County engineer reports

County engineer Larry Britt reported on water wells, sewer projects, bridge works and other projects at the October 20 meeting of the Marshall County Board of Supervisors

He asked for approval of change order #3 requested by Donald Smith, to extend the time on his contract to give 60 additional days on construction of a water well to supply the battery plant. He said Phase 2A of the battery plant that provides two wells to supply water to the plant needs to be amended because one of the wells has to be moved a distance from the original location intended.

The foundation for the elevated water storage tank is being poured, but the remainder of the tank parts have not arrived on site, he said.

Bids were opened on an Appalachian Regional Commission project to add 500,000 gallons a day capacity to the existing water treatment facility.

Eubanks Construction bid $10,715,000 and Hemphill Construction bid $9,555,050.

“We do not have the money,” Britt said.

“How do you increase that out of water to the existing facility?” District 4 supervisor George Zinn III asked.

“You add another tank,” Britt said. “The existing system was 400,000 gallons.” He said the sewer water is treated and then discharged into the Coldwater River.

“The capacity?” District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker asked.

Justin Hall, executive director of the Industrial Development Authority, said the sewer water will be pumped from the battery plant down to Highway 302. Part of it is gravity fed and part of it is pumped using lift stations.

He said the existing permit allows for a capacity of 4 million gallons but that capacity is not needed today. The current system handles up to 1 million gallons a day.

“Lift pumps are used when water goes into the force main, if it is not gravity, using lift pumps,” Britt said.

“That’s going to be capacity soon,” Walker said.

“Project poppy is going to add another cell,” Hall said. “The system is not like a traditional lagoon,” he said. “They have full-time operations up there and they program it. We’ve got plenty of room. We just keep adding tanks. It’s highly regulated (by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality).”

Changing topics, Britt said he has a contact that will provide a quote on installing a sleeve into underground pipe on Hernando Road that was identified as needing to be replaced.

Walker asked about progress on completion of Del Stover Road.

“All they lack is asphalt,” he said.

“They paved some then left,” Britt said. “They have some signs (to be put up), but also asphalt,” Britt said.

Hall said the Mississippi Department of Transportation has to install lighting at railroad crossings and at the frontage road at the battery plant.

He said MDOT sets the lighting up then the county has to maintain it.

District 5 supervisor Ronnie O’Neil Bennett asked how many lights there would be and how the county would maintain tall street lights.

Britt said poles once had to be climbed. Now the light can be lowered to be serviced.

Zinn said he has seen lighting in some of the subdivisions in district 3 and wondered if the lights were too bright.

Hall said that will fall on the developer. The bids for sewer treatment, as read, were taken under advisement.

Hall said a mass lighting agreement with MDOT has been discussed. The board approved a motion by Walker to enter into a memorandum of understanding with MDOT on the mass lighting.

The Blackwater Road bridge raise project was discussed. Britt said the contractor has done some clearing and will start on the project when a crew is freed up to work on it. He said once it starts raining the road will be closed to traffic.

Walker said there is no striping of the highway at Highway 302 and Wingo Road which is a concern for both the Workforce Training Center and the new fire station as well as to the Roxul insulation facility.

Drivers cannot see the turn, Walker said.

Britt said he wants to apply micro seal then stripe it.

Walker said the road is not in that bad a shape, but drivers can’t see the lanes. There are three lanes there and a high volume of traffic, he said.

“We need to stay on top of that,” Walker said.

Britt said the low spots in the Isaac Chapel Community Center playground need to be filled, but the precise location of the boundary lines have not been resolved.

He said the low spots can be filled or a drain installed.

“This would be a good time to do it, before winter. Let it set up,” said District 4 supervisor George Zinn III.

Britt said he will get a decision on how to handle that. The shallow places holding water could be filled with sand, because the depressions are not deep.

Hall said there is not much interest in a big job fair at the workforce center because the Governor’s Job Fair Network has recently held a fair in DeSoto County. He will have a small fair but schedule a larger one in March.