By John Howell Sr.

Batesville residents can expect to see preliminary engineering work to build a street to connect House/Carlson Drive and Pine Lodge Road and a street to connect Medical Center Drive and Convention Center Drive.

City aldermen on Tuesday authorized preliminary engineering work on the new streets as well as completion of engineering work to prepare for advertising for bids to extend municipal sewer service to Hunter’s Trace Subdivision.

The connector street between House/Carlson and Pine Lodge would parallel Interstate 55 on its east side for about 6,800 feet, city engineer Blake Mendrop said. His initial work would gain preliminary environmental clearances through the appropriate agencies, including the Corps of Engineers, he said.

Panola County supervisors have agreed to assist in the construction, he said.

The road is expected to allow vehicles west of I-55 traveling to Tri-Lakes Medical Center, the Convention Center or Walmart and surrounding shopping areas an alternate route to avoid congestion on Highway 6/278.

Similarly, building the street to connect Medical Center and Convention Center Drives would allow vehicles to avoid the intersection at Medical Center Drive and Highway 6/278. The new street alongside Zaxby’s would also open three commercial lots to development.

Preliminary engineering work for the Hunter’s Trace project indicated that the cost for extending the sewerage at $700,000 to $800,000, Mendrop said. He said funding through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) or Public Facilities Grant was not feasible, but a Small Municipalities Grant might provide $100,000. Other possible funding sources include a low interest loan through the State Revolving Loan Fund, he said.

The engineering work authorized Tuesday for the Hunter’s Trace will cover the entire project, which then can be bid in stages for construction if necessary, Mendrop continued. The first phase to build a main trunk line would be most costly, probably $190,000. He estimated that it would take six months to complete engineering and to get environmental clearance.

“That’s the next sewer we’re going to do,” Mayor Jerry Autrey said.
In other public works projects:

• Mendrop reported that the Tubbs Road Drainage Improvements Project is nearing completion.

“They had some water running through there Sunday,” Alderman Eddie Nabors said.

Aldermen approved Mendrop’s request to pay Quinn Contracting $283,004.48 for their work on the Tubbs Road project and another $179,142.60 for other contractors and expenses. The Tubbs Road project has been partially funded through CDBG.

Work at Tubbs Road’s intersection with Martin Luther King Street is still underway, Mendrop said. City officials changed the work specifications at the intersection to widen Tubbs enough to allow a school bus to turn onto Tubbs from MLK without crossing over into the lane of oncoming traffic.

• Mendrop recommended city officials re-advertise for bids on an automated meter reading system for the city’s water meters. Several months ago city officials rejected all bids for a system when they came in higher than the $800,000 the city has secured from the state Revolving Loan Fund to pay for the automated meters. The state loan would charge less than two percent interest. Aldermen voted to re-advertise, seeking proposals based on the amount available through the loan.

• City officials continue to negotiate to buy the abandoned service station building at the intersection of Eureka Street and the Public Square. Mayor Jerry Autrey said the city is waiting on a cost proposal for asbestos removal that would be required before the building is torn down.