Meridian City Council members listened Tuesday as city officials unveiled a multi-million dollar paving plan to address dilapidated roads throughout the city.
Public Works Assistant Director Mike Van Zandt said the mayor had instructed him to draw up the plan with $1.5 million in paving for each of the city’s five wards and an additional $5 million set aside to pave heavily traveled corridors used to get around town. The resulting plan, which had a total cost of #12.5 million, was the largest paving initiative the city had seen in almost two decades, he said.
“This summer it will be 19 years since a paving plan at this magnitude has been done in the city,” he said.
Unfortunately, Van Zandt said, that last paving initiative 19 years ago, was also the last time some of the roads had been paved. Poplar Springs, he said, was one such road. It had been paved last in 2004, and while it wasn’t in terrible condition, it was beginning to show its age.
Van Zandt said he designed the plan using input from the city’s paving index, as well as information about recent paving in the past few years. The goal, he said, was to connect newly paved roads that drivers could use to get around.
“What we’re trying to do is create a network of good streets,” he said.
With each ward, Van Zandt asked council members to review the list of roads and suggest changes if they knew of roads in more dire need of attention.
Council member George Thomas said some of the roads listed for his ward were small residential streets while some high-traffic streets were not on the list.
“Some of this is good, but I’m not sure we took into consideration how much traffic these roads receive,” he said.
Thomas said high traffic areas wear much faster than the small residential streets, and that should be factored into the roads selected for the paving plan.
City administration has been pushing for the city council to pass a $15 million bond issue to pay for paving and an additional $5 million bond to pay for repairs and maintenance at city parks. The resolutions needed to begin the bond process were removed from the city’s Dec. 6 meeting agenda, with council member Dwayne Davis citing a lack of a plan for the funds as the reason.
On Tuesday, Davis again brought up the projected $1.8 million in unallocated internet use tax funds, which the city planned to use to pay debt service on the $15 million bond. With each ward getting $1.5 million in the city’s plan, why not just use the use tax dollars and forego the bond process, he said.
“Why not use this money that we’re getting and don’t have to pay back,” he said.
Public Works Director David Hodge said spending $1.8 million on paving each year would not be enough to keep up with necessary repairs. Under the paving index, which the council received in 2021, the city would need to spend roughly $6.5 million each year to maintain its current road conditions.
Thomas, who has served on the city council for more than 30 years, said one of the problems is that the city has never dedicated money in the budget for paving. Fixing Meridian’s roads, he said, will require the council prioritizing paving during the budget process.
“We need to fix the base,” he said. “Where is the base going to come from when we’re paying off the bond with the money for the base.”
Revitalizing Meridian Parks
In addition to paving roads, fresh asphalt is needed for parking areas at multiple parks throughout the city.
Parks and Recreation Director Thomas Adams said Meridian’s parks had not been kept up as they should have been, and work was needed to get them back into shape.
“We need to get our facilities back into shape,” he said.
The scope of work needed to revitalize the city’s parks, and associated costs, Adams said, were more than his department alone could handle.
“These types of projects, we can’t accomplish these in a regular budget year,” he said.
Meridian’s parks have a lot to offer in the way of recreational opportunities, Adams said. From the State Games of Mississippi to Meridian High School, the city’s parks are used year round for a multitude of events.
Thomas said one of the things that was discussed for Q.V. Sykes when it was built was the ability to draw outside athletic events from surrounding communities and smaller colleges. The facilities are there, he said, but the city has work to do to make the park attractive again.
Thomas also said Phil Hardin park, which Adams said had the worst parking lot, not only needed repaving but also an expansion of parking. With local teams using Phil Hardin for tournaments, he said finding a place to park can be a challenge.
In addition to paving, Adams said some of the other projects needed included installing turf infields on ball diamonds, repairs to playgrounds, fence repairs, demolition of several dilapidated press boxes and more. The list, he said, is extensive, but paving is the first priority.
Meridian’s parks could be even more successful in drawing outside tournaments and competitions, Adams said, if the city were willing to put the time, effort and funds into maintaining them and providing a clean, inviting venue.
After reviewing the plans for both paving and parks, the city council can decide whether or not to revisit the bond issue in a future meeting.