WALTHALL — Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the village of Walthall's Court Square Park drew a large number of officials and supporters.
The village is moving forward with a project to convert the former courthouse site and surrounding grounds into a park for the community with the assistance of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Local and state officials involved with bringing the project into being, including Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert, were among those celebrating the start of the project.
Mayor Belinda Stewart, in remarks prefacing the groundbreaking, said the ceremony had been a long time coming. When the project was initiated about seven years ago — before the historic courthouse burned in January 2013 — plans were to upgrade the square with parking, landscaping and lighting. After the courthouse was demolished, she said the village was allowed to modify the project to provide the park for the community.
Stewart recognized the people and entities whose hard work, help and participation helped bring the project to fruition, including:
• Village of Walthall — City Clerk Joyce James; aldermen Kelly Powell, Jeffrey Tabb, Linda Stewart, Buzz Busby and Rodney Crowell; Marshal Casey Henderson; previous board members Randy Tabb, Joe Hays and Glendolyn Crowell; and former Marshal Benny Neal.
• MDOT, which through its Transportation Enhancement Program provided the majority of the funding for the project. Stewart said the agency patiently worked with the village while the decisions on the courthouse were made, the site was cleaned up and a successful bid for construction was received. She also thanked Tagert, MDOT District 1 Local Public Agency coordinators Travis Wampler and Jeff Wages, and state LPA coordinator Jeff Althman.
• Mississippi Development Authority, which Stewart said also played an important part in the development of the project. MDA provided a Small Municipalities Grant to fund some of the preparation of work around the Court Square, and the purchase of some of the lighting, benches and other fixtures that will be located in the park. Stewart expressed appreciation to Rep. Jim Beckett and Sen. Gary Jackson for this helpful program.
• Pritchett Engineering, whose owner is Bellefontaine native Joce Pritchett; Neel-Schaffer engineering firm and Bulldog Construction.
• Webster County Board of Supervisors (Pat Cummings, Paul Crowley, Eudy Morris, Doug Burgess and Randy Rico), who are providing in-kind services to help rebuild and resurface the road around the side and back of the square.
• The Henderson family – Danny, Cathy and Jettie Ann – who donated their childhood home to Walthall so the village could create the Henderson Community House to help support the park and to provide this small-event space for the community. A light lunch was served there after the ceremony.
Stewart also mentioned another recent addition that the village is proud of — the new Dollar General that has opened there. She thanked Lara Bowman of The Enterprise for her help in bringing the retail establishment there.
“We’re a small community but we hope to do bigger and bigger things,” Stewart concluded. “We look forward to how this park can serve our citizens and serve our community now and in the future.”
