A planned upgrade to Railroad Boulevard in downtown McComb screeched to a halt last week before a single nail was hammered or a shovel was lifted when congressional budget-wrangling resulted in a cut in the funds that would have paid for much of the work.
The city had been approved for an $850,000 project, of which 80 percent would have come in the form of a Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grant. While the program is federally funded, the grant was to be administered by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
A June 30 ceremony had been scheduled at the Railroad Depot, where MDOT Southern District Commissioner Tom King was to hand over a $632,000 check to the city. Word of the ceremony’s cancellation came less than two hours beforehand.
At Tuesday’s city board work session Mayor Whitney Rawlings explained that funding for the grant, and all TAP grants nationwide, had been cut by a U.S. Senate appropriations panel.
Rawlings drafted a letter to Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), who sits on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, asking his help in reversing the funding cuts.
He said he would also write to other members of Congress who represent Mississippi, adding he was optimistic that “we’re going to get this project done, and we just may be in a pause of about 90 days” while lobbying continues.
A preliminary design included the addition of a lawn in front of Bo Diddley Pavilion, landscaped islands along the street between the Pavilion and Canal Street, and decorative pavers in front of the depot.
The board had taken a field trip of sorts for Tuesday’s meeting, holding it at Fire Station No. 4 on Parklane Road.
Jeff Smith, a training officer with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), gave an hourlong presentation on the state’s Incident Command System, explaining how various agencies and individuals are organized during emergencies and disasters.
In its regular business, the board learned from McComb Police Chief Scott McKenzie that an anonymous donor had offered to pay for new sidearms for every officer on the force, along with accompanying holsters and magazine pouches.
The $13,000 donation will cover between 35 and 40 Glock 9mm pistols, McKenzie said.
