When it comes to state appropriations, it was both good and bad news for the city of Columbus.
While the city got $3 million to funnel to the Columbus Redevelopment Authority for its Burns Bottom Redevelopment project, it was left high and dry when it came to the money to complete the Terry Brown Amphitheater.
Last week the Mississippi Legislature passed its annual appropriations bill, its primary mechanism for dishing out cash for city and county governments and their projects. The bill provided the CRA’s $3 million, as well as about $500,000 for the town of Caledonia.
The CRA asked for about $6 million from the state for sewer, drainage, water, broadband and road improvements in a five-block area in and around Burns Bottom — specifically an area between Third and Fourth Street North and Second and Seventh Avenues east of the Lowndes County Soccer Complex.
CRA President Marthalie Porter told The Dispatch she is grateful for the state’s help.
“We certainly feel the appropriations we received to be extremely helpful,” Porter said. “We’ll need all of it to address the infrastructure needs there. We’re working with Columbus Light and Water about some (in-kind labor) they can help us with. This is one of the biggest puzzles I’ve ever worked on.”
The CRA board will have to decide where that money will go specifically, said City Engineer Kevin Stafford.
“Obviously the things under the ground have to be fixed or relocated first,” he said. “You don’t want to pave the road and then have to come back and do the water and sewer later. The first required stuff will be the demolition or relocation of water and sewer and putting in underground conduits for electrical and drainage.”
Porter said the CRA was working to get federal grant money to fund the balance of the work.
“We’re looking at a couple of grants on the federal level,” she said. “We have been talking with the Appalachian Regional Commission, and they have a grant program for the commercial areas (in Burns Bottom). We’re trying to look at everything we can.”
Some of that federal money has strings, Stafford said, and that needs to be taken into account, too.
“Some of the federal funds are earmarked for specific things,” Stafford said. “The state isn’t. There’s no point in spending money on water and sewer, for example, if the feds have money coming for water and sewer. … You want to see where all the pieces fit together to make the money stretch over all the needs.”
The CRA was founded in 2015 and set up with $3.2 million in bond money to buy dilapidated and vacant property in Burns Bottom and redevelop it.
The CRA went to Columbus City Council in February 2022 with a request for $6.5 million to finish out the project, but the council never acted on the request, leading to the CRA turning to the state.
Amphitheater
The city was unsuccessful in a $4 million funding request to complete the Terry Brown Amphitheater located on The Island across from the Riverwalk.
It was given $3.2 million in 2015 to build the structure that exists today, which includes a stage, some concrete work for the seating area and the existing fencing. The state pitched in another $500,000 in 2019 but hasn’t given anything since.
It still needs bathrooms, concession stands, 1,700 hardback seats, turnstiles and safety features such as gating and more fencing. The remainder of the 3,500 seats would be in the grassy area.
Mayor Keith Gaskin said Wednesday he is disappointed the funding didn’t materialize.
“There is a lot of money in Jackson right now,” he said. “… There’s been a lot of debate about how much skin in the game the city has. I would argue the city has a lot of skin in the game trying to maintain that albatross over there without the funding to move forward.”
He said the city had to “pivot” and look for other sources.
“One thing we have looked at and need to be more serious in looking at is if there is a public-private possibility with private investment,” he said. “… We’ve taken several political leaders out to see it and private investors to look at it, and every time their first comment is, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect it to look this good.’”
Caledonia
The town of Caledonia got a total of $500,000 in two allotments: $350,000 for lighting upgrades at Ola J. Pickett Park and $150,000 to aid in purchasing or upgrading equipment.
Mayor Betty Darnell told The Dispatch new lights are badly needed at the older fields at the park, whose lights are outdated. She couldn’t say how far that money would go.
“It’s been over a year since we’ve gotten pricing for those fields,” she said. “There are five fields, and the three that are the oldest are what they’re looking at primarily. We just don’t know how far this money will go with the way prices have gone up recently.”
Darnell said the board of aldermen had not yet decided what equipment the $150,000 will go toward.
“Our board will look at the needs and see what the priorities are,” she said. “There are so many needs and they will prioritize what’s most important.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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