Hinds County supervisors Kenneth Stokes and Al Hunter want to remove several million dollars from the Byram-Clinton-Bolton corridor fund and distribute the money to each supervisor to use for roads and recreation in their districts. The Clarion-Ledger reported Saturday:
"Hinds County is slowly spending about $12.8 million in leftover bond funds to purchase right-of-way for the 18-mile Byram-Clinton Corridor, a major economic development project expected to cost $100 million when completed.
County supervisors designated those dollars for development of the corridor after several years ago opting not to construct a $14 million parking garage, instead assigning that money to other infrastructure and building projects for which bond money can be used. About $3.2 million has been used so far, with all of it being reimbursed to the county through a $30 million Congressional appropriation awarded in 1992 solely for corridor development and construction.
District 5 Supervisor Kenneth Stokes, a staunch opponent of the corridor, on Monday will ask board members to take $3.5 million of the $8.6 million in remaining county bond money and use it instead for improvements to county roads and parks.
That doesn’t sit well with District 3 Supervisor Peggy Hobson Calhoun, longtime champion of the corridor designed to connect I-55 at Siwell Road with I-20 at Norrell Road, and intended to attract retail and residential development that will boost the county’s struggling tax base.
“The millions that we set aside were to be used for the construction of the corridor,” Calhoun said of the project, which has been constructed on each end, but with the middle section and costly infrastructure needed by developers still to go.
Stokes has long said the corridor will never come to fruition and that the county will never come up with the money to complete the project. He and former Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. also object to the fact the corridor will not directly travel through the city of Jackson.
“My concerns have not changed since I came on this board,” Stokes told the panel during a meeting earlier this month. “We are spending large amounts of money on a project that will never be complete.”
Hinds County District 1 Supervisor and board president Robert Graham said he supports diverting some of the bond money, citing an immediate need to pave rural roads and spruce up recreational facilities that would better serve residents and make the county more attractive to potential businesses and families moving to the area.
“There’s no federal money involved with what Mr. Stokes wants to do,” he said. “There’s no state money involved. This is bond money from the county, and we would be repurposing it.”
Because bond money spent so far on corridor right-of-way and planning has been reimbursed through the state Department of Transportation, the project has yet to cost the county any money.
If the five-member board approves taking some of the unused bond money for parks and roads, Graham said, each supervisor will get an equal share to use in his or her district. “If this passes, I will take the money afforded to District 1 and upgrade Parham Bridges Park. I will upgrade Shepherd Park, Tougaloo Park, Hico Park … and I want to specifically repave sections of Old Canton Road and Watkins Drive.” Article
The suicide of Hinds County. Kenneth Stokes is attempting to do to Hinds what he did to Jackson. The problem is a fool who will vote with him and a crook who will be more than happy to have his own little slush fund. The Byram-Clinton-Bolton corridor project is the best economic development idea (after the One Lake project) that will happen to Hinds County. The county received over $33 million in federal grants. The money spent by the county is REIMBURSED by the state. The project attempts to create a Hinds County version of Highland Colony Parkway or County Line road. The demographics of the area support the type of development that took place on those two roads. The project has costs the county NO MONEY as the state reimburses the county for the money it has spent that was not covered by the federal grants. Everyone get that? The project has cost the county NO MONEY.
The tax base of Hinds County is shrinking. Businesses are leaving Hinds County. The project gives Hinds an opportunity to move forward. The county will make money alone off of the water & sewer infrastructure. Kenneth Stokes, fool that he is, opposes this project while supporting Old Capital Green. Yup, Kenneth voted (and lost) last year to give $17 million to some pie-in-the-sky developers who wanted to build more office space downtown with a parking garage operated by robots. I kid you not. Nine empty buildings and a 40 percent vacancy rate downtown and his idea of economic development was to build more office space which would drive down rents even further. Meanwhile he and his other supervisors oppose a project that will actually bring money and jobs to Hinds County. But hey, they will all get their slush funds.
Lets just call these people what they really are: pigs. Pigs who are happy to wallow around in the mud and never want to get out of the mud. They are happy to eat slop, sleep in the mud, and roll around in their own crap. Of course, its easier to scream racism then clean themselves up and get out of the mud. Thirty years of learning nothing and forgetting everything. Ran Northpark off to Ridgeland. Worldcomm. Sent the Braves and a new park to Pearl. The killing of the Two Lakes project although it was resurrected as a smaller one-lake version. Highest taxes in the area and lousy schools. Hinds County and Jackson have combined to kill or run out of town every game-changing economic idea over the last thirty years. This board would rather torpedo economic development in Hinds County than give up the chance to line the pockets of their contractor friends.
But hey, the whole problem is white flight and racism. Yeah.
Note: Then-supervisor Phil Fisher explains the project to the board in this May 2012 video:
Monday, August 5, 2013
The suicide of Hinds County
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31 comments:
$700,000 per Supervisorial district won't accomplish anything to "pave rural roads and spruce up recreational facilities".
As if either/or will be the tipping point that would "make the county more attractive to potential businesses and families moving to the area".
But such is the thinking of a corrupt serial police impersonator.
Jackson and Hinds are broke and beyond repair.
While not a fan of Kenny, it is ludicrous for Hinds County to build this $100 million road in the middle of nowhere.
"About $3.2 million has been used so far, with all of it being reimbursed to the county through a $30 million Congressional appropriation awarded in 1992 solely for corridor development and construction"
That sentence seems to point to an illegal reimbursement.
While it may be "free" to HInds County, it sure isn't free to the taxpayers, is it? People get all up in arms about an EBT squirt gun that costs $2.00, but support this multi-million dollar folly???????
Federal govenment contracted with Hinds county to build a road. If Hinds the stops the project, does the county have to pay money back?
Remember this is a Board that does what it wants. We don't have to accept no stinkin low bids. We're making this up as we go....
Ludicrous is doing the same old thing. Not building the road will confirm the message that Hinds County is not interested in economic growth. The message is already out there.
Well...don't know enough about the corridor to know if it is a long term rationale plan.
I tend to agree, in the absence of more information, that improving our current roads, which are pretty awful, should be a priority.
I don't know if alternative road construction/repair is an option with these funds.
Can you help with the details, KF?
10:35
it's not a multi million dollar folly. People need a safe way to travel. I.e., not through Jackson.
10:56
Yes.
The corridor will "bust" western hinds county wide open for development. County roads have not had attention in years. Some have become like "pig trails". Really embarrassing. I guess the "county roads" they refer to, are all in Jackson. Ride Oakley-Palestine Rd., and others in that vicinity. to see that you can't drive over 20MPH without tearing up your vehicle or having an accident. Damn Stokes and Graham!!
Just the first of many actions this corrupt BOS had planned when they "temporarily" stacked the deck with their appointees.
I remember once upon a time when much the same nay saying was being said about Highland Colony.
My guess is that Graham and Stokes don't fear that Byram-Clinton will be a bust.
No. Their worry is that it will be a success and, in turn, will accelerate the drainage of the Jackson swamp which is the source of their political power.
Graham and Stokes need victims and victim voters. They don't need an influx of businesses and homeowners settling into southern and western Hinds County.
People get all up in arms about an EBT squirt gun that costs $2.00.
The issue wasn't the actual cost of the toy though understandably it was completely lost on you.
Highland Colony Parkway runs parallel with I-55, thus you get a nice winding drive.
The Byram-Clinton corridor would run perpendicular to many busy roads, thus a bazillion stop lights, and a frustrating drive when you could drive 70 mph on I-55 then I-20. Plus downtown Lumumbaville has relocated to Highland Colony Parkway. That ain't happening on a Clinton-Byram corridor. Just call it Pawn-Shop Parkway.
While your article Kingfish is entertaining to your frequent readers, it is short on anything valid to support wasting money on a road to nowhere. You mention there is a comparable population base to Highland Colony or County Line to support it. REALLY? Where is it? Surely you're not talking about Byram, Clinton, Raymond, Edwards, Terry and Bolton? That's hilarious even for you! Highland Colony and County Line work because of Jackson not in spite of it. This road to nowhere doesn't work at all except for the land owners who stand to make a huge profit.
my my.... Just where in the world do these retards come from? It amazes me that as stupid as they are ('tokes et al)they can manage getting through a single day without getting hit by a train or something!
Highland colony was built with private funds my the land owners who would benefit.
This project made way more sense when it was cooked up 20+ years ago, back when Hinds County was growing and had people in office who had a clue about infrastructure and economic development. Now not so much.
"Highland Colony and County Line work because of Jackson not in spite of it."
That's right. Highland Colony wouldn't be anywhere near what it is today if it weren't for Jackson. I mean, all of that money and business needs somewhere to run.
The corridor is Hinds County's last chance at having a thriving business district. Until Jackson annexes it.
The comment on August 5, 2013 at 1:56 PM is short on anything remotely approaching intelligent economic development thought. It wasn't that long ago when Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson was actively trying to annex large portions of the land which make up the path of the parkway. He knew the parkway would generate a new tax base.
It amazes me that as stupid as they are ('tokes et al)they can manage getting through a single day without getting hit by a train or something!
We definitely need more trains...
Highland Colony and County Line work because of Jackson not in spite of it.
I invite you to drive Highland Colony from County Line to Renaissance. Notice that aside from 220 Business Park (which predates HC by about 20 years), there is ZERO development on the Hinds County side. ZERO.
The instant you cross into Madison County, there are houses, offices, churches, etc, but the Hinds Country side (aka Jackson) is nothing but pasture. Why is that, since Highland Colony is successful BECAUSE of Jackson? Sounds to me like Highland Colony is a way to ESCAPE Jackson.
The thugs have already ruined County Line Road. Closed businesses or relocating. Shopping centers declining, neighborhoods declining, etc. Looks like their heading for Highland Colony now. If you're so haughty that you think it won't happen to you read HUD secretary Donovan's speech to the NAACP July 16, 2013: www.portal.Hud.gov/hudportal/hud. We are in for a nationwide redoing of our communities. Guess who is going to pay and suffer. Disgusting and depressing to think about the state of Jackson, Hinds County, the metro area and our nation.
Businesses in Hinds are still subject to, for example, defending themselves before Hinds judges and juries in absurd slip-&-fall cases, etc. Why open a business on this new parkway?
4:15 Hopefully to make money, dumbass. Haven't been any slip and fall cases on the Clinton, Byram parkway yet.
Things may be declining on County Line, but not so that you'd notice trying to drive down it. I had to go to Academy the other day and was ready to shoot myself by the time I got from the interstate to the Chick-Fil-A. Somebody's buying something on County Line...
5:40; you simply must have driven your route within the past five days. First of the month checks and such typically drive Hinds residents to Shoe Empire, the chicken outlets on the Ridgeland side and Wal Mart on Wheatley. There are other ways to get to Academy.
I rode down Capitol Street today for the first time in a while.
Some of you should do the same.
The renovations are really beautiful.
I've learned nothing of relevant from the above posts just the same old trash talk.
I've learned nothing of relevant from the above posts just the same old trash talk.
Then why are you here?
Golf clap...
Glad I got out of there 2 yrs ago.
Northpark, WorldComm, Trustmark Park. There's one name synonymous with all three failures.
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