Deteriorating county roads presented a dust storm of concern for Leflore County supervisors at Monday’s meeting.
Shane Correro, presenting a report for the county engineer’s office, told supervisors it would take “a few million” dollars to do the work actually needed to reclaim four miles of County Road 52 and 2.25 miles of County Road 112.
“You can level and patch it, but it’s just a Band-Aid,” Correro said. “We can patch the worst areas.”
District 1 Supervisor Sam Abraham expressed concern that the county is “in the hole on state aid” until the next legislative term and said the county can’t afford to quit working on roads.
District 5 Supervisor Robert Collins said he is particularly concerned about CR 112 because of a church on it that draws traffic. Correro said he could concentrate on the area between Highway 124 and CR 112 where the church sits to make it safer with a patch job.
Correro estimated patching and leveling jobs would cost around $26,000 at each site. Supervisors decided to allot $30,000 for each road — a total of $60,000 — until they can issue bonds in the spring to raise more money for road construction.
“Even a bond issue isn’t really going to do it,” Collins said. “We’re going to have to push legislators to invest more in roads everywhere in the state.”
In other board business:
• Supervisors approved reimbursing the City of Greenwood for money spent restoring the old Greenwood library, pending a review of the original 2013 agreement by attorney Joyce Chiles and County Administrator Christine Lymon.
• Fred Randle, emergency management director, invited supervisors to attend a meeting at the Leflore County Civic Center next Monday to review the Comprehensive Emergency Management Planning Book, which requires updating every five years. The book includes coordinated procedures by all arms of city and county government in the event of emergencies including natural disasters.
• Pete Reeves of the USDA Rural Business Opportunity Group asked the county to partner on submitting a grant proposal for $289,500 to renovate an existing building at 600 County Road 514 in Itta Bena for Ansar Development Corporation and general contractor/owner Abdul Jarif. A new mini-mart/gas station will open in that location if renovation funds are secured to install new lighting and new gas pumps and to restore the building’s exterior and interior.
The USDA Rural Opportunity program assists small business development by offering grants through private-public partnerships. The county would be the grant manager and would have to submit the application but would not be required to share any costs.
Citing a letter of support from District 4 Supervisor Wayne Self, who was absent, supervisors voted to table the request until the next meeting.
• Cleophas Massey, veterans service officer, told supervisors that over 200 Vietnam veterans came to the pinning event at the Civic Center on Oct. 14.
District 2 Supervisor Robert Moore, a Vietnam veteran, said he was aware of “a lot” of veterans who didn’t show up and still wanted pins honoring their service. Moore said American Legion Post 200 will hold a mini-pinning ceremony on Nov. 15 with veteran Melvin Woods coordinating.
• Anjavette Payton of the North Central Planning and Development District asked supervisors to support her organization’s Out of School Youth Program, designed to provide job training and jobs for those ages 16 to 24 who are not in school.
The program is seeking businesses, government entities and nonprofits to employ participants for 20 hours a week at minimum wage or $7.25 per hour.
Supervisors agreed to support the program and look for job opportunities within county departments.
• Supervisors unanimously approved $2,000 to support the Greenwood Community Concert Band as it approaches the holiday concert season. Band President Leo Murphree told supervisors that recent growth in the group, spurred by an influx of players from the Greenwood Middle School and Greenwood High School bands, has boosted the band’s capabilities as well as presented the need for new music, new music stands and other incidentals.
Moore expressed his hope that the band will develop a blues repertoire as it continues to grow and thrive.
• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
