By John Howell
City officials moved closer to bringing water from the new well east of I-55 into city pipes April 19 when they voted for city crews to dig a trench that will carry electrical conduit to the pump.
Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association has agreed to bring electrical lines across I-55 from Dogwood Hills to serve the site, City Engineer Blake Mendrop said during the Third Tuesday meeting of Batesville’s mayor and aldermen last week. TVEPA will then bring underground lines along the Pine Lodge connector road right-of-way and to the well site about 150 east of the connector road.
“Somebody’s got to trench it and put it in the ground,” Mendrop said. After a brief discussion, the mayor, aldermen and street superintendent Teddy Austin agreed that the city has the necessary equipment and personnel, and aldermen voted unanimously for them to begin the trench that will allow the electrical service to the well to begin.
City officials began the project to dig the well east of I-55 in 2014 when low water pressure threatened the supply to Merit Health Batesville Hospital, GE Aviation, Parker Automotive and residents and businesses east of the interstate.
Hunter’s Trace Sewer
Two phases of the project to provide sanitary sewer service to Hunter Trace Subdivision are complete and residents will soon be contacted about connecting, Mendrop said. The engineer said that the contractor has completed about half the work necessary to connect all homes in the subdivision.
“What do we need to do to pick up the work to do more work this year?” Alderman Bill Dugger asked.
“We can come up with the cost that needs to be budgeted in there,” (the fiscal 2017 city budget that begins October 1) Mendrop said. “We can bid it our in late summer, and then you’ll have it in next year’s budget. They’re designed and they’re ready to go.”
Eureka Street at Square
Mendrop encouraged the mayor and aldermen to be ready immediately following Springfest, May 13 and 14, to begin the project to realign the Eureka Street entrance to the Public Square. The work would also include improved street lighting along the Polk Building and other improvements to the raised sidewalk that serves the east side of the Square.
City officials told Mendrop that the project needs to include drainage improvements on the Square’s south side near Flint’s and Buffy’s.
“Do we want to put all that into one package and be done with it?” Mendrop asked city officials.
Mendrop’s April 19 update for city officials included projects budgeted for the 2016 fiscal year and their percentage of completion. He said that he was providing the information to help the mayor and aldermen see where money budgeted for one project but not spent could be shifted to a project with a higher priority through budget amendment.
Other projects budgeted and/or underway:
• A $300,000 project to conduct video inspections of suspected problem areas in sewer lines and work to correct the problems that is about 50 percent, the engineer said;
• Mendrop asked city officials for a list of city streets to be resurfaced during the 2016 paving season. City officials have budgeted $400,000 to be spent  through September 30 for resurfacing city streets;
• Also budgeted for expenditure in fiscal 2016 is up to $75,000 to include a walking/running/bike lane on the Pine Lodge connector Road;
• The Pine Lodge connector road itself is about 80 percent complete and awaiting the summer paving season for completion, Mendrop said. The city has budgeted $550,000 toward its completion through its cooperation with the county on the joint city/county project and/or work by a term bid contractor;
• Also remaining in the 2016 budget is $350,000 for street work around the Merit Health Batesville hospital facility; $125,000 for lighting on Eureka Street, $150,000 for fences and irrigation at Trussell Park, according to Mendrop.
• At or almost complete, in addition to the Hunter’s Trace Phases I and II, is the downtown rehabilitation project that improved landscapes, sidewalks, parking and lighting. Funds for that project included $800,000 in a Mississippi Department of Transportation grant and $350,000 matching funds from the city;
• The city has budgeted $130,000 for improvements at the Harmon Mounds site of which about 10 percent has been spent cleaning underbrush to make the Mounds more accessible and visible from the roadway. The city is awaiting a decision from Iowa Pacific Railroad on its request to build a rail crossing to improve access to the site.