STARKVILLE — Another citizen showed up at the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday to ask for the county to pave a road, but the board ultimately told him it probably won”t happen any time soon.
The reason was because Cedar Lane, which is located in southeastern Oktibbeha County, was not included in the county”s four-year road improvement plan, said Board of Supervisors President John Young.
Young”s answer didn”t sit well with the resident, John Sykes, nor with District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer, who is a major proponent of paving projects in the county. Trainer suggested the board schedule a work session to discuss the possibility of issuing $10 million in bonds to pay for countywide road work.
Young, however, said it”s “too early” to discuss another bond issue. County residents in the fall just approved a bond issue worth up to $27.5 million for improvements to Oktibbeha County Hospital.
“I really don”t think it”s time to start talking about another bond project,” Young said, citing the hospital project and the fact that the board soon will begin working on its 2009-2010 fiscal year budget.
District 1 Supervisor Carl Clardy also was skeptical of Trainer”s suggestion, saying more bonds could force the board to increase taxes on county residents.
“Honest to God, I can hardly pay my taxes,” Clardy said. “I don”t know how some people can do it.”
Trainer, who was opposed to the hospital bond issue, said the county should be spending money on its roads and infrastructure instead of funding the hospital.
“The hospital is something we didn”t have to do, but we have to get our roads fixed,” Trainer said.
Trainer also called the county”s four-year road plan “inadequate” and “a facade.”
“Mr. President, we need to stop shucking and jiving these people,” Trainer said to Young. “We need to do a major road project. Let”s issue $10 million in bonds and fix some roads.”
The county”s four-year road plan can be altered, and it has been as some projects have taken priority over others, but Young told Sykes he could not guarantee Cedar Lane would be added to the plan. About half of the two-mile long stretch is paved, while the other mile is dirt and gravel.
After the meeting, Sykes, who lives just off Cedar Lane on John Lane, wasn”t happy with the board. He said he”s been waiting on the county to pave the rest of Cedar Lane for two decades.
“Talking about four years, I don”t like that,” Sykes said. “It”s already been 20 years.”
Sykes wasn”t the first county resident to complain about the four-year road plan. More than a dozen other residents have asked supervisors over the past year for their roads to get paved, and most have received the same response from the board.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
