Supes approve studies for Lake Project

The Choctaw Plaindealer

The Choctaw County Board of Supervisors discussed a variety of topics in their March 9 board meetings including more studies for the Lake Project.

Marty Crowder, county engineer, visited the board meeting to inform them of more environmental studies that need to be done at the Sandcreek Lake Project.

Crowder said since the board has chosen Dam A site more studies need to be done that will test the soil to see if it will hold up to create a dam, test the water quality and expand the original investigation done on the Dam D site.

Crowder suggested hiring the Mississippi State University Geosciences to conduct the studies. The board asked when the studies would be complete so they could ask Sen. Roger Wicker and Sen. Thad Cochran for more funding on their trip to Washington D.C. next year. Crowder said he hopes they will be done by December but doesn't want to sacrifice the quality of the study to meet a deadline.

The supervisors then discussed how they would fund these environmental studies. Don Threadgill, Chancery clerk, said it could be funded out of special funds of Reliant or Choctaw Gas. He suggested the board wait until the end of the project to decided which account to fund the studies out of.

The board approved to have the environmental studies done. District 3 Supervisor Chris McIntire abstained from the vote.

On a different subject, McIntire asked the board if the county could pay to install a fire hydrant and upgrade a water line to a 6-inch when the Simpson Water Association builds a new pumping station.

McIntire said when they build the new station the line will cross a corner of land where the Weir, Simpson and French Camp Fire districts meet and that would put a good location for a fire hydrant.

"I think it would be a good thing for the fire departments," said McIntire.

District 1 Supervisor Archie Collins said did not think the county could pay the difference of upgrading the line size but knew the county could install a fire hydrant.

Threadgill said he would make sure what the county is allowed to do in this situation. No action was taken.

The board also discussed Bywy Volunteer Fire Department's request for the county to purchase fire equipment for their new fire truck that will be finished soon. Steve Montgomery, Volunteer Fire Department coordinator, previously submitted the request stating Bywy VFD needed the equipment for their new fire truck to meet 1901 standards.

The board has not approved their equipment request, yet, because it expenses exceed $6,000.

In other business the board approved:

¥ Recognized the Mississippi Department of Health jail inspection report that included no findings.

¥ Contract with Medir for software and scanning

¥ Sale of surplus property.

¥ Donation to the Choctaw County Economic Development District.

¥ To advertise for bids on the Pearson Box Bridge Project.

¥ To advertise to inform public that the county's Hazard Mitigation Plan will be open to the public for two weeks.

¥ Phyllis Benson, with Golden Triangle Planning and Development, to submit application for an ARC grant that is 80/20 for a sprinkler system at the Choctaw County Medical Center.

¥ Resolution to use county funds from the CCMC maintenance funds as the matching requirement for the ARC grant application.

¥ Fully executed law enforcement grant for $7,000.

¥ Fully executed Emergency Medical grant for $5,671.

¥ Threadgill to use his personal credit card to pay $900 for a Sheriff Department's refrigerator repair because the repair company will not accept a purchase order. They also approved to reimburse Threadgill for this expense.

¥Travel for Lee Upchurch, CCSO chief deputy, to attend hazard seminar in Biloxi.