Leflore County supervisors Monday once again revisited what to do about people living in or selling items from metal portable storage buildings, the kind that would not be unusual in anyone’s backyard.
Since the beginning of the year, the board has heard from its own building inspector, its attorney and the county’s tax assessor, along with a neighbor of the offending property, complaining that Regina Harper has established a compound of metal sheds on property off Miller Road (County Road 138) outside Itta Bena that she has used for sleeping quarters for herself and others, and also as a store.
Supervisors have yet to take action on the sheds, even though Building Inspector Victor Stokes, Board Attorney Joyce Chiles and Tax Assessor Leroy Ware have stated the buildings were either placed or improved without permits and should be removed.
The property now holds three metal sheds, facing each other, painted and decorated. The yard holds a swingset, a fence, picnic table and riding mower, and there are on average four vehicles parked on the lot with no signs of any outdoor activity.
Neighbor Bridgette Brister told supervisors that people are living in the sheds and operating a store from one of them.
Stokes asked that the board approve sending Harper a cease-and-desist letter on living in the sheds and selling items from them. Chiles said the county has already issued a letter telling Harper not to sell products from the sheds. She said the county ordinance officer visited the sheds and didn’t find evidence of a store being operated.
The county’s zoning and building laws require that a shed be used only as an accessory building to a permanent structure, be located in the yard to the rear of the permanent structure, be placed farther than 5 feet from the lot line and 60 feet from the front of the lot.
Harper’s buildings are on a lot without a permanent structure, are grouped near the street, and have electricity and water service.
Enforcement of the county ordinances on Harper’s buildings was stalled when she told some board members she intended to build a permanent structure on the lot, or buy another lot in Itta Bena and relocate the sheds there, or buy another lot where she would build a house and relocate the sheds.
The board on Monday directed, with District 3 Supervisor Anjuan Brown abstaining, that Stokes and/or Chiles meet with Harper to determine her intentions about the sheds and to come up with a timeline for her to complete whatever action she is going to take. They are to report back to the board at its next meeting.
The board also heard from Stokes about a shed that had been dropped off along the street at 903 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, outside Itta Bena, with the intent of using it to sell snow cones. The homeowner was told by Stokes that the shed was in violation because of its location and couldn’t be used for commercial purposes. Self said the homeowner has given up the snow-cone idea and begun moving the shed to the rear of his property.
In other business:
The board heard from organizers of Bikes, Blues & Bayous 2019, encouraging them to work to improve the quality of the surface of Money Road, the main route of the 12-year-old August bike ride.
Tucker Gore, who heads up the course safety committee, Beth Stevens, executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore Chamber of Commerce, and Richard Beattie, BBB chief executive officer, reminded supervisors that more than 1,000 riders take part in the weekend.
“It is by far the largest ride in the state of Mississippi, and it has become a big economic impact on the county,” Gore said. “We book every hotel room in the area. We fill up every restaurant for the entire weekend, stores and gas stations, and all of the rest that goes with bringing in that many people.”
A study by the Mississippi State University Extension Service put the economic impact of BBB 2018 at $1.3 million.
Gore, as the safety committee chair, said some areas of Money Road have deteriorated and need to be patched to keep riders from losing their balance and falling from their bikes.
Beattie said repairs and resurfacing to Mississippi 7 south of Itta Bena made a big difference in the ride last year, but noted that Money Road is in need of some consideration.
“Long term, when you have your plans for repaving ... . There’s parts of Money Road that are getting to be in desperate need of repaving,” Beattie said. “You wouldn’t want to repave the road just on account of this bike ride for one weekend, obviously, but the road’s importance for repaving is for traffic as well.”
District 1 Supervisor Sam Abraham said the county had plans to resurface the road, but they were cut by the state when they went for funding.
“Do you think you all could work to help us get a grant to add a lane?” Abraham said. “That would help a lot. We could repave it and widen it enough for a bicycle lane out there. You’d make it safe for everybody.”
Gore said the historical aspects of that road, with its ties to Emmett Till and Robert Johnson, could open it up for a grant.
Stevens said the Mississippi Delta Heritage Area writes grants for a number of projects and could be an option for funding for Money Road. The BBB 2019 committee heads agreed to see what was available.
• Contact Gavin Maliska at 581-7235 or gmaliska@gwcommonwealth.com.
