Supervisors mull road and bridge monies
The Marshall County Board of Supervisors is weighing funding issues concerning roads and bridges.
County engineer Larry Britt advised the board about bridges, saying the Tippah River Bridge is under state inspection. He worries the state may close the bridge if it has no money to correct the problem. He hopes the governor will put money back into the State Aid Fund, which apparently did not happen during the special session.
“If they do not fund, there will be no money,” he said.
Supervisor George Zinn III asked if State Aid was out of money.
County consultant Gary Anderson said state legislators had not completed State Aid funding because they disagreed on the amount to cut funding – by 10 or 15 percent.
Supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett explained the situation.
“If they don’t fund something, then it runs out of money, just like anything else,” he said.
Supervisor Charles Terry asked how no funding for State Aid would affect future projects.
“State Aid still has money,” said Britt.
“It just affects new money coming in or projects that have phases or levels,” Anderson said.
“It’s mostly about how much funding they get for the rest of the term,” Bennett said.
The board then turned its attention to work at Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park.
A lift station and force main (sewer) to the McCormick site from Gateway Global Drive is under design.
Justin Hall, executive director of the Marshall County Industrial Development Authority, said there is about $360,000 in grant money for the project.
Bennett said the project has been approved but the board needs to approve the engineering contract.
The board approved hiring Britt to do the design and engineering for the project.
“A bridge on the Waterford Bethlehem Road also needs repair,” Bennett said.
Supervisors added that the county’s erosion control and detention ordinance needs to be implemented. The ordinance awaits a close critique by board attorney Kent Smith before being set in the zoning regulations.
Supervisor Keith Taylor asked if agreements with a developer at Carriage Manor, which must maintain a detention pond once the county assists in the construction, were in place. He was also concerned whether the Mississippi Department of Transportation would be responsible for a dip on Wingo Road at I-69.
“I do not want the county to have to fix these things,” he said.
Britt said he has asked MDOT engineer Mitch Turner to send someone to look at the problem and advise on a correction.
“There is a dip at Deer Creek Road at I-69,” Taylor said. “There’s a bad dip in it.”
Airport
Justin Hall, who also serves as airport director, reported that striping and shoulder dressing at the runway should be done in 30 days.
He said the pilots like the new runway surface.
An application to the Federal Aviation Administration will be submitted to add fencing around the back side of land purchased for runway expansion and for the moving of the wind sock. The $250,000 project is awaiting approval, he said. The airport is also awaiting word on an application for a state of Mississippi Multi-modal grant from MDOT.
The airport has enough land to extend the runway to 5,000 feet, he said.
Other
Supervisors also approved Elliott and Britt Engineering to work with the architect on the jail (justice court expansion) project. Approval was granted.
The board attorney reported the Fire Protection agreement with the City of Holly Springs was ready to be signed. An interlocal agreement between Marshall County and Benton County to share costs of ambulance service was also being drafted.