WALTHALL — City and county officials have begun discussions to enter into an interlocal agreement for paving some streets in Eupora.
The Eupora Board of Aldermen on March 4 authorized beginning discussions with the county concerning such an agreement.
Eupora Public Works Director Odie Avery met with the Webster County Board of Supervisors on Monday, March 18. He said the previous mayor had initiated an interlocal agreement for street purposes and that he was there on behalf of the city to keep the ball rolling.
The city is asking the county to chipseal six streets: North Street, Hodges Drive, Factory Road Ext., Gunter Drive, Oak Tree Lane and Gary Park Drive. Chipsealing is a road surface treatment that combines a layer of asphalt with one or more layers of small stone. The city is to provide the materials (crushed stone/gravel and tar) and the county will provide the equipment and labor.
No supervisors objected to helping the city but took no formal action pending review of the proposal by Board Attorney Jacqueline Meek. Monday night, Avery informed the city board of his meeting with the Board of Supervisors and related that the process has begun. This is pending official approval of the agreement by both boards.
Avery said the repaving work may be a drawn-out process over the summer as the county can do it only as expedient and after street preparation is completed.
Also during Monday’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors, Avery asked on behalf of aldermen if the county could cover any of the cost of repairing the damaged roof at the Eupora Fire Department. Tom Booth, deputy fire coordinator/emergency management director, said he would see if state funds appropriated to the county for building repairs and maintenance of volunteer fire departments could be used for this.
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Traffic Study
In another project involving the city and county, Austin Robertson of Magnolia Holdings and Development met with the Board of Supervisors on Monday.
As the WPT reported last week, the company is involved in a development project in Eupora that will be between Highway 9 and Old Walthall Road. A small strip center is planned there with retail/office spaces plus a feed and seed store with fuel pumps.
The Eupora Board of Aldermen voted March 4 to fund half the cost of related traffic impact study at Highway 9 and Hall Road required by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Approval was contingent upon the county doing the same.
Robertson asked the Board of Supervisors to also fund half the cost of the study. The county board did vote to share the cost of the study in the amount of $7,500 to be paid out of Economic Development — the same as the city.
Robertson told supervisors the company hopes to begin construction within the next 45 days and have the 13-acre project completed by the first quarter of 2025.
