Representatives of Jones County, the city of Laurel and South Central Regional Medical Center (SCRMC) met Friday morning to discuss their needs and use of property at the I-59 S-curve which will be abandoned by the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) later this year.
“It was a very positive meeting,” said Randy Meador, vice president of Neel-Schaffer Engineers and Planners, who is serving as consulting engineer and planner for the city of Laurel, and as spokesman of the group which met at the Jones County Economic Development Association (EDA) Friday. “We accomplished a lot, but did not get into specifics.”
Each of the three entities has expressed an interest in acquiring some of the property once MDOT abandons it after completing a realignment of the S-curve.
SCRMC wants a portion of the property for expansion of its services; the county wants a portion of the property possibly for a new building to house the county’s Justice Court system and the local Department of Human Services offices; and the city wants to develop a portion of the property commercially, possibly with hotels, motels and/or restaurants as an enticement to lure people off the interstate and to Laurel.
Those attending the meeting included Board of Supervisors president Andy Dial and supervisors Jerome Wyatt and Johnny Burnett; county attorney Wayne Thompson, county administrator Charles Miller; county engineer Ronnie Clark; Laurel Mayor Melvin Mack, Laurel Chief Administrative Officer Dennis Keveryn; city attorney David Ractliff; EDA executive director Mitch Stennett; and SCRMC executive director Doug Higginbotham.
Meador has been developing an economic development plan for the city of Laurel which includes several tracts of land along I-59 as a redevelopment strategy through the central business district and contiguous areas. “There is absolutely enough property to meet the needs of all three entities,” he said. Those needs are health care services offered by SCRMC, public service needs offered by the county and the economic development strategies the city has been planning since 1996.
“They’re all closely related,” Meador said. “What benefits one benefits the others. Any or all benefits the city of Laurel. It’s very obvious that working together is the key to this project’s success. Four initiatives came out of Friday’s meeting:
• To have city and county committees begin working together. That starts next week as Meador and Clark will meet to define the projects needs, including square footage of proposed facilities, parking needs, special utility requirements, etc. They will also begin working on site evaluation, focusing on the S-curve property. Another three to four sites may also be established.
• To speak as one voice, not as three separate entities.
• To visit successful project models. That will occur on Jan. 26 as representatives visit Madison and Ridgeland to talk to mayors and developers.
• To create opportunities for future prosperity after data has been collected.
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