A group of citizens, business owners and local organizations crowded into the chambers of the Warren County Board of Supervisors Monday morning to voice their opposition to the proposed new jail site location on Berryman Road.

All are concerned about the impact the facility will have on the area, as far as current and future development, as well as the schools that are in the vicinity.

The Berryman Road 50-acre tract is one of two the supervisors have targeted for the new jail facility and are in the process of assessing their value. The other location is off Highway 80.

By state law, the jail must be built within the county seat or within a reasonable proximity of the city limits. Both proposed sites are just outside the city limits of Vicksburg with the major difference being the Berryman Road location is much closer to city water and sewer.

The Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau sent a letter to the supervisors earlier this month in opposition to the site and VCVB Chairman Bess Averett came before the board during their work session Monday to reiterate their position.

“We are certainly in support of a new jail, but it is our job to protect tourism tax revenue,” Averett said. “We feel strongly with the connection of a frontage road and the possibility of a water park in that area, we’ll see more growth for tourism in Vicksburg. And as a team, certainly hope that all elected officials, are working with us to protect that and grow it.”

Berryman Road is located off of Old U.S. Highway 80 and runs behind the Outlets at Vicksburg. According to information provided by the VCVB, at least 15.5 percent of hospitality revenue collected in the city comes from the area around the outlet mall. Also located in the area are 25 percent of the city’s hotels and 12 percent of the city’s restaurants, including Billy’s Italian and McAllister Deli.

The other site is a 47-acre property located off U.S. 80 and near the site of the former Pinewoods Motor Court.

Bob Marson spoke on behalf of the homeowner’s of Eastvillage and said the decision on the location of the new jail facility is one of the biggest the community has ever faced.

Eastvillage is located about a football field away from the Berryman Road tract.

Marson said they are not opposed to the much-needed jail but “have serious concerns about locating the jail here” for two reasons.

“The safety and security of their families and potential harm to property values,” Marson said. “The simple fact is people just don’t want to live near a jail.”

Businesses also are not in favor of being located next to a jail facility. Mac Varner, representing hotel developer Roy Patel, said the location of the jail on Berryman Road would be detrimental to development. Patel has three hotels in the area and is reconsidering a fourth on land he purchased.

“He’s having second thoughts about that piece of property,” Varner said. “I’m not sure if he’s going to go through those plans or not, based upon what this board does and he wanted me to express his opposition in the area you are proposing.”

Benjamin Richaud, a resident of Eastvillage and Merit Health River Region CEO, also expressed he does not support the jail in that area. He said it will make it difficult to recruit potential physicians.

“These are individuals who are very smart and they have a whole lot of options,” Richaud said. “When we bring them, I’ve got one chance to show them the best face of our town. They stay at the Holiday Inn and Courtyard and often times while they’re at our hospital, their wives are driving around looking at where they can live and where can we send our children to school. We all know perception is reality and I think the Berryman Road location would be a challenge to overcome in terms of the face we want our city to represent.”

Board President Richard George said the board values and appreciates the concerns and would take that under advisement when the decision is made.

He told those in attendance that current law restricts the location of the jail facility and either the state legislature or the attorney general may have to step in.

“Somebody is going to have to make a decision and say ‘ok, you can go further out,” George said.