Pike County supervisors adopted a four-year road plan Monday while awaiting word on whether the state will match $7.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The four-year plan lays out a list of roads to seal or prelevel each year through 2025. This year’s list includes 23 roads with a total price tag of $555,820.
Road superintendent Wendell Alexander said the plan is continued over from last year, when only 34 of the 52 scheduled miles got worked due to wet weather.
County engineer Garrett Smith noted it costs $200,000 to pave a road with two inches of asphalt. Sealing, or covering with liquid asphalt and rock aggregate, is a cheaper alternative at $120,000 a mile.
Supervisors plan to use most of the ARPA funds for road repairs, and Alexander said he will meet with supervisors to set priorities.
Supervisors will hire a contractor for that work, while the county road crew handles the four-year plan.
Supervisors agreed to advertise for engineering services for the ARPA projects.
In other business, supervisors:
• Approved payments of $74,359 to Land Development Co. for Hurricane Ida debris pickup and $20,759 to DebrisTech for monitoring. Smith said pickup will continue for another week or two.
• Learned that Smith will open bids Feb. 17 on the Fernwood Road bridge replacement, which should take around eight months to complete.
• Tabled a discussion on how to handle roof repairs on the county-owned Gro Green building in Osyka. Board attorney Wayne Dowdy recommended supervisors accept a $255,411 insurance payment minus a $10,000 deductible and advertise for bids to fix the roof. But county administrator Tami Dangerfield said the lease requires the insurance money to be turned over to the lease-holder. Supervisors asked Dowdy to determine the answer in time for the next board meeting 8 a.m. Monday.
• Learned that the Mississippi Department of Archives and History rejected the county’s Community Heritage Preservation Grant application to repair the old courthouse at Holmesville. In a letter, MDAH said it received 37 applications on projects totaling $9.8 million. With only $3.1 million available, MDAH approved just 18 of the applications.
• Heard from Supervisor Jake Gazzo that he had received a request to install speed bumps in Deerfield subdivision. Alexander said the roads there already have a 15 mph speed limit. Supervisor Robert Accardo said speed limit signs need to be installed if they’re not already.
• Approved $219 travel advances for justice court clerk Andranette Jordan and deputy clerk Danyell P. Martin to attend a three-day educational conference at Tunica this month.
