About 15-20 trees will be cut from the middle of the Batesville Square under a plan presented by the Panola Partnership office and approved by the City Board earlier this month. 

The tree removal will make space for two 30×80 pavilions the Partnership hopes to build directly east of the train rails that run through the center of downtown.

Partnership CEO Joe Azar, with Robbie Haley, made the pitch to aldermen while requesting in-kind work from the city’s street and utility departments. City crews will get the area in subgrade shape.

Azar said his office currently has about $100,000 on hand for the Square-enhancement project, sufficient funds for the foundation and infrastructure work that will be needed. He asked aldermen to guarantee the use of city equipment and labor to clear the area, remove concrete, and prep the area.

Grants and other city-beautification funds are available for the actual construction of the planned pavilions, which will be built adjacent to the railroad tracks in a north-south direction. Construction will not require the closure of the single “zip lane” that runs across the Square from the north to south side.

“Traffic will not be changed on the Square because of this project, and we won’t be losing any parking spaces,” Azar said. “The area where the pavilions will be built is almost wasted now except during farmers markets and this will make those kinds of events much better with covered areas.”

There are no official design drawings yet, but the Partnership office said early indications are the pavilions will closely resemble the one recently built at the Batesville Mounds area.

When aldermen were approached two years ago about the possibility of removing some trees on the Square, or even cutting some back, an uproar from citizens put the discussion on a back burner. The suggestion had come from the county’s Emergency Operations Director Daniel Cole.

At that time, the city was reeling from a shooting at a SpringFest event, and in the aftermath Cole noted that police and other first responders did not have a clear line of sight across the Square.

“I think we all heard what (Cole) was saying at the time and this will also help with some of those concerns,” Azar said. Additionally, exposed tree roots and broken concrete along the sidewalk are current trip hazards.

“This will be a beautiful area that is shaded and a place where we can have community events even on rainy days,” Azar said. “We have worked hard to improve Batesville’s downtown and this is the next step to bring our Square to modern standards.”

Azar said there is no timeline for construction of the pavilions, but the project could begin this year. The cleared area and concrete pads for the building will be designed and landscaped to be free standing and suitable for public use until the project can be completed.

“We will have to identify a grant for the second phase of the project, which are actual buildings, but once the base is down it will be safer and an improvement already.”