[05/08/01] Money to build a secondary access road to the River Regional Medical Center complex on U.S. 61 North will be sought from the state, supervisors decided Monday.

Already in hand to provide access is $4.4 million approved by the Legislature to build three access roads to the new complex.

Bids for the project were lower than expected, allowing the county to do the project for $3.1 million.

But Chris Gouras of Gouras Planning Consultants said the left over $1.3 million is not enough to construct a secondary access road needed at the site.

The request OK’d by the Warren County Board of Supervisors will ask the Legislature for an additional $1.5 million. River Region is responsible for any costs over the amount the county receives in grants.

The three access roads consist of a ring road that will wrap the hospital campus, one that will connect the highway north and south of Sherman Avenue and one that will run alongside Sherman with a traffic light installed.

Tanner Construction, Inc. of Ellisville was awarded the bid in September and the roads should be completed sometime in July, county engineer John McKee said. The hospital, which was to replace the existing ParkView and Vicksburg medical centers in February, may be ready for occupancy in January.

The secondary access road would run from the hospital site to Culkin Road and align with Mount Alban Road, Gouras said.

The board also approved a supplemental agreement and change order in the amount of $79,804.10 to lengthen and case sewer lines at the River Region site.

McKee said crews had to add casing to the sewer bore and a ductile iron pipe was installed to protect lines due to the depth at which they are installed.

There was also a problem with the number of utilities at the site and the amount of right-of-ways the Mississippi Department of Transportation has available.

“There are too many utilities and not enough right-of-ways,” McKee said. Because of that, some sewer lines had to take a less direct route to the hospital site. McKee said initially, plans were to run lines behind the Sonic Drive-In on U.S. 61 North, just a few miles from the hospital site, but easements were not granted from the property owners. The line had to come further south on the east side of U.S. 61 North.

“We had to go a different route to get a new easement, which called for lengthening of the pipeline,” McKee said.

Although the site is outside Vicksburg, the city will provide natural gas and sewer utilities. Entergy will provide electricity and Culkin Water District is to provide water.

In other business, the county:

Allowed the transfer of the county’s K-9 dog Cliff from the Sheriff’s department to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Approved a recommendation to pave Little John’s Lane, Doncaster Lane and Stratford Way while road crews are already overlaying roads in the Robin Hood area.

Granted Par Minerals of Louisiana a utility permit to lay in a 3-inch gas line once a $10,000 bond has been provided.

Approved the addition of Falcon Ridge Road and Trailwood Drive to the county road register and to change the name of Jackson Road to Old Jackson Road for E-911 purposes.

Approved Warren County’s Emergency Management Director L.W. Callaway’s request to post an in-house notice to hire a permit officer.

Approved the county highway department’s annual membership to the Beaver Control Assistance Program for $2,000.

Rescheduled a public hearing addressing the expansion of the fiscal limits of the Culkin Fire District. The meeting was originally scheduled for May 21, but board attorney Randy Sherard said more time would be needed to have an adequate legal description of the meeting printed. The meeting was rescheduled for June 18 at 10 a.m.

Took under consideration a proposal by Senior Center director Anna Lisa Cockrell for the board to give the center consideration when creating its budget for the next fiscal year. Cockrell said 40 percent of the seniors who visit the city-run center are county residents. Board president Richard George said the addition would require the Legislature to pass a local and private bill that would allow the board to do something that is otherwise not permitted, and District 3 Supervisor Charles Selmon said the board would do what it could to assist the center if legalities are worked out.

The board will meet again on May 21 at 9 a.m.