Magnolia’s search for a wood chipper to minimize trips to the landfill has come to a halt, but the city is still looking for a new dump truck to replace an older one.
Mayor Anthony Witherspoon said during the work session Monday that he spoke with the owner of the landfill who told him about a neighboring municipality that also purchased a chipper.
Without naming the neighboring city or town, he initially said officials in that municipality thought it would be a good idea to purchase a chipper — and it turned out to a horrible idea, adding more work and hauling excess mulch to the landfill anyway.
“They thought giving the mulch away would be a good deed but they were left with a huge pile of mulch,” Witherspoon said. “Then he said they had a problem getting it to the landfill.”
“But, isn’t he the owner?” Alderman Joe Cornacchione asked.
“He is, and I see what you’re saying by he would benefit financially from us continually to do it that way, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any information because he also works with the other municipalities and the county,” Witherspoon said.
He said workers had to cut the limbs down to size which made more work.
Witherspoon said the owner had read in the newspaper where the city was considering a chipper and wanted the aldermen to think it over.
Public Works Director Alice Barnes said the mulch it would make wouldn’t be treated.
The board also removed finding a dump truck from the agenda until they can find a one that doesn’t require a commercial driver’s license.
“I couldn’t find any in Mississippi, but I did find some, but they would include shipping it from there to here,” Witherspoon said, adding he wanted to make sure the city had coverage for the truck.
“We need a dump truck. Bear with me in finding one. I need to study more procurements. A used one is in our budget, new is not,” he said.
The board also heard about a change order for the sewage lagoon project.
Neel-Schaffer spokesperson Keith Lott said he and Barnes met with a representative of the Mississippi Rural Water Association. He said a test was administered, the project was bid out, and Hemphill Construction of Florence submitted the lowest bid.
Witherspoon asked Lott if any more change orders would be needed, and Lott said he didn’t believe so.
When asked how much of the work had been completed, Lott and Barnes said between 30 and 40 percent.
“They’re about halfway there,” Barnes said.
