Marion County expects to receive a memorandum of agreement from the Mississippi Department of Transportation next week allowing two bridge replacements on Williamsburg Road to move forward.
The Legislature appropriated $250 million for emergency bridge projects in a 2018 special session, and in January MDOT approved $1.6 million of that for Williamsburg Road.
Two bridges on the road in northeast Marion County were supposed to be replaced with federal money, but when a statewide bridge crisis developed three years ago, the federal funds were diverted to bridge inspections. MDOT had also applied for federal funds for the project, and County Engineer Jeff Dungan told supervisors in meetings this week that MDOT had not sent a memorandum of agreement for the money yet because MDOT was still trying to get federal monies.
But Dungan said he met Wednesday with MDOT officials, and Executive Director Melinda McGrath advised the project can now move forward. The board should receive the memorandum of agreement for the money the beginning of next week.
“That’s a good thing. I am tickled to death that it can move forward,” said Board President Terry Broome, whose district the bridges are in.
State inspectors ordered the south Williamsburg Road bridge to be closed in April 2018 as part of a statewide crackdown on deteriorating wood-pile bridges. It was the most heavily trafficked of several Marion County bridges that were ordered to be closed and caused an 11-mile detour until county crews in September 2018 created a temporary crossing that remains in place now.
Also the board approved requesting payment of $631,000 from the same state emergency bridge fund for Old River Road South at Edna. The contract was awarded to MGD Holdings.
A third project being funded through the state bond money is just under $800,000 for a bridge on Columbia-Purvis Road.
The board accepted the low bid for paving at the West Marion schools from Warren and Warren Asphalt Paving LLC for $185,116. Dungan recommended accepting the bid and said the work will be able to be completed this summer. The Legislature had earmarked funds for that project in its 2019 session.
The board approved the following utilities agreements with:
• Cedar Grove Harmony Water Association to coordinate some water lines at the airport;
• Hwy. 98 East Water Association regarding a National Guard Road bridge;
• Texas Petroleum Company to move a pipeline on Clear Creek Church Road;
• Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association to move a power line on Mt. Gilead Road;
• Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association regarding Clear Creek Church Road.
The board also approved adding wireless internet service in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to the exterior wall of the board meeting room paid from the general county funds based on a request from Chief Deputy Jamie Singley. Singley said all the other county offices like the courthouse and the jail already had great Wi-Fi.
“One of the reasons we are looking at this now instead of in the past is because just about everything we have has to have Wi-Fi,” he said. “Our deputies are using body cams that jump off of Wi-Fi so we need something good.”
The cost will be $1,794, which would cover the Wi-Fi for three years and would provide cloud-based coverage. After the first three years the cost would then be $648 a year.
The MCSO currently has internet through Pileum and what they have is not fast enough to download their cameras, according to Singley. They would still continue with Pileum but now use the wireless connection.
The next board meeting will be held June 17.
