Last Month’s Visit From TVA Executives Is A Story Worthy Of Sharing
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DAVE’S WORLD
By David Howell
If you happened to pass behind BankFirst a couple of weeks ago and saw Kagan Coughlin cleaning a vehicle with a leaf blower, there was a good reason. The SUV was borrowed and he wanted to get the grass off of it before returning it to Cam and Julie Tyler.
Grass? What grass you would probably ask?
Clippings from the landing zone Michael Scroggins cut.
Landing zone? What landing zone would be the next logical question.
Three executives with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and three consultants from KPMG visited the W.C. Gardiner Industrial Park in Water Valley a few weeks ago, landing in the industrial park in a helicopter for a quick tour.
Kagan, who serves as the executive director of the Yalobusha County Economic Development District, needed a clean-cut area for the chopper to land and a big SUV to take the group to Everest for a quick bite to eat while they were in town.
The visit is part of an ongoing effort by county and city officials to bring industry to the industrial park. There has already been some big strides during the last year with this endeavor as funding has been pledged to build a new road in the park. The new road will be one-third of a mile long and cost $1.16 million, connecting with the existing road that accesses the industrial park from Hwy. 32. Coughlin has stressed that the road will allow 18-wheeler traffic to access businesses in the park and is critical for future growth in the industrial park.
Funding for the road includes $250,000 from the Mississippi Development Authority’s Site Grant Program, $325,000 from Delta Regional Authority, $325,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission and $100,000 from the State of Mississippi. Yalobusha County supervisors also pledged $75,000 for the project, as did the City of Water Valley.
Now Kagan is trying to get another $500,000 from a TVA grant, funding that could be used for site prep work along the new road including leveling to have a site or two ready for a potential new industry. Think 300,000 square feet that is leveled and ready for construction.
It was this grant application that brought the TVA officials to Water Valley, and Kagan reported he received positive feedback from TVA officials. It’s not a done deal, but the half-million dollars is a strong prospect. There has even been conversation about TVA allocating more than a half-million dollars if the grant is awarded.
Kagan thinks Yalobusha County is a prime location for future development. And the undeveloped acreage in the park now versus a leveled site with a new access road is a strong start for landing a business.
Oh, I almost forgot about the grass. When the chopper landed, all of the vehicles parked near the landing zone were covered with the fresh clippings. The chopper blew grass clippings everywhere, including on the vehicles parked nearby. The story gets even funnier as Kagan had left the windows down to help keep the vehicle cool while the ground party waited for the chopper’s arrival. Kagan said every crevice on the Tyler’s SUV was packed with grass and the easiest removal was with a leaf blower.
Apparently it was big, fancy helicopter and some big guys from TVA visiting, but I think Kagan was more impressed with the grass-roots efforts by fellow Water Vallians to accommodate the visitors.
Scroggins jumped into action as soon as Kagan called. He did a masterful job of prepping for the executives’ visit, first cutting the landing zone and walking path with a tractor and bushhog. He cut it a second time with a lawnmower to make it look pristine for the visitors. Mayor Tommy Reynolds delayed a trip to the coast for a conference, leaving late that afternoon as soon the executives left.
Cam and Julie were happy to help too. I’m pretty sure Kagan got rid of most of the grass that stuck to the vehicle but I haven’t confirmed that with Cam.
This story got me to thinking about my one ride in a helicopter, a quick trip down to Camp Shelby in a National Guard chinook. Coming back, the chopper had an engine problem and we landed in Jackson. I think I will share that story in next week’s edition of the Herald.
