County’s effort to demolish bridge hits snag

Published 9:33 am Tuesday, May 2, 2017

The county’s attempts to raze the old Mississippi 3 bridge in the northern part of Warren County could take longer.

Supervisors received three bids Monday to remove the bridge, which has been replaced, but all three were more than the projected $75,000 estimated to do the job. The county wants to demolish the bridge and remove it from the state aid bridge roster because it is no longer being used.

The supervisors took the bids by Century Construction and Real Estate of Tupelo, $208,996; Dirt Works of Vicksburg, $222,484; and Triple E Construction of Lake Village, Ark., $134,368; under advisement.

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In another matter, the supervisors received two more bids for the county’s Magnolia Road property off U.S. 61 South. The supervisors Monday took under advisement bids of $154,300 from HHG LLC of Vicksburg, and $65,000 from John W. Massey. Massey in March submitted a $62,500 bid on the property that was rejected by the Board of Supervisors as inadequate.

The bid opening was the third time the supervisors have received bids for the property.

The supervisors have twice put the 12-acre property up for sale by public bid, once in December and again in January.

They received no bids the first time and two bids from the January advertisement, which they rejected in March.

After rejecting the second set of bids, the supervisors decided in March to try and sell the property directly to a private group or individual by negotiation, rather than the public sealed bid.

The county acquired the land in the mid-1960s as part of an economic development program to allow F.L. Cappaert to expand his Magnolia Mobile Homes business.

The land was later subleased to another person, who then sold their lease interest.

When that individual did not keep the lease up, it terminated the lease and the land returned to the county.

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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