The Greenwood City Council voted quickly Tuesday to accept a $900,000 Development and Infrastructure Grant for an expansion at Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp.’s Greenwood plant.
The grant, part of a planned $18 million expansion, was provided through the Mississippi Development Authority. It will require the city of Greenwood and Leflore County, which both own the Greenwood-Leflore Industrial Park, to provide a 10 percent match.
The plant expansion will provide an additional 32 jobs at the Greenwood plant, according to Angela Curry, executive director of the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation.
In other action, the council approved the hiring of a private contractor to demolish dilapidated housing for the city. This is attempt to reduce the city’s cost for demolishing houses using its own equipment and employees.
The winning contract for $68,844 by Jackson Construction Co./P&S Construction Co. of Coila will cover the demolition of 19 dilapidated houses.
The contract work will begin Monday, according to Betty Stigler, the city’s code enforcement officer.
The council also approved changes to the engineering design and construction phase of the city’s new wastewater treatment plant.
While the changes will result in an increase of $120,000 in the design plans, they are expected to result in a cost savings of between $700,000 and $800,000 in the plant’s overall cost, said David Bowman, vice president of the engineering firm of Neel-Schaffer of Jackson.
In March when approved by the council, the latest cost estimate on the plant was $34.6 million.
Bowman said in discussions with the contractor on the project, Max Foote Construction Co. of Mandeville, La., potential cost savings were pointed out.
The council also approved increasing the poll manager’s salary in all municipal elections from $75 to $100 per election.
