The $900,000 in state bond financing Rep. Angela Cockerham procured for three projects in her district isn’t so much about the money but rather where it’s going, she said.
Centreville will get $500,000 to build a new park, Gloster will get $250,000 for improvements to the town-owned armory and the Richard Community Center in southern Pike County will get $150,000 for improvements.
“You typically don’t have money going to these areas,” said Cockerham, an independent from Magnolia whose district includes parts of Pike, Amite, Wilkinson and Adams counties. “When you go to various communities and they don’t have a park or children are playing and they need lights, I’m proud that this is going to our community.”
The funds were approved in House Bill 1353, a massive bond bill with money carved out for local project across the state. Other local projects and institutions receiving funding include Southwest Mississippi Community College, the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance, the cities of Tylertown and Brookhaven and a Summit nonprofit that wants to improve a water standpipe dating to the 1800s.
Centreville getting new park
Cockerham said the park in Centreville is needed and will bring a positive change to the town. Plans are to build a sports complex with public ballfields and other amenities — something that doesn’t currently exist in Centreville.
“It’s a total of $1 million that I’ve gotten for the park in Centreville,” she said, noting that she previously secured another $500,000 in state bond money for the project.
Town officials were expected to open bids for engineering services and architectural design on Tuesday night, and various tracts of land are being considered for the park’s location, Cockerham said.
“It’s full speed ahead. I’m really excited about it,” she said. “Recreation is huge when it comes to people determining where they’re going to live, people maintaining their physical fitness. I think this is going to be really good for the town of Centreville.”
Gloster armory improvements
Cockerham said the former National Guard armory in Gloster, which the town now owns, is an important meeting place and community center.
Its upkeep is both a priority and challenge, making the $250,000 appropriation sorely needed, she said.
“When I saw the mayor last week and I told him about the money, he was so excited about it,” Cockerham said. “That armory is used quite frequently there in the town of Gloster, from weddings to different events in the community. I do remember during (Hurricane) Ida some people wanted to use it as a shelter.
“Having that money for the town to make any additions or upgrades is going to be very benefical.”
Richard Community Center
getting a boost
Cockerham called the Richard Community Center near Progress, which includes a meeting hall and ballfields, “such a special place here in Pike County to so many people.”
She said the facility is well-organized and cared for, and it serves a lot of people from within the community and beyond.
“There are a lot of families, a lot of children, particularly in that community, that use it,” she said. “They’ve got a great baseball park out there and it’s utilized by people not just in the Richard Community, but you’ve got several ball teams who come and use it.
“You’ve got a community with heart of gold, and every time I go out there I’m just really amazed at the ball park and the community events. They keep it up. It’s pretty. It’s well maintained. It sees a lot of use.”
Session ends
Cockerham said the Legislature accomplished a lot in the three months it met, including redistricting, passing a teacher pay raise and equal pay bills, as well as deciding how to spend $1.5 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds and creating a medical marijuana program.
“The 2022 session was just packed,” she said. “We were able to accomplish a lot. I think we got a lot done.”
She called the teacher pay raise bill “huge” and “so impactful” for educators who “have weathered everything and educated our babies” over the past two years of the disruptive coronavirus pandemic.
The equal pay bill, which awaits Gov. Tate Reeves’ signature, will make Mississippi the last state to adopt such a measure. Critics of the measure, however, fault a provision that allows employers to use work history to determine compensation, which is seen as a glaring loophole that potentially permits continued inequality.
One piece of unfinished business is the restoration of the ballot initiative process, which the Mississippi Supreme Court wiped out, saying it was outdated because it required signatures from five former congressional districts instead of the current four in order for residents to put measures up to a vote.
“The ballot initiative is very important to the political process and having your voice heard,” Cockerham said. “I’m hoping we can get this ballot initiative process restored.”
She said that could happen if lawmakers from the House and Sentate agree to a fix and the governor calls a special session, or it could wait until next year’s legislative session.
The bond bill, usually one of the last pieces of legislation approved, is the icing on the cake for lawmakers who can then point to tangible things they’ve done in their district to make it better.
“I’ve brought in millions of dollars for my district, and I’m not done yet,” Cockerham said. “It’s not easy. It takes consistency and it takes dedication.”
