Workforce center moves forward
The board of supervisors awarded the contract on the Marshall County Workforce Training Center last week. Progressive Construction of Hernando came in as low bidder at $3,090,000.
Other bids included C&M Builders of Southaven ($3,229,500); E&T Contracting of Henderson, Tenn. ($3,299,000); and McCarty King Construction of Tupelo ($3,788,000).
The board approved the recommendation of county engineer Larry Britt to award the contract to Progressive pending eligibility approval of the contractor by the Mississippi Development Authority.
The county will put up a 20 percent in-kind match which includes the land purchase, the engineering fees and the architectural fees, according to county administrator Larry Hall.
The workforce training center will be built just north of Rockwool, at the intersection of Wingo and Cayce roads.
In other business, supervisors discussed making the road money go as far as it can go in connection with a Wall Hill Road project and a micro-seal project that covers a number of other roads.
Britt said on Wall Hill Road, the county can do the work and be reimbursed by State Aid funds. The county can do the base repair then come back with scrub seal under the county’s maintenance contract.
Hall said the county will save money by doing as much of the work as possible on its own.
In other news, the county’s request to get legislative funding for repair of the courthouse roof got in on time and passed the Senate. The county may get significant help on courthouse repair with the help of the local delegation, including Sen. Neil Whaley who submitted the county’s request which passed the Senate.
Supervisors also discussed bids on the jail expansion project. It was rebid and came in over estimate a second time after the scope was cut down on the justice court complex, including removal of the parking lot work. The county proposed to pave the parking lot with its own crews.
Supervisor Keith Taylor discussed a request for a special taxing district in the area around Barton. Taylor said with new growth associated with I-269 and Highway 302 in the area, the county should ask the state for a taxing district so it could get revenue back from the state on the new district like cities and municipal governments get from sales taxes.
He cited Barnes Crossing in Tupelo that was designated a special taxing district and the county received tax revenue off retail sales.
“It’s a way to tax an unincorporated area in the Barton area,” Taylor said. “We would get taxes on existing businesses as well.”
Cody Spencer returned to the board to discuss a move by zoning to force him to remove used cars, trailers, building materials and other materials from Lot 208 and Lot 204 in Lake Drive Subdivision. Spencer’s mother owns the two lots.
Zoning director Ken Jones said cleanup of the two lots is not nearly completed and bad weather in February also contributed to an inability to move stuff off the property. Spencer has moved some stuff behind his house but it has to go because zoning regulations do not allow running a business out of a subdivision.
Neighbors have complained and the county has been trying to get Spencer’s cooperation since October 2017.
Spencer asked for more time, citing rains and muddy soil. He also said he may lawyer up.
“How much time?” asked Taylor. “The neighbors down there are wearing me out (calling and complaining) about it.”
Taylor added that it is not good for the taxpayers to have to come out and clean it up.
Jones said all vehicles must be tagged to Marshall County and that it is against zoning regulations to run a business on those two lots.
“We’re trying to help,” Taylor said.
Spencer asked who was complaining to zoning but Jones said that information cannot be divulged.
Hall said he has been out trying to give Spencer some advice and the vehicles are nice. Spencer needs to move them to a commercial lot and they would not have to be tagged, he said.