Two county road projects may soon be underway.
During Monday's Sunflower County Board of Supervisors’ meeting, the members gave County Engineer Ron Cassada the green light to move ahead with road repair work on two byways within the county. Cassada opened the submitted cost proposals for work on Airport and Fisackerly roads.
According to Cassada, five companies picked up bid packages, but only four submitted final offers. The engineer's cost estimate on the work is $1,678,462 and the job was awarded to APAC Mississippi with a low bid of $1,739,967.54.
The other companies that submitted proposals were Malouf Construction LLC of Greenwood, Double S Construction of Grenada, and J.J. Ferguson Sand and Gravel of Greenwood whose bids were $1,767,125.47, $1,820,253.72, and $1,831,703 respectively.
Cassada told the members that even though the lowest bid was over the budgeted amount there was enough money in the county’s state aid fund to cover the small overage, so the supervisors unanimously approved the acceptance contingent upon the math checking out.
In addition, the county leaders also voted unanimously to continue the emergency declarations declared after the Easter Sunday storms that passed through the Delta and a second declaration related to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
Economic Development Director Frederick Washington told the members that the new 1,000-acre solar panel farm coming to the Ruleville/Drew area was approved by the public service commission and the contractor is expected to begin construction September 1.
Emergency Management Director Denny Evans announced that the county has received a $10,037 check from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the 2019 flood damage.
Additionally, he told the members that the state forestry commission is requesting the return of an old truck located at Parchman and five or six generators that were loaned to the county.
The county lawmakers also approved spending $38,000 on a security system upgrade for the county jail.
Despite an objection from District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald, the members voted to accept a $5,000 contribution from business owner Pat Chism and move ahead with the the construction of an eastbound extended turning lane in front of Chism’s business on U.S. Highway 82.
The project had been on hold while the engineers and concerned parties tried to come to terms on the specifications for the lane and who was paying which portion of the grant match.
Donald wanted the county to pay the full match of about $30,000, but with Chism agreeing to contribute, that reduced the county’s obligation to around $20,000 to $25,000 depending on the final cost.
