Supervisors, Carothers Ink Land Donation – Company Will Move To Lafayette
Land Transfer – Carothers Construction President Ben Logan (standing, left) and owner Sean Carothers (right) signed a deal with the county to donate property valued at $1.4 million to the county at a supervisor’s meeting held Wednesday, Dec. 31. – Photo by Jack Gurner
Marking The Occasion – County officials posed with Carother’s company president and owner for a photo following the signing of paperwork donating the property to the county. On hand were (from left) District Four Supervisor George Suggs, Chancery Clerk Amy McMinn, District Three Supervisor M.H. “Butch” Surrette, District Five Supervisor Frank “Bubba” Tillman, Board President Amos Sims, company president Ben Logan, company owner Sean Carothers, District One Supervisor Tommy Vaughn, Tax Assessor/C
By David Howell
Editor
WATER VALLEY – A brief, ceremonial paper-signing brought closure to several years of discussion concerning the looming relocation for a longtime Yalobusha company.
In what has been described as a bittersweet deal, Carothers Construction donated three buildings and six acres valued at over $1.4 million to Yalobusha County as the company prepares to move to a new facility in neighboring Lafayette County, near Taylor.
The final paperwork was inked during a recessed supervisor meeting, held Dec. 31, at the Water Valley Courthouse.
“We have said it a lot of times in these board meetings, but we hadn’t had the opportunity to tell you face-to-face how much we do appreciate this gift. I wish you well in your future endeavor and certainly wish you could have stayed with us, but I understand that y’all have made a decision,” District Two Supervisor Tommy Vaughn said during the meeting.
“We spent a year and a half trying to find a place down here, as you know,” company owner Sean Carothers told supervisors during the recessed meeting. “We didn’t find any place we felt like would serve our purposes.”
“But you are still part of our county and we appreciate that,” Vaughn added.
“Thank you,” Carothers said.
Carothers is the third generation family member involved with the company, serving as president from 1981 to 2007, and following his father, Arnold Wayne Carothers, and grandfather, Earl Carothers, who started the business in 1956.
Longtime company insider, Ben Logan, currently serves as president of the company and was also at the meeting.
The actual exchange comes in two parts, an outright donation of two acres and three buildings, followed by the purchase of 4.4 acres adjacent to the building for the appraised value of $88,600.
The purchase price paid by the county, will actually be repaid by Carothers in a lease agreement in which the company agrees to pay $11,075 per month for eight months to use the facility while construction is completed at their new facility near Taylor.
