[9/30/04]Blackburn Motor Company entered into a contract Wednesday to purchase the former Battlefield Village mall, one of the largest properties fronting Interstate 20 in Vicksburg.

J.E. “Brother” Blackburn said he plans to tear down the long-vacant and dilapidated building by the end of the year and move his car dealership from 2011 Washington St., to the North Frontage Road property. He said the deal is expected to close Oct. 31, but is still subject to an environmental study.

“The old mall building has been an eyesore for Vicksburg for too long, and we are proud to be the ones cleaning it up for our community,” Blackburn said.

BancorpSouth foreclosed on the Battlefield property in March after the previous owners, J&V Properties of Jackson, declared bankruptcy last year. Vicksburg Division president Dave Dickson said the bank had negotiated with several parties and developers for the property before entering into the contract with Blackburn.

The cost was not disclosed by either party.

“We’re just pleased to be at this point. We’ve been working on this for a long time and looking forward to the future development of the property,” Dickson said.

Mayor Laurence Leyens, who pledged to have the property redeveloped by the end of his administration next year, said he is pleased with the deal between Blackburn and the bank. For the past five years, the city has sought demolition of the 42-year-old building vacant since 1996.

“It’s another major accomplishment for this community to see that property moving forward and we’re looking forward to another front-door development for this community,” Leyens said.

The property, with about 1 million square feet of property, including 650 feet of frontage on North Frontage between Indiana Avenue and Halls Ferry Road, is valued by the Warren County Tax Appraiser’s Office at $3 million.

Blackburn said that he plans to use about one third of the 23-acre site for cars and will develop the rest of the property for retail. He said workers will begin asbestos removal and demolition as soon as the sale is closed.

Dirtworks of Vicksburg is expected to do the work, he said.

“I’m going to be pushing to finish this by the end of the year,” Blackburn said.

Plans are to set up a satellite used-car dealership on the site during construction next year and to move the dealership by the end of 2005. Blackburn Motor is the dealership for Nissan and Chrysler Dodge Jeep and will create separate facilities for those brands at the new site, a new requirement for those franchises, Blackburn said.

He said the current dealership property on Washington Street will be sold or leased, but he said he has no specific plans.

Blackburn Motor Company has been in operation in Vicksburg since 1936 and at its present location since 1945. Several expansions have been made through the years, the most recent being the construction of the present showroom and office in 1972 and the present service facility in 1998.

Battlefield Village was built as Vicksburg’s first all-weather shopping center and operated successfully until tenants began shifting to the new Pemberton Square, which opened in 1985. The space was converted into U.S. Army Corps of Engineers offices in 1988, but those employees moved in 1996 into a new office building on East Clay.

The property, visible from Interstate 20, has largely been vacant since. It was ultimately targeted for forced demolition at public expense with the cost attached to the deed.

A twin-cinema complex on the site was removed by J&V Properties in 2002, and a former Sears auto center became a motorcycle and four-wheeler dealership last year. RiverHills Bank has a branch office on part of the former mall parking lot. Trustmark National Bank operates a branch on an adjacent tract.