Webster County leaders agreed last week to apply for emergency funds from the state for bridge repairs.
County Engineer Karl Grubb met with the Board of Supervisors about the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund on Nov. 19. The Legislature established the fund during a special session this summer as part of the Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act to revitalize public roads and bridges across the state. In addition to establishing the ERBRF, the Legislature also provided the necessary authority to initially fund the program up to $250 million.
Grubb said counties can apply for multiple projects and that he understood the bulk of the money is going to rural counties. Applications are due Dec. 14 and approval of projects by the Mississippi Transportation Commission is expected in January, when bond funds will be available for transfer to local entities.
Grubb asked the board to prioritize five projects on roads with closed or low-weight bridges and said project readiness was important. According to the Mississippi Office of State Aid Road Construction's website, Webster County has 10 locally owned bridges that are closed and 11 that are posted for restricted weight.
The board authorized Willis Engineering to submit an application to the Mississippi Department of Transportation for the ERBRF Program on behalf of the county. Supervisors selected bridge repair projects on these roads for funding in this priority order:
1. Tomahawk Road (three sites)
2. Lollars Grove Road (one site)
3. Pryor Bottom Road (two sites)
4. Salley Road (one site)
5. Cole Road (two sites)
Enterprise Update
Lara Bowman of The Enterprise gave an update to the board in which she reported that Gun Dog Supply in Mathiston had been selected Industry of the Year by the North Mississippi Industrial Development Association for its significant contribution to the economy of North Mississippi (a related article was published Nov. 21).
Bowman also said an expansion by Southeastern Timber Products in Ackerman should triple production. Additionally, she discussed training that will be provided at the Webster County Career and Technology Center through an ARC POWER grant. Equipment will be placed there to support training of students and the local workforce for manufacturing employers.
David Marsh of courthouse contractor Benchmark Construction was also at the Nov. 19 meeting. Asked by a supervisor about the status of the building’s construction, he said the project was on schedule, excluding some rain delays.
Marsh was also asked about an incident that occurred the day before which apparently involved a worker being injured at the courthouse construction site, according to the discussion.
Marsh had previously stated masons were working there that Sunday, Nov. 18. He said the injured worker received six stitches and was working that day (Nov. 19). Webster 911 reports for Nov. 18 show a medical call was received about 10:45 a.m. on Highway 9 in Walthall. The Walthall Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services and the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s AirCare helicopter responded.
Representatives of insurance carrier Gulf Guaranty addressed the board about managing jail inmate medical/prescription claims. They said 20 percent of the service fee goes back to the Mississippi Association of Supervisors. The matter was tabled until next Monday’s board meeting.
Other Business
Additionally on Nov. 19, the board:
• voted to change the status of jailer Connie Buckner from part time to full time and jailer Santana Townsend from full time to part time effective Nov. 7. The board had previously approved the hiring of Townsend from part-time to full-time jailer effective Oct. 15.
• amended the Sheriff’s Department budget at the request of Sheriff Tim Mitchell by decreasing the salary for the former chief deputy’s position by $8,200 in order to give $1,000 raises to each of the five full-time deputies and place $3,200 into the jailer line item.
• approved the naming of a road in a new subdivision in District 5 for 911 addressing only; it will not be maintained by the county. The road is off Highway 50 and was named Whitetail Drive.
Minutes of previous meetings show the Board of Supervisors acted on these matters:
Oct. 15
On Oct. 15, the board voted to grant Natchez Trace Electric Power Association a right-of-way easement over and across the county’s land for a distance of about 350 feet located at the site of the new courthouse in Walthall. The permanent easement is 8 feet wide.
Additionally, the board voted to:
• approve these changes in Sheriff’s Department personnel: accept the termination of William Thrasher effective Oct. 8 and accept the resignation of Shanna McTaggart effective Sept. 30, and hire Deangelo Liggins from part-time deputy to full-time deputy effective Oct. 8.
• hire Curtis Foster as a road hand for District 3 effective that day.
Justice Court Clerk Lisa Dean addressed the board about personnel and Bowman addressed the board about economic development.
Oct. 31
On Oct. 31, the board approved motions to:
• hire Terry Avent as a road hand for District 3 effective Nov. 1.
• allow District 1 road hands to go onto the property of Hattie Golliday and do ditching work necessary to stop the road ditch from flooding her yard.
• spread upon the minutes the inventory statement as of Sept. 30 and the final amended budget for FY 2017-18 ending Sept. 30.
Nov. 5
On Nov. 5, the board approved motions to:
• advertise for the sale of a D5 Caterpillar dozer belonging to District 4.
• advertise for bids to furnish goods and services for 12 months.
• submit a request for cash to pay Willis Engineering fees of $6,447 from an Appalachian Regional Commission grant and matching county funds for expansion of village of Walthall utilities. This was approved at the request of Spencer Broocks with the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District.
• hire attorney Buchanan Meek Jr. to prepare title work on emergency watershed projects.
• approve a permit application to place pipe on the right-of-way of Ticky Bend Road.
The board meets again at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
