The Vicksburg Warren School District will accept a payment of $43,555 from Gulf South Pipeline Company LP for past use and timber value of a pipeline crossing 16th Section land dating back 45 years, the Board of Trustees agreed Thursday.

The payment is in exchange for a complete release of any prior obligations and outstanding issues, attorney Tommie S. Cardin of Jackson law firm Butler, Snow, O’Mara, Stevens & Cannada said in a letter to Jim Chaney, the attorney for the school district.

&#8220We made it clear to them that before we would agree on a new lease for the new proposed pipeline that we wanted to deal with the existing one,” said Superintendent James Price.

Gulf South’s proposed pipeline will run 240 miles, from a hub near Keatchie, La., to one in Harrisville in Simpson County.

It would cross into Warren County just south of the Baxter Wilson Power Plant and continue across U.S. 61 South near Grange Hall Road and run across the county line with Hinds near the southern edge of Bovina Cut-Off Road.

Board President Jan Daigre praised Chaney and other board members for their attempts to gain the most money for the children in the district.

&#8220This is $43,000 of what I like to call free money that we wouldn’t have without your diligence and expertise,” Daigre said.

Price said the board will now start negotiations of a new lease on the old pipeline before addressing a lease on the proposed pipeline.

Separately, in his superintendent’s report, Price gave an update on the attendance initiative for October and November. As of Thursday, which was day 32 of the initiative, the district had an average daily attendance of 8,660, up by 346 from this time last year. But with the 200 more students the district has this year, the increase is actually closer to 146, Price said.

&#8220It’s working. We are nearing the end of it, so I want to encourage all parents to keep it up for a few more days,” he said. &#8220We’re already looking at roughly three-quarters of a million dollars more to flow into our district next year because of this.”

All schools and district offices will be closed next week for Thanksgiving holiday.