Study of site proposals
Over 100 area residents packed River Hills Racquet Club yesterday to discuss the plans for a proposed $50 million Tax Commission building on the corner of Ridgewood Road and Lakeland Drive. The mood was one of disbelief and anger as details were provided. Lobbyist C. Stevens Seale addressed the crowd. He said Ed Morgan, Commissioner of the Department of Revenue, was "adamant" in wanting to place a new building on Lakeland Drive. Mr. Seale also said the final decision was postponed until October. The Tax Commission needs a new building to house 500 employees as they currently work in an old warehouse in Clinton that well, has its issues. It should also be noted neither Councilman Quentin Whitwell or Supervisor Robert Graham attended the meeting.
Leland Speed then spoke to the crowd. Mr. Speed said no one knew about this proposal until the last 72 hours. The proposal calls for clear-cutting all trees from the Workers Compensation building to Ridgewood Road. He repeatedly said the state was going to pay for the bonds, the interest on the bonds (Kingfish note: Interest on $50 million will probably run $15 million or more but that is my personal estimate without doing any calculations. Jackson's $50 million retirement bonds in 1997 had $25 million in interest cost. The $25 million bond refinance last year projects interest costs to be nearly $11 million.), and then again to lease the property. Yes, the Tax Commission will pay the Department of Finance and Administration to lease the office space from the state.
Mr. Speed forcefully said "This is nuts", "This isn't right", and "We got it stopped temporarily. He said it costs $250 a square foot to build the Pinnacle Building and this project was going to cost substantially more than Pinnacle. This WAPT video includes more comments by Mr. Speed and other residents. Mr. Speed and others repeatedly said it was crazy to cut money from education, law enforcement, and mental health while spending $50 million on brand new buildings (Kingfish note: Or kick Downs Syndrome kids off of the Medicaid rolls so Mr. Morgan can have his palace.).
The Kingfish has done some more digging and here is what he has discovered. The main force driving this project is Mr. Ed Morgan and his vanity. He is the one who wants a brand new building and it has to be on this site. A nice proposal was made to the state for renovating the Delphi building in Clinton. It was turned down. Other sites have been proposed: the Worldcomm building in Clinton, the Regions Building, and the Capitol Towers building. Doesn't matter as Mr. Morgan makes it clear to several sources he wants a brand new building and he wants it on Lakeland Drive where everyone can see it. Knowing Mr. Morgan, he probably sees MDOT's Taj Mahal and gets jealous. One lobbyist said the problem with the Worldcomm building was the investors who own it wanted too much money.
The study also includes additional proposed sites: the property by the School for the Blind (p.40), Whitfield in Rankin County (p.46), and the Worldcomm building (p.55). The study does not include other proposals. All proposals but the one for the World- comm site promote the construction of new facilities for the Tax Commission. No other possible lease arrangements, renovations, or downtown locations are examined.
It should also be noted Senate Finance Committee Chairman Dean Kirby, a resident of Pearl, made it clear last year he wanted to move the Tax Commission and Department of Public Safety to Rankin County. MHP is probably moving to Rankin and UMC is trying to obtain the MHP facilities but the deal is not final. Mr. Bryant, as he has done in other cases, kicked the can down the road in a meeting this weekend with several people defending area residents and said the decision will be made in October. Mr. Kirby and Mr. Morgan made it clear where they stand. Mr. Speed and others said they are going to organize opposition to the proposed Lakeland site.
Earlier post
35 comments:
It should also be noted neither Councilman Quentin Whitwell or Supervisor Robert Graham attended the meeting.
Fretting about puppy mills and hassling Byram PD keep them damn busy.
Not a city or country matter. This is eastover vs. the State of Miss.
How about a "why do taxpayers have to pay for a new building" issue? Oh yeah, I forgot about that huge SURPLUS in the state budget!
Dean Kirby is also being a little sneaky. Already said he wants it in Rankin, he says well, we tried to give it to you in Jackson but you didn't want it so we're putting it in Rankin.
They've already moved how many times now? I already know of the Sellers Building, out to Gluckstadt, and to Clinton. I think they need a more stable place to operate, but the corner of Lakeland and Ridgewood isn't it.
Considering that there is quite a bit of unused land in south Jackson, why not build something there. That part of the city could certainly use the boost and I'm sure they could find a suitable location.
I see a lot of audits coming to a racket club near you. LOL
At least they have a McDonalds to feed all those people... (sarcasm).
why not put it along I-55 somewhere? The state must already own that land on Lakeland.
someone said that there is some unused land in south jackson, is that unused land owned by the state of mississippi. the property across the street from river hills is owned by the state. the property in rankin county is also owned by the state. now the rankin county property would be the best place for any and all state government expansion because legislators will not visit there because of the proximity of the state hospital due to fears by them of being detained because the similarities between the legislators and the inmates both at the correctional facility and the state hospital!
I have some silly thoughts on this. Why not just buy DGB Plaza or the Trustmark building? Aren't both of those buildings almost vacant? It seems that in the long run, the savings on travel to and from the outskirts would more than pay for the costs of renovation. Cars, insurance, time, and gasoline kinda add up.
Plus, the state spent about one hunnert gazillion dollars to relocate all the offices back downtown a few years back, too. What about the Ridge project? Where is that is the grand scheme of things? We have a fairly new Archives and History building over there, too.
I've been to their current location several times, and would agree that they need to do something about their space. However, putting anything else generating that much more traffic on Lakeland is just nuts. Why not put them out in Lakeover with the MDES? Also, they were put out in Clinton "temporarily" ten or twelve years ago while the Woolfolk Building was being renovated. The people who work there will tell you they like the location and don't want to go back downtown.
The State does not need to be building a new building for this agency - anywhere - much less on prime space on Lakeland Drive. The agency does need to move - its current building is terrible. But - these folks don't need to be located in downtown Jackson just because there is a lot of vacant office space downtown. Speed, Mattice and Allen are all promoting using existing office space such as the Regions (DGB), Capitol Towers, etc. because they need the office space occupied to keep the value on other office buildings. But they aren't considering what the agency needs are. It isn't multi-story space of offices - its wide open space for bureaucrats that open envelopes and shuffle papers.
This agency is not one that many folks have to visit - only occasionally does the public have interaction with the Tax Commission. The state should consider locating some 30 or 40 employees downtown in the Capitol complex, and finding a large quality vacant building outside of Jackson proper (preferably in the Clinton area since thats where the employees generally live) that is wide open space and can be renovated to the agency's needs. An empty Home Depot or grocery store would be perfect for the needs. But not a new $50 million Tajh Mahal on Lakeland or a multi-story office space on Capitol Street.
Don't laugh but there is the matter of paper weight. Seriously. Apparently there is a great deal of paper and any multistory site needs to be able to handle the extra weight.
What about the old Jitney Jungle out on Old Canton?
with everything going paperless and online, why the worry about paper weight?
there still is no reason to buy land when the state owns plenty on lakeland drive and ridgewood as well as in rankin county.
Paper is always going to be an issue and both of those bank towers were built with that in mind. One floor is about the size of a grocery store, too. Plus, it will keep the state employees from running the roads burning up state money going hither and yon. Just a thought.
Plus, there is no reason to spend millions on years long studies if you are not going to follow through with it, either. The state made a decision to move all the offices downtown, now they are going to change that ten years down the road? I cannot imagine why there is a deficit and big debt.
QW wasn't there because he was too busy trying to figure out a way to run for Walter Michel's seat.
As the song for the Jeffersons goes: "moving on up"
Put them in the old DEQ building on Ellis Avenue and Highway 80. Or in the Sack and Save. How about the old Jitney on Mill Street? Or in the former chop shop by the Medical Mall?
The funniest thing is the justification of the Ridgewood/Lakeland location being in close proximity to Downtown Jackson, yet they refuse to go in a Downtown location. And this is not an "Eastover vs State" situation. Yes, they'll hear from Eastover (regarding deforestation and traffic and aesthetics), but it is about a cost to the State that is at least TWICE as much as other options.
Removing the remainder of that forest is going to have some serious watershed and runoff implications.
Just because the State owns the land, doesn't mean it's the best usage of the land or the least expensive alternative or a sensible plan in design. Also, has it ever occurred to anyone that the offices currently on that land may need future expansion ? Or that you can build without creating eyesores?
It's hard to feel sorry for the employees have a poor space when other employees are having to work longer hours or getting cut back on hours due to budget cuts.
$50 million would keep quite a few people employed!
Haley Barbour needs to fire Ed Morgan before Republicans have to decide whether their love for Haley outweighs their new found despise of Morgan. And, before the fact that Haley appointed this ego maniac who has the political sensibilities of a slug.
EVERYONE...literally...EVERYONE that one talks with about this thinks this is a REALLY,REALLY perfect example of what's wrong with government.
Also, let's not forget - let's *not* forget, Dude - that keeping wildlife, an amphibious rodent, for uh, domestic, you know, within the city - that aint legal either.
This really is absurd. There's a plethora of properties in Jackson that desperately need the revitalization of something like the STC overhauling and moving in. And for a hell of alot cheaper than 50mils! The traffic situation ALONE that this would create is enough to kill it.
Please, somebody make this not happen. The woods there along Lakeland can't be replaced. This proposal is almost criminal.
ED MORGAN KNOWS BETTER THAN ANYONE OUR ECONOMY IS DOWN. HE COLLECTS THE SALES TAX WHICH IS THE INDICATOR FOR OUR ECONOMIC STRENGTH. IT IS A DISGRACE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE HE HAS. THAT HE WOULD BE SO GRANDIOSE TO EVEN SUGGEST A NEW BUILDING!! IF YOUR COLLECTING LESS MONEY-YOU SPEND LESS MONEY!!! ITS PRETTY SIMPLE!!THIS ACTION SHOWS HIS BEST INTEREST IS HIMSELF!!!SELF SERVING.
Ah yes, Ed Morgan. Met him 12 years ago at a dinner party. He introduced himself by saying "Hi, I'm the Mayor of Hattiesburg", not "Hi, I'm Ed Morgan".
Then there is the reason he got bounced out of office by Johnny Dupree when there were more white voters than there are now. Apparently he thought he was a superstud.
Give them the MetroCenter.
KF There's a contract Ed Morgan let that may need to be examined. Seemed awfully quick. It's on the net when you google his name .
In fact, the more I read about this guy and his financial interests, the worse he looks to me.
If this were to be built anywhere, the contract letting should be very closely watched.
Indeed, it's getting kinda scary that a guy like is in this position whatever the outcome of his grandiose plan.
I noticed that the architect working on the proposal is Larry Albert, who like Ed Morgan, is from Hattiesburg.
Not to take anything away from Larry Albert, as he is a top architect, but I find the Hattiesburg connection interesting.
An interesting Ed Morgan tidbit that may not be generally known...he played running back for Coach Bear Bryant at Alabama back in the 1960s.
Saying someone is a "top architect" is like saying that someone is the "best ballerina in all of Galveston, Texas."
Just saying.
9:16 did you actually LOOK at the sketch of the building? It's totally lacking in architectural interest. There are decaying cheap strip malls with more visual interest.
Mr. Albert may have created some structure with merit at some point in his career, but if this has any would you please point it out to me?
Texture? Interesting lines? Innovative features? It looks like a warehouse with windows.
Why not fill up some of those vacant storefronts downtown?
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