Supes apply for bridge repair grant
The Neshoba County Board of Supervisors will apply for an Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund Grant to help replace four bridges in the county.
The bridges slated to benefit from the grant include the Road 210 bridge which is open with a 3-ton weight limit, a bridge on Road 739 off of Highway 16 east and two bridges on Road 107 located north of Sebastopol.
Supervisors do not yet know how much the grant request will be for as engineers are still working on plans.
“We are waiting on the engineering report on the 107 project,” said County Administrator Jeff Mayo. “It’s two bridges but will be one project.”
Supervisors acted during the board’s July 6 meeting to meet an Aug. 6 deadline for applying for the grant program administered by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
Mississippi’s Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund was established during the 2018 Legislative session to address Mississippi’s failing bridges.
During the 2021 legislative session Senate Bill 2825 earmarked $89 million of highway infrastructure program funds received by MDOT under the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 for the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Program.
In other matters, supervisors voted to:
• Approve the quarterly budget allocation for the Sheriff’s Department ($372,350) and the Neshoba County Detention Center ($327,125);
• Accept the resignation of James Bradley from the Sheriff’s Department;
•Accept the detailed bill report and daily meal log from the jail. Supervisors also approved the payment of $500 for the Health Department’s sanitation inspection;
• Approve a request from Central Water Association to run a line across Road 802;
• Approve hiring Regan Carpenter as court reporter for the 8th Circuit Court District. Neshoba County is responsible for one fourth of her salary;
• Approve a PERS refund from the 2020 Annual Financial Report of $704.62 for Constable Josh Burt;
• Approve continuation of emergency declaration from the February ice storm. Supervisors discontinued the local emergency for COVID-19;
• Approve a travel request for Kim Yates to attend the Mississippi Justice Court Clerk’s Annual Convention Sept. 8-10 in Bay St. Louis; and
• Declare Thursday, July 29 as Neshoba County Fair Day Holiday