Carroll County will soon have a new recreational trail thanks to a grant from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks.
Chris Pope with North Central Planning and Development District informed the Carroll County Board of Supervisors Monday that the county was awarded $98,509 from the state to construct a recreational trail at the Carroll County Recreation Park in North Carrollton. The grant requires a 20 percent match of $26,768, which can be a cash match or an inkind match.
According to Pope, the trail will be a 2,400 linear foot by eight feet wide asphalt trail that will wind around the current ballfields in a figure eight pattern. Cast iron benches will also be placed around the track.
In addition to the track, the grant will fund 35 identifying nature markers at the Beasley Creek Nature Trail adjacent to the Carroll County Rec Park. Pope said with the nature markers, the nature trail will become an Arboretum, a collection of trees, which will be education to visitors and as an outdoor classroom for local students.
“[Carrollton] Mayor Pam Lee said the markers will elevate the status of that trail and make it more visible in statewide publications,” Pope told the board.
In other county grant news, the Carroll County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution to move forward with the county’s application for the Homeowner Rehabilitation Program.
“It does include new construction as well as rehabilitation,” Pope said. “For homes that are rehabilitated, we must bring them up to code.”
In other board of supervisor news:
• Taylor Rachelle Everett, a recent graduate of J.Z. George High School, and Stephanie Brooke Bowman, a recent graduate of Carroll Academy, were awarded scholarships through the Mississippi Association of Supervisors.
• Trey Vance with Lightedison spoke to the board about converting all the light fixtures in several county buildings from conventional lighting to energy efficient LED lighting. The board asked Vance to present a quote to convert the lights in the Carrollton Courthouse, the Vaiden Courthouse, the Vaiden Public Library, the Carrollton/North Carrollton Public Library, the Vaiden Health Clinic, and the Department of Human Services building.
The county is looking into grant funds to pay 75 percent of the cost to convert, and Vance said energy savings will repay the county’s 25 percent investment.
• Ben Shute, Thomas Johnson, and Paul Henderson with Veterans Helping Veterans asked the board to consider hiring Johnny Marlow as the county’s new veteran service officer. The board agreed and voted to hire Marlow for the position. However, Marlow, who currently serves as a full-time Carroll County Deputy, will have to resign his post at the sheriff’s department to take the position.
According to Shute, Johnson, and Henderson, Veterans Helping Veterans have helped 170 Carroll County veterans, with 130 now receiving benefits or increased benefits.
• Shute, Johnson, and Henderson also asked the county to look into a sewer problem at the new Veterans Helping Veterans headquarters in Carrollton. Supervisor Dill Tucker told the group he would visit the office and check into the problem.
• The next meeting of the Carroll County Board of Supervisors will be on July 2 at the Carrollton Courthouse.
