Most of the residents and business owners polled Wednesday aren”t bothered by the location of a new Lowndes County Health Department facility in close proximity to their homes or businesses, although they are concerned about increased traffic to an already busy area.
“It”s fine with me,” Margie Robertson, a resident of a subdivision off Warpath Road, said of the Board of Supervisors” decision to construct a 12,300-square-foot health department facility near the intersection of Lehmberg and Warpath roads in East Columbus.
Another resident of Robertson”s subdivision, Gwen Chambers, is opposed to the plan to locate the health department in her area.
“I think it”s going to bring a lot of extra traffic,” she said. “I think it”s going to be congested, and I think it”s going to lower the property values.”
But Janet Morris, owner of The Beauté Salon, at 804 Warpath Road, is “kinda sorta” hoping the new facility will bring more customers into her business.
“I”m fine with it,” she said.
“Yeah, we like the idea,” said Mark Clay, administrator of The Windsor Place Nursing Home at Plantation Pointe Retirement Community. “We think it”s a positive thing.
“East Columbus is kind of growing and coming out this direction,” he continued. “Of course, we have a significant health impact in this area now, since we have about 250 employees here.”
“I don”t have a problem with it, but the traffic is already bad,” said Pat Price of Price Pest Control, located in the M&W Plaza on Lehmberg Road. “It would be nice if they had (a traffic control device).”
James Price of Price Pest Control suggested a “four-way red light” be installed at the intersection to allow business owners better access onto Lehmberg Road.
The supervisors earlier agreed to install a designated turning lane of traffic in the area, and city officials agreed to install a better traffic control device or traffic light in the area.
The supervisors Monday voted to award a construction bid for the new facility to Mordecai Builders Inc.
The health department project is expected to cost the county $2.4 million; the county previously secured a $600,000 Mississippi Development Authority Community Development Block Grant for the project and the supervisors earlier voted to purchase the property on which the facility will be built for $230,000.
The new health department, which will face Lehmberg Road, will feature about 49 patient and 32 staff parking spaces, an 80-person main waiting room and two 37-person sub-waiting rooms, according to plans earlier presented by Johnson Bailey Henderson McNeel Architect Joey Henderson.
Henderson Monday said ground will be broken this year for the project, which is expected to be completed in August 2010.
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