Greenwood elected officials will be in Washington next week to attend the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference, says Mayor Carolyn McAdams.
She said she will travel with Ward 1’s Johnny Jennings, Council President Ronnie Stevenson and Ward 4’s Charles McCoy. They will depart Sunday and return Wednesday.
In addition to the conference, she said she has scheduled meetings with Mississippi’s congressional delegation: Sen. Roger Wicker, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Rep. Bennie Thompson.
“It’s just a great time to get reacquainted with our senators and congressmen again because we haven’t seen them in a couple of years unless they’ve been passing through,” she said. Last year’s conference was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said Sunday will be primarily a travel day, with participation in the conference scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. The National League of Cities focuses on bringing together local leaders interested in improving quality of life for their current and future constituents.
McAdams and company are scheduled to visit with the congressional delegation Tuesday and give “an update on what is happening in Greenwood,” she said. “Just thanking them for their service to Mississippi and what they do when we call because we can call them at any time. They help us (or) their aides help us.”
There aren’t many projects on Greenwood’s wish list this year, but McAdams is interested in exploring the possibility of federal aid for the C&G Rail Trail project.
This proposal, promoted by Carroll County landowner Wilson Carroll, would turn a long inactive railroad line between Greenwood and West Point, owned by Genesee and Wyoming Inc., into a biking and hiking trail.
Carroll told the Greenwood Rotary Club last week that the estimated cost is $25 million to $30 million. The funds McAdams seeks would be in addition to federal matching funds administered by the state.
She also wants to advocate for the continued presence of Amtrak in Greenwood. She said the train line provides cheap and affordable transportation to the city and neighboring towns. “People like traveling by train, and quite frankly, I think it would just be awful not to have Amtrak stop in Greenwood and offer that service,” she said.
The group will miss Tuesday’s meeting of the Greenwood City Council. Ward 7’s Carl Palmer will preside over the meeting in Stevenson’s absence.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
