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Posted Apr 15, 2024, 7:14 AM
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Join Date: May 2023
Location: JXN Mississippi
Posts: 514
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City and community leaders celebrate completion of Riverside Drive project
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JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Jackson city leaders celebrated on Friday as they marked the completion of a road rehabilitation project that has been in the works for the better part of a decade.
On Friday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the Riverside Drive Rehabilitation Project.
Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay told those gathered that the project had been in the works for years and that its completion is the result of a “very intentional effort by the community, the One-Percent Sales Tax Commission, and the city to take what was a street in very ragged condition and turn it into something that is a showpiece.”
She thanked various individuals and groups for their involvement, including outgoing City Engineer Robert Lee, Hemphill Construction, and Waggoner Engineering, the two firms working on the project.
“I saw you working in all kinds of weather conditions and really suffering through some intense heat and then some horrible cold,” she said. “This has not been a project for the faint of heart and you went from many feet under the ground all the way to the surface.”
The more than $14.4 million project included rebuilding the street from the I-55 North flyover bridge to Peachtree Street in Belhaven. The project also called for replacing and rehabbing the water and sewer lines underneath the roadway and adding walking and biking paths.
“The water line was leaking. The sewer was questionable. We had oak trees drinking out of the storm drain. A total reconstruction was needed,” Lee said. “But the neighborhood was very clear, ‘We love the oak trees. We want to keep the oak trees.’”
Lee said the city worked with an arborist to save as many of the iconic oak trees lining the median as possible.
Contractors also reduced the street from four lanes to two, to help calm traffic.
“What we have is one lane in each direction that can accommodate cars and even trucks that need to come in for deliveries, and left behind the sidewalk on this side, and a bike trail on this side,” he said, pointing to each side of the roadway.
He said trails along Riverside already connect to the walking paths across the interstate. Meanwhile, plans are in the works to continue expanding the trail system to provide a walking and biking path to downtown Jackson.
“Eventually, you’ll be able to actually ride a bicycle from the University down Riverside, down the Museum Trail, past the water plant, through Belhaven to downtown.”
The project was funded using bond money, which will be paid off over time with Jackson’s one-percent infrastructure tax.
The commission approved funding the $30 million bond several years ago to fund several major road projects, including Riverside.
The project ended up being hundreds of thousands of dollars more expensive and fell hundreds of days behind after the city failed to pay contractors due to a clerical error.
Even so, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the project’s completion should be an encouragement to people across Jackson that their community’s needs will be met.
“Instead of focusing on any differences that may exist, we will demonstrate our willingness and our resolve to work together in order to accomplish [what] the community needs,” he said.
“This was a road that was in deplorable condition. And this community was in need of relief, much like many of our communities across the city,” he continued. “We hope by demonstrating... that we can accomplish this, it will leave other residents hopeful that we will tackle the challenges that they have across the city, and in fact, have done so.”
https://www.wlbt.com/2024/04/12/city...drive-project/
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More coverage of Riverside Drive project
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OFFICIALS HOPE TO HAVE LIBRARY BRANCH DOWNTOWN BY SUMMER
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The executive director of the Jackson-Hinds Library System would like to have a temporary location in downtown Jackson open in a matter of months. “I’d love to see us have a temporary location ready to go before the end of summer,” said Floyd Council, executive director of the system. The temporary location would ensure there is a library in downtown since the Eudora Welty Library on ...
https://www.northsidesun.com/local-c...&e_sort_order=
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New food hall expected to open in Hattiesburg this summer as downtown resurgence heats up
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - Currently, construction is underway at what will eventually become the first food hall in the Hub City.
Calico Station, a mixed-use development from K Moye Land Design and Development, should be finished with the first phase by mid-summer.
“It’s a historic renovation,” said owner Ken Moye. “We’ve been working on it for a little over a year now. We started back January with some initial renovations and demolition and now we are getting into the heat of the construction.”
In addition to a food hall, the development will feature co-working areas, a private event space, a cafe, a rooftop restaurant, a daiquiri lounge and an outdoor pool.
“We think we are filling the gap of a lot of opportunity and activity that is missing downtown, so we think we are going to be a great asset to work together with all the other business owners and bring something to the table that is unique to invite people to downtown as a whole,” Moye said.
The building is nearly 100 years old and first started as a meat packing plant. It later was transformed into the Calico Mall for antique enthusiasts.
“That is one of the reasons we are preserving the name Calico Station because it was the Calico Mall previously so we kept that same feel going and we want to make sure we keep the traditions of the previous owner,” Moye said.
Similar to other downtown projects, like the Komp Building Lofts, Moye’s group applied for historic tax credits to help offset some of the costs.
“Tax credits are a very important part of this project,” Moye said. “It puts the equity part to make it more feasible, so you don’t have to bring as much capital. You don’t have to as much of a loan to give this project more opportunity to take a chance on some of the different concepts that we talked about. So that aspect is very vital to this project.”
Developers worked hard to preserve the original bricks, columns and beams throughout the building.
“We want to maintain a nostalgic feel of the building and preserve all of the historic qualities,” Moye said. “Bring attention to those from the window perspective, door perspective, our floors are going to be preserved to bring back the original wood floors in certain areas.”
Food hall concepts can be found in larger cities like New Orleans, Birmingham and Atlanta.
The idea is to allow restaurant owners a chance to work on a business concept without the overhead cost of a facility.
The Calico Station will feature a total of four vendors with a shared kitchen, cold storage and dry storage.
Once complete, the building is expected to feature a cafe with coffee, sandwiches and other light food items that differ from vendor options.
A co-working space, or business incubator, will be in the basement of the building.
Moye also plans to offer a multi-floor event space to rent for special occasions like baby showers, office parties or other activities.
An elevator and a staircase will bring customers to the rooftop for access to an anchor restaurant and daiquiri bar.
Right now, Moye said Monica’s Caribbean Restaurant, which was previously located on U.S. 98, is set to be the rooftop restaurant.
“The daiquiri component is on the other side of the restaurant on the rooftop,” said Moye.
Finally, outside of the building, developers are working to add an outdoor pool and cabanas.
“One of our main components is an outdoor seating area that will be converted to a pool,” Moye said. “A pool amenity. So we will have a public pool. Membership only, people can get access to and have a cool environment in the downtown.”
Crews hope to be done with the first phase of construction in June with some operations ready in July.
“it couldn’t be done without a great team and a great working relationship with the guys that’s been on the Calico development team and the K Moye Land and Development team, and also our construction team so just want to give them a shout-out for all the great work they’ve done,” Moye said.
Moye said they are still looking for entrepreneurs to lease and join the team.
The property management team can be reached at 601-336-0564 or calico-station.com.
As other buildings downtown are acquired and developed, Moye knows there are no ceilings for Hattiesburg.
“There’s a lot of different projects going on from residential to commercial, restaurants, retail shops, so we think we are right on time for the growth and the potential of downtown Hattiesburg,” Moye said.
https://www.wdam.com/2024/04/10/new-...ence-heats-up/
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Farm Systems, Inc. begins construction on new building
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LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) - After a long journey to recovery due to a fire, a poultry store in Jones County is in the process of rebuilding its warehouse for customers.
Farm Systems, Inc. has been operating out of a small warehouse building since the fire that happened late last year, but now they are working on a new place to call home.
“Seeing this getting torn down from the fire was just a hard thing to watch,” said Anna Harrison, store manager.
The fire back in October was a major loss, causing them to completely tear down to rebuild.
“It made for a tough night and lots of tough hard days trying to clean up and dig out of the ashes and get ready to start back,” said Brian Phillips, general manager.
Managers said there was no definite cause of the fire.
Construction on the new building started just four days ago and workers have already made progress with the frame of the 27,000-square-foot building already standing.
The store is well-stocked with everything poultry producers might need for chicken houses.
The inventory in the warehouse building will be filled up back in the original building with even more items for purchase.
“What we’re working on now is getting fully functional back with what we call a one-stop shop store where we do sporting goods, poultry, hunting accessories, guns, ammo and clothing,” Harrison said.
Managers say they have been struggling getting customers to notice the open sign, but want them to know they are still here for their needs.
“We’ve added some signs by the road just to let everybody know that we’re here. been a little bit quieter, but we still try to keep on so we won’t lose any business,” Harrison said.
The store plans to open the new building at the beginning of August.
https://www.wdam.com/2024/04/09/farm...-new-building/
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Meridian City Hall undergoing repairs
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MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - The city hall building in Meridian is currently undergoing repairs.
Crews started repairing the roof and other exterior issues with the building a couple of months ago.
Ward One City Councilman Dr. George Thomas gives us an update on the project.
“At the present time, we’re doing a lot of repairs to City Hall. People have noticed the lifts and types of things there. We had some leaks we had to repair, some of the trim around the top of that building, and all that was individually made pieces. So it’s taking some time for the pieces we have to repair there, doing some repair to the roof, doing some repair to the drain system around City Hall. It’s a big project that needs to be done to maintain the building,” said Dr. Thomas.
Dr. Thomas hopes the repairs will be finished by the end of the summer but could take until the end of the year to complete.
https://www.wtok.com/2024/04/10/meri...going-repairs/
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Mushrooming construction costs delay Eola project
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NATCHEZ—Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said that while he still thinks a renovated Eola Hotel will reopen in Natchez, he shares the community’s frustration that the project has taken so long. “It should come as no surprise to anyone that getting the Eola done has not only been a top priority but also one of my top frustrations during the entire time I’ve been mayor thus far,” Gibson said. The development team, which consists of Randy Roth of Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based, Endeavour Corp. and Eola Hotel owner Robert Lubin, remains committed to the project, Gibson said.
“Over the last two weeks, two major investors have finally come forward with major financial commitments. I can’t give details or amounts yet, due to requests made by the development team,” Gibson said. “While this is good news, I can’t hide the fact that I’m still frustrated. We are about to begin our second term and I truly hoped we would be in construction this year.” Estimated construction costs for the Eola project have mushroomed to more than $30 million since the project was announced in August 2021. Parking garage back in the works
The city accepted the donation of the Fry Building at the corner of South Pearl and Franklin Street next door to the Eola, which was originally planned to be demolished, and a parking garage in its place as part of the Eola project. However, because of soaring estimates of Eola construction costs, Gibson said, the parking garage project was scrapped and the Tax Increment Financing funds that were aimed at helping finance the parking garage were redirected into the hotel project. “So many great things have been happening downtown and we are now faced with a real parking dilemma,” the mayor said. “Over the last month, we have had several meetings with the Eola development team. And over the past 10 days, we have also met with their architect and engineers and our bond attorneys and we have told them all the same thing. They have to get the cost of the project down because we have to build a parking garage and we have to go back to our original strategy that we had in 2021 when the Fry Building was donated to the city. We need parking now more than ever and it is very important that they now develop a strategy that can renovate the Eola while allowing us to construct a parking garage with the TIF bond funds. We may be able to have a strategy that allows some of the TIF funding to go to the project, but definitely not the $4 million they requested.” The city is working now with consultants on what will soon be phase one of an environmental abatement of the Fry Building, which will lead to a phase two demolition of the building, Gibson said.
“Over the past year, while we have been working with the Eola team and having so many meetings, we have had something else happening. Loss Prevention, located on Franklin Street across from the Fry Building, is growing at such a pace that they have embarked upon phase two of their growth plan. They have maxed out at over 220 jobs and they now are working on a plan that will add another 100 jobs over the next year and a half,” Gibson said. “In addition to that, we have had other projects taking place downtown. Some have been completed, some are about to begin and we are also about to renovate our convention center, civic center and our city auditorium. If ever we have had parking problems, we have them now. While that’s a sign of growth and some say good problems to have, it’s still a problem.” Taxpayer funding In February 2023, the Board of Aldermen took the beginning steps in the process to create TIF funding of about $4 million for use with the hotel project. Those funds will come from a Mississippi Development Authority tourism rebate program, which Gibson called a souped-up TIF program. “For projects that have a tourism component, it allows more of the sales tax dollars to go to the retirement of the debt than a traditional TIF allows,” he said. Some have criticized the use of taxpayer funding for the Eola project. “TIF funds were used to build the Holiday Inn and the Grand Hotel. We are so grateful to have the wisest counsel available to us about how to properly leverage these bonds to avoid risk on the city’s part and I can assure anyone who is concerned that this city and this administration will not consider any deal that would put our taxpayers at risk or put our bond rating at risk,” Gibson said. Construction on the Eola in 2025? Gibson said 100 percent of the pre-development budget for the Eola project has been funded by the development team, including owner Robert Lubin and Randy Roth of Endeavour. “That does not include the two large commitments to the project made recently. Having the pre-development budget fully funded has allowed the team to embark on the architectural design with architect Dale Partners Architects of Jackson and has allowed them to geo-map the entire property, which is now complete. The architects are now fully engaged in drawing the plans with support from the interior design firm, Feltus Hawkins Design, and the construction firm Anderson Corp., located on the coast, who will be the contractor on the project,” he said. However, the project is not as yet fully funded. “We are still a ways away. The capital stack that is being considered now includes traditional financing. Still, the larger portion involves selling historic tax credits, new market tax credits, and attracting new investors and other financing scenarios. “Based on the progress that has been made over the past two months, they are feeling very good about a construction date in 2025. I know the first thing people will say is, ‘Well, we had a banner that said 2023, and it’s down and we are in 2024 and you are saying 2025 now?’ My answer is this. We have worked as hard as we can. If anyone has a better idea or way to fund this project that we haven’t considered, we are all ears,” Gibson said. For now, making repairs and cleaning up This week, contractors removed sheets of stucco that were at risk of falling off the Eola building. “We actually gave the development team an ultimatum. We told them it was a liability to them and to our city and that it had to be remediated and remediated soon,” Gibson said. “We are so grateful they are taking care of it. “I also want to give them a really good shoutout because on one of the tours of the hotel last week I saw they have really cleaned up the inside and outside. As someone who had seen the hotel three years ago, I could not believe the difference. Over the past few months, as part of the pre-development budget, they have spent thousands getting the Eola in satisfactory condition,” he said. Gibson said his inspiration for making the Eola project a reality comes from Gary Rhoads, mayor of Flowood. “He single handedly took charge of the development of a new hotel in Flowood called the Sheraton. He told me if I sit back and wait for everybody else to do it, it’s not going to get done. As mayor, you’ve got to wear them out,” he said. “I am very likely saying more than a typical development team would want, but it is my opinion and that of our aldermen that the people of Natchez have a right to know. We have people downtown who have invested thousands and thousands of dollars only to have a seven-story vacant building towering over them and all have a right to know when it is going to get done.”
https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2024...-eola-project/
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