It’s David vs. Goliath as local officials oppose Jackson’s ‘One Lake’ plan
Local state Rep. Ken Morgan is being heralded as a champion by some and a scapegoat by others after his presentation in the Mississippi House helped prevent state borrowing for a controversial Jackson lake project.
Morgan’s speech against the “One Lake” proposal killed off a funding bill Tuesday and may have helped delay the effort he and some other lawmakers see as detrimental to the Pearl River.
“It was House Bill 1631 for bonds and grants authorized to assist the Hinds and Rankin County Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District for a control project,” he said. “They were asking the state for about $50 million in bonds. They’ve got about $150 million that is supposed to be already secured in federal bonds. The total project will be somewhere in the area of $300 million.
“I told them, ‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against flood control, but I am against putting this amount of bonds on the back of the taxpayers of Mississippi to try to fix a recreational project and a development project for people who own property down there that are going to be making astronomical amounts on it. Right now, that property is probably worth $900 to $1,000 an acre. If you had it protected by a levy down there, we’re going to wind up with property that will quadruple in value.’”
Morgan said the bill would have required a 3/5 vote by the House to pass.
“It would take 68 votes to pass,” he said. “We had 57 ‘yays’ and 55 ‘nays.’ I was the person who spoke out against it. I told them what it was going to do to us downstream.
“We have tight money here and with all of the infrastructure problems in Hinds County, bad water systems, bad streets and needing infrastructure done, and you can’t pass $2 million for that in bonds and you want to go out here and do a lake project that is going to take $50 million in bonds. It doesn’t make sense.
“I told them to let their conscience be their guide. I asked them to vote against it.”
The bill, though defeated for the time being, could come up again soon.
“They can bring it back up anytime,” he said. “But here’s the bottom line: There are some politically inclined people that own property in that area, and they stand to make a small fortune off it if this thing happens. They bought that land for $900 an acre or $1,000 an acre and all of a sudden it’s riverfront property and they’d sell you a lot – a lot – for about $75,000. I can’t see doing it.”
A big concern from the project could come from the flow of Pearl River downstream in places like Monticello and Columbia.
“During the low flow years, the river is already shut off during April, May, June, July and August,” he said. “There is very little flow coming from the reservoir at that point, and then you build seven miles of lake behind the reservoir gate and you’re going to let the runoff go in there first.
“There will be a spillway, but no relief gates. It has to get to a filling point before it comes through the spillway. They don’t actually know how much water will come through the spillway when it gets full. All of the people downstream – Lincoln County, Lawrence County, Marion County, Pearl River County and on into Louisiana are going to have less water in the Pearl River than right now.”
Morgan said he had shared information with the Marion County Board of Supervisors before it passed a resolution opposing the project recently.
“I really appreciate the people that voted with me,” Morgan said. “The issue hasn’t been killed yet and there is political interest out there. The project is not dead; it’s just that the bonds are not in place from the state. They’re going to bring it back up. It’s going to be like David facing Goliath; the only thing is I don’t think the Lord is going to take care of me like he did David.”
Morgan said he has already been approached by project supporters since the vote.
“I’m not going to back off,” he said. “I was asked about changing my mind and I told them that I can’t do it. I’ve got to take care of my people down there. I may lose the fight, but I’m going to be in it ‘til the end.”
Pictured Above: The Pearl River in Columbia, seen here during an idyllic afternoon Wednesday, could be jeopardized by a plan to further dam up the river near Jackson. Proponents say it’s primarily for flood control, but opponents allege the real motive is to create prime real estate for homes and shopping in the metro area. | : Photo by Mark Rogers
