City Approves Sale Of Two Property Tracts In Industrial Park
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WATER VALLEY – City officials took preliminary steps two sell two tracts of property in the city-owned W.C. Gardiner Industrial Park during the monthly meeting on June 6.
City Attorney Daniel Martin presented the contracts for the sale and purchase of real estate, explaining that Jake Moorhead, owner of Moorhead Off-Road Engineering is interested in a three-acre tract; and Julia Tatum, owner of Delta Grind Stone Ground Products, is interested in a two-acre tract. The two tracts will be located in the front of the industrial park, visible from Hwy. 32.
“Our thinking is that it shows activity in the industrial park that everybody can see,” Mayor Donald Gray explained. “If you see activity, hopefully we are likely to have more activity.” He also reported that city water and sewage is readily accessible at the properties.
Martin added that the first steps for city alderpersons is to declare the property as surplus, and define that the sale to the two businesses will create growth, jobs and economic and commercial development for the city’s benefit.
“Because of that, we would have the authority to sell without the necessity of a public auction and bid,” Martin explained.
“I make a motion that we move forward on this,” Alderman-at-Large Herbie Rogers said, triggering a unanimous vote.
The potential sale comes after the Board of Aldermen adopted a price structure in April for property transactions in the 116-acre industrial park. The price structure established the retail price of $15,000 per acre, with discounts based on defined benchmarks including the number of employees for a new industry, total investment and other criteria. Speaking in the April meeting, Yalobusha County Economic Development and Tourism District Director Kagan Coughlin recommended the adoption of the price structure, explaining the defined terms will be an important tool when he meets with companies interested in the industrial park.
Other activity in the June meeting included:
• Fielded a request from the Water Valley Planning Commission to change the city’s zoning ordinance to increase the maximum square feet for an outbuilding from 600 square feet to 900 square feet.
Martin said the potential ordinance change triggers a three month process, starting with the discussion at last Tuesday’s meeting, a formal draft for review in the July meeting and a final vote in the August meeting.
“I like that,” Rogers said as alderpersons voted unanimously to start the process. The potential change will not change other restrictions to outbuildings, including prohibiting occupancy.
• Approved a request from Police Chief Jason Mangrum to have the police and fire departments to host a fun day for children in the community on June 25 at Crawford Sports Complex from 11:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Mangrum added that planning is already underway and his specific request to city officials was to bring in local food trucks to participate. The chief said the lineup includes helicopters from Wings and Air Evac, fire trucks and activities for children.
• Voted unanimously to execute a quit claim deed for property owned by Spring Hill M.B. Church in Water Valley after obtaining an opinion from the state’s attorney general office that provided clarity on the transaction.
Martin requested the opinion for the AG’s office after city officials were approached by Spring Hill pastor Sammy Townes last summer explaining that the church had decided to sell 5.4 acres of property on the north side of the church property located on Railroad Street. Speaking at the city meeting in July, 2021, Townes said that church members had reached a decision that they no longer needed almost half of 11.5 acres the church had purchased from the city in 1997. He also told city officials that Base Camp Coding Academy, the non-profit that owns the former Big Yank building now operating as Everest, had offered to purchase the 5.4 acres to use for parking at a price of $10,000 per acre.
The transaction was put on hold after Townes explained that the 1997 deed stipulated that the city was the only entity that could purchase the land if the church opted to sell it.
Martin told city officials that the opinion gives the city the option to execute the quit claim deed because the city received fair and reasonable market value when the property was sold to Spring Hill M.B. Church in 1997 and at least five years have elapsed.
“We don’t really want to buy it if they want to sell it,” the mayor explained before the vote during the June 7 meeting.
• Approved a request from Northwest Mississippi Community College for the city to provide for electricity for a trailer used to train welders at the college’s satellite campus located on Central Street in Everest.
Gray said the opportunity for NWCC to train welders will be asset for the community.
“Is it going to take any extra transformers?” Ward One Alderman Ron Hart asked.
“They are ordered, we have a lot of electrical components ordered right now. We can’t even get street lights,” Gray answered. The mayor also said the cost of a transformer is around $1,000. “We had one up there, but we had a business that was ready to open on the south end of town, so we took that one down there. We ordered about five or six transformers, we don’t have any in stock right now. Everything is just crazy right now as far as the supply chain.”
Responding to other questions, Gray said the board can reverse the decision if electric usage is too expensive.
• Approved an agreement for Tony Johnson to cut the grass and saplings in Town Creek.
“He said he had several guys and would cut it from one end to the other. He is going to provide the gas and workers and do it for $3,000,” Hart said.
“We can’t use our own guys any cheaper than that,” Gray noted.
“From one end to the other, it has grown up pretty good,” Hart said.
After the growth is cut, the city crew will spray herbicide to help curtail future growth.
