It is a far cry from the $7-million-plus House Ways & Means Chairman Jeff Smith, R-Columbus, hoped to bring home for three local projects, but one project will be completed while two others will receive enough money to keep moving forward.
Smith each year oversees the bond package, monies that go to capital improvement projects throughout Mississippi.
In January, as the 2016 legislation began, Smith said he hoped to secure $5 million in additional funding for the city of Columbus’ plans to build a 3,500 seat amphitheater at the Riverwalk and a 14-mile extension of the Riverwalk to Columbus Air Force Base. He also hoped to deliver another $2 million to complete Lowndes County’s horse park project, as well as $400,000 to complete renovations at the Columbus City Hall.
While the $400,000 needed for the city hall renovations was allocated in the final bond package approved by state lawmakers Wednesday, the other two projects received considerably less.
The Riverwalk project will receive $1.2 million from this year’s bond package. The horse park project, meanwhile, will be allocated $400,000, roughly a third of what county officials say they need to complete the project.
Background
The Riverwalk and horse park projects began in 2015. The bond package last year allocated $2.25 million to the Riverwalk and $1.2 million for the horse park.
The plans for the Riverwalk call for $25 million over 10 years. The horse park is estimated to be a two-year, $2.5 million project.
Kevin Stafford, the engineer for the city’s Riverwalk project, said the shortfall should not lead to a significant delay or profound changes in the master plan, which called for building the Terry Brown Amphitheater before beginning work on the Riverwalk extension.
“The short answer is, Yes, we should be able to continue on the work at the amphitheater, pretty much as planned,” Stafford said. “We’re not pulling out the kitchen sink or making huge changes to the plan. Would we have liked to have had more money? Sure. But this doesn’t stop or even delay the project in a major way.”
Even before the bond package was announced, changes had been made to the amphitheater plan, which was originally estimated to cost $3 million. Earlier this week, Stafford said some of the contracts on the project would be re-bid after initial bids came in above estimates.
With $3.45 million in state allocations over the past two years, Stafford said the project will continue on its current schedule.
Horse park specifics
Likewise, the horse park project will not be significantly altered, although the project could see some delays, according to Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders.
“With the money we got last year ($1.2 million) we were able to go ahead with building the office building, which was our plan — to build it first, then build the arena, barn area and the other things we wanted to do,” Sanders said.
“The $400,000 we will get this year, we’ll use for engineering, maybe some engineering and site work for the arena.”
Sanders said the board was committed to sticking with the original plan, even if it means delaying completion of the project or using other funds.
“We want this to be a first-rate facility,” he said, “even if it means it might cost a little more.”
Sanders said the board could even wait for additional money to be allocated in next year’s bond package or other funds could be used to cover what, at the moment, appears to be a $900,000 shortfall.
City Hall
Meanwhile, the $1.5 million Columbus City Hall project should have the funds needed to complete the project, which began in September.
That project is also being funded by state grants.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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