Bid Accepted For Road Work, Sheriff Applies For COPS Grant
One lane of County Road 436, outside Coffeeville, is closed due to erosion undermining the road bed. District One Supervisor Tommy Vaughn reported the road is scheduled to be closed later this month for repairs, which are estimated to take one week. – Photo by David Howell
By David Howell
Editor
COFFEEVILLE – Bidding was intense on a small bridge project on County Road 436 with 14 companies competing for the work. Bids were opened during a recessed meeting held last Friday, March 6.
Johnson Construction of Batesville was awarded the low bid at $66,992 during a second recessed meeting held the following Monday. The bids ranged from the low bid to the highest bidder, which was Colom Construction at $109,852.75. The bulk of the project will be funded with Emergency Watershed Protection funding through the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“I think we have already set a record for the number of folks who have bid on this little job,” District Three Supervisor M.H. “Butch” Surrette said as the 11th bid for the project was announced Friday morning. “Since I have been here for 20-something years, I don’t we have ever had this many people that have bid for any job,” Surrette added.
The project is located in District Two, and Supervisor Tommy Vaughn said the road will be closed later this month for approximately one week while repairs are being performed.
Other business discussed at the meeting included:
• Approved a request from Sheriff Lance Humphreys to apply for a COPS grant for his department. Humphreys told supervisors that federal money was earmarked for this grant from the federal stimulus package. If approved, the grant would pay the salary of a deputy for three years and the county would be required to pay the salary for the fourth year.
The approval was to apply for one deputy.
• Approved an application for logging from Timberland Harvestors in District Two on County Road 223 and 127.
• Approved an emergency purchase order for work performed at the Multi-purpose over the weekend. Purchasing Clerk Janet Caulder said the garage door malfunctioned after Y’Fest and the building could not be secured. District Five Supervisor Bubba Tillman said that someone stayed overnight in the facility Friday night for security after the garage door would not close.
• Approved a request from the Mississippi Department of Corrections to use the old jail in Water Valley. The space will be used to allow probation officers to meet with offenders.
• After meeting on March 2, 6 and 9, supervisors are not scheduled to meet until next month, April 6, at 9 a.m. in Water Valley.
