The Marion County Board of Supervisors heard from a citizen in Beat 3 about drainage Monday, but supervisors informed her there aren’t any funds available to address the issues.
Gennett Daniels, who lives on Jamestown Road in Foxworth, requested assistance. She said the culverts along the road are either in need to be replaced or cleaned out. Daniels presented pictures of the problems. She also presented a list of things to bring to the attention of Board President Tony Morgan, who is also the supervisor for Beat 3, of issues in the Jamestown community.
“I’ve come to address my concerns, not excuses as to why it has not been corrected,” Daniels said.
She said she has been sitting and looking at the water in her yard, and she has been walking along the road and seeing the water in the ditches and on the roads.
“I’ve been looking at the culverts. Some are stopped up. They are bent. Some are cement. Some are galvanized,” Daniels said.
Daniels said she understands there is a budget, but something has to be done.
“It is just a like a river. (The water) has nowhere to go,” she said.
Morgan said he would get someone to go look at it, but it would take a lot of funding to change out the culverts.
Daniels did compliment the board for keeping the potholes under control on their roads.
A citizen observing the meeting asked the supervisors what the procedure was for applying asphalt to the road.
Beat 1 Supervisor Eugene “Blue” Green responded, “When you get the money to do it, you do it. There’s no money to do it. Call your representatives and senators and ask them, beg them to please send us some money to fix the roads.”
Beat 5 Supervisor Calvin Newsom said to encourage the state representatives to vote to increase the state gas tax. He said that will help get the roads repaired. Newsom said they would not get all of the funds from the gas tax, but they would get a portion that would help. He said that is the best way to get the money to repair the roads besides property taxes and car tags.
“We don’t have enough people in Marion County to sustain the infrastructure with ad valorem taxes,” Newsom said.
Marion County Development Partnership President Lori Watts spoke next. A grant from the Mississippi Development Authority for $50,000 was received for the AirPlex entrance work. The grant was a match grant with Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association for $25,000, and the Marion County Economic Development District matched the remaining $25,000. The next step will be adding a temporary connection to the existing road.
The entrance into the AirPlex will be moved further south along the road than previously.
Marion County Coroner Jessie Graham also appeared before the board. He requested having two deputy coroners. Graham’s previous deputy coroner, Alicia Neal, recently died in an automobile accident. Graham was asking to have two deputies with the pay for the two of them combined by the same as what Neal was being paid. The two Graham requested were Marlene Holmes and Ashley Nibert. The board approved the hiring of the two deputies.
