Supervisors seek federal money for local projects
By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
March 5, 2004
Three Lauderdale County supervisors and several other officials were in Washington this week seeking to bring federal dollars back to the local economy.
District 1 Supervisor Eddie Harper, District 4 Supervisor Joe Norwood, and District 2 Supervisor Jimmie Smith, attended the National Association of County Officials legislative conference.
On Thursday, Harper called meetings with U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, and U.S. Senators Trent Lott and Thad Cochran, productive.
Harper said the supervisors, along with Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith, and Wade Jones, president of the East Mississippi Business Development Corp., thanked the federal elected officials for their help in securing federal grants for water and sewer to the I-20/59 industrial park and to build an interstate interchange to serve the industrial park.
Harper said the group also sought continued support for development of the interchange proposed to be built at Hawkins Crossing in Meridian, for which Congress has appropriated $6 million.
He said the proposed interchange will not only benefit the I-20/59 industrial park, but also will give the existing Central Industrial Park better access to the interstate without having to use the interchange at Bonita Lakes Mall.
Harper acknowledged past public criticism that supervisors travel excessively and unnecessarily, but he said meeting with officials in Washington was important because getting their support is a competitive process.
Harper said Pickering, Cochran and Lott were excited about the prospects of economic development in Lauderdale County and he said they were impressed with the show of support and unity between the county and city.
Norwood, who is on vacation until Monday, also said in a telephone interview Thursday that the conference, which ended Tuesday, was productive. He said supervisors also sought grant funding for Housing Authority and Multi-County Community Service Agency projects. He said Supervisor Smith was still in Washington on Thursday attending legislative committee meetings dealing with funding for community service agencies.
