Three people are now in the running for the open slot on the Columbus Redevelopment Authority board.
Columbus businessmen Jerry Fortenberry and Jason Spears are the latest to apply for the open seat. They join former Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce president Joseph Bragg to fill the seat left vacant by Mark Alexander Sr., who has opted not to reapply.
The position comes with a five-year term.
Fortenberry is a registered pharmacist. He worked in the industry for 40 years, and now is an administrator with Mississippi Association of Recovering Pharmacists, a group dedicated to helping those in the profession who have struggled with addiction to drugs or alcohol.
“I have lived here for 14 years, and intend to stay here,” he said. “I volunteer at the Farmers Market and I am familiar with that area.”
The Burns Bottom area still needs help, he said, so he has a particular interest in CRA’s redevelopment efforts there.
“You can see parts of the soccer complex from Highway 82, and it’s not all pretty,” he said. “Columbus seems to be lagging compared to other communities, and I am hopeful that redevelopment will attract more people to move here.”
In addition to his pharmacy experience, Fortenberry is involved with the Columbus Arts Council, Exchange Club, the Tennessee Williams Tribute, the Friends of the Library and the Preservation Society of Columbus.
Spears owns JDS Wealth Strategies in Columbus, and served 10 years on the Columbus Municipal School Board before not being reappointed in March.
“(The CRA) is an essential part of what’s going on in our community with respect to trying to bring in development and create opportunity here locally, whether it’s neighborhoods or businesses” he said.
Spears said he is in a good position to understand the mechanics of the financial side of what the CRA does due to his past governmental experience.
“Thanks to my decade on the school board I have a great understanding of government accounting, budgeting, 16th Section properties, taxation and all those different things,” he said. “I think my knowledge will help me be an effective board member.”
Spears has also served as a trustee for the Region II Kiwanis and as tournament director and chair for competitive soccer with Columbus United.
“I’ve seen it advertised for a while, and when I looked at what the board itself does I thought I would put my name in and see if I’m a good fit,” Spears said.
The CRA was founded in 2015, and in 2017 the city issued $3.2 million in bonds to buy and redevelop about 15 acres in and around the Burns Bottom area, focusing on a five-block area between Third and Fourth Street North and Second and Seventh avenues.
The CRA plans to attract developers into the area, with the intention of creating a mixed residential and commercial district surrounding the soccer complex and connecting it with the Riverwalk and downtown.
In 2018, CRA brokered the sale of the former Lee Middle School property on Military Road for $450,000. The property is now home to the Lofts at Lee apartments and event space.
Other board members include President Marthalie Porter, Chris Chain, Robert Rhett and Dennis Erby.
Columbus City Council is slated to appoint the position at its Sept. 6 meeting. The deadline to apply is noon Wednesday.
Applicants may apply in person at City Hall or online via the city’s website.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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