 days. So the contractor will have to wait for his pay.

Workforce Training Center

With improved weather and some urging by the board of supervisors, work is progressing rapidly on the workforce training center at Cayce Road and Wingo Road in the Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park, Britt said. Supervisors approved a claim of $166,240 to contractors and there is about $1 million in work left, Britt said. “They got into gear hanging sheetrock and stuff,” Britt said. He and county administrator Larry Hall recommended some esthetic changes – putting sheet rock around metal columns in the building’s interior and bricking up around exterior metal columns. The items could be painted but they would look better if some 15 metal columns inside the office space are encased, Britt said. That job would run about $7,672. Northwest Community College, which will lead the charge in workforce training, also wanted three windows added inside the building with one-way glass so students could be observed during training. The total estimate for the columns and windows comes to about $13,000, Britt said. Chancery clerk Chuck Thomas asked about building and grounds maintenance. Britt said there would be minimal grass to cut. Hall said the janitorial services and landscaping could be done with county employees or bid out to contract. Supervisor George Zinn III, who asked about janitorial services, said he hopes residents within the county could apply to provide these services.