Pike County supervisors approved the four-year road plan without discussion Tuesday, but the one supervisor whose district wasn’t included in it erupted over the omission later in the meeting.
“There are 60 roads on here to be paved and sealed. Not one is in District 1. Not one,” District 1 Supervisor Tazwell Bowsky said with a raised voice. “Man, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong. This is taxation without representation!”
County Road Manager Wendell Alexander tried to explain that the few county roads in Bowsky’s district are covered by other road projects. Those include a $10 million plan to resurface hundreds of miles of county roads, with the payment split among American Rescue Plan Act funds and bonds being repaid with internet sales tax money.
“Your roads are being fixed but with sales tax money and ARPA money,” Alexander said.
“Now fellas, I don’t care how you slice it, dice it or cut it up, this is wrong,” Bowsky shot back.
The four-year road plan calls for spending $584,030 in county funds on repairs.
It calls for work this year on 11 roads in District 2, eight in District 3, none in District 4 and seven in District 5.
In 2024, work will be done on two roads in District 2, none in District 3, one in District 4 and nine in District 5.
Proposed work in 2025 covers one road in District 2, none in District 3, one in District 4 and nine in District 5. The plan wraps up in 2026 with work on nine District 2 roads and three each in districts 3, 4 and 5.
Board president Lee Fortenberry said he’s got plenty of roads in his district that need work that aren’t on the four-year road plan but are being covered by the other projects.
“I can start naming roads that are being paid for with ARPA that are not on this list,” Fortenberry said.
“You’ve got roads that are on there,” Bowsky said, pointing to the road plan.
“I’ve got more than 400 miles of county roads,” Fortenberry said.
The issue of roads is often contentious with Bowsky, whose district has historically included most of the McComb and Summit city limits. While redistricting last year had his district taking in more county roads, the vast majority of the roads in his district are still city streets.
“None of the roads in McComb and Pike County can be fixed on that right there?” Bowsky said, pointing to the colored spreadsheet in disgust before asking Alexander if he knew the location of Gertman Hill Road, a county road whose southern terminus is at McComb city limits on Higgins Drive.
“There’s different pockets and different monies for different roads,’’ District 3 Supervisor Robert Accardo explained. “Mr. Bowsky’s roads are being paved by different funding.”
Alexander noted that the plan is subject to change depending on other repairs needing to take priority.
“This is not chiseled in stone. This is a work program,” he said.
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Roads and bridges dominated Tuesday’s meeting, with residents and officials alike griping about needed repairs.
“I appreciate y’all letting me come up here and complain some more,” said Jack Martin, who makes occasional appearances before the board.
Martin said repairs on Fernwood and McKenzie roads in particular are inadequate.
“I know at least 25 times in the past year that they have been over there on Fernwood Road and McKenzie … where they put this tar back in those holes and it keeps washing out,” he said. “At some point when you need stitches you’ve got to quit putting a Band-Aid on it and use stitches. It may cost a little more.”
Fortenberry said he’s seen better results with cold mix asphalt, and Alexander agreed.
“It seems to me this cold mix we’re using now, wet or dry, it sets up good.” Fortenberrry said.
Martin also asked about the status of the Fernwood Road bridge, which has been under construction for a year and is past the contract’s completion date.
District 2 Supervisor Sam Hall noted that asphalt has been laid on the approaches.
“I can’t wait until it gets finished,” Hall said.
“You don’t use that road half as much as the people down there,” Martin said.
“I feel the pain,” Hall said.
“Yeah, from the phone calls,” Martin said.
Gazzo said he has problems with roads in his district as well, noting that work started on Barnett Road but stopped after bad weather set in.
“Wendell’s gotten a lot of calls, I’ve gotten a lot of calls on it,” he said, adding that contractor Dickerson & Bowen is expected to resume work this week.
Accardo said problem areas in his district include Patsy Hill road, where a bridge closed about a month ago, and he’s trying to get Boyd Reeves Road reopened.
And Fortenberry said he’s still looking for money to replace a bridge on State Line Road that’s been closed for nine years.
