Cleaning up and improving in Lowndes County

Columbus rebuilds after storms, while businesses and parks expand

In Columbus, much of the focus has been on recovery from the Feb. 23 tornado. With debris removal complete, the city expects to move forward on a number of projects, some storm-related and others already on the books or in progress.

Looks Great Services has collected more than 3,000 tons of debris within city since the storm, which not only caused millions of dollars worth of damage to public property but also damaged more than 300 homes and businesses.

Recovery work continues. Columbus is working with Community Recovery of Lowndes County as they provide assistance to more than 100 storm-affected cases. Columbus also has provided the East Columbus Gym for federal and state emergency management agencies to accept applications for individual assistance for storm damage.

Sim Scott Park and the old Hunt High School

Some of the most high-profile damage the tornado levied was at Sim Scott Park and the former Hunt High School, which sit across 20th Street North from each other.

The EF-3 storm destroyed both the senior citizen and community center buildings at Sim Scott Park, but the city has already begun work replacing those centers with a 9,000 square-foot facility that will house both. The site for the new building at Sim Scott has been prepared for the foundation to be poured, while the city expects to soon receive artist renderings and start advertising for bids for the project. All but $17,500 of the $900,000 project will be covered by insurance, FEMA and MEMA funding. City officials hope the building will be open by the spring.

The old Hunt High — which Columbus Municipal School District was using for its Success Academy and some after-school programs — lost large portions of its roof in the storm. CMSD’s programs, along with some artifacts from the R.E. Hunt Museum and Cultural Center that had been housed there, have been moved temporarily to Union Academy while the arduous task of restoring Hunt takes shape. Shortly after the storm, Hunt was deemed a state landmark by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which will guide how it can be restored.

The project is estimated to extend beyond 2020.

Terry Brown Amphitheater

Several thousand pounds of silt were washed onto the Riverwalk during winter and early spring flooding. Work has already been done to remove much of the silt. FEMA has given the city permission to remove the remaining silt and that work will begin soon.

The flood also compromised the electrical components at the amphitheater. FEMA and MEMA funds will cover 87.5 percent of the estimated $150,000 in repairs and the city is collecting bids on that project. City Engineer Kevin Stafford said another $600,000 will be used to make the venue suitable for free concerts as early as the spring.

Business developments

On the retail front, Leigh Mall in Columbus will likely have a new owner by the time this magazine publishes.

Owners Colony Financial, which took the mall after previous owner Security National Properties defaulted on a loan in 2018, offered the property in a online private auction in October. Leigh Mall, which opened in 1972, occupies 30 acres of prime property along Highway 45, the heart of the city’s retail market. Occupancy at the mall had fallen to 57 percent by August, but key businesses such as Hobby Lobby and Planet Fitness still have a solid client base.

Construction on Bank of Vernon’s Bluecutt Road branch is nearing completion.

“We’re hopeful to be in by the end of the year,” said co-CEO and CFO Andy Johnson.

Johnson’s office will move from Vernon to the new Columbus building while co-CEO Joy Spencer’s office will remain in Vernon.

Most of the county’s larger employers have experienced growth in production or employees over the past nine months. Since January, there has been approximately $280 million in investment and 200 jobs created in Lowndes County.

Construction on Steel Dynamics’ most recent $250 million expansion in the industrial park off Highway 82 west of Columbus is well underway and on schedule to finish in 2020. This project will create a minimum of 40 new jobs.

Mississippi Steel Processing has completed Phase 1 of a $20 million expansion expected to create 40 jobs. Phase 2 planning is underway.

Parks and Recreation

One major parks project is getting closer to completion in Lowndes County, while another is ramping up.

A county horse park on Tom Rose Road is already hosting 4-H livestock shows and other smaller events. But the county plans to invest $200,000 more for the fencing, parking lots, road paving and drainage still needed to host larger rodeo events there.

Board of supervisors president Harry Sanders said the county has fielded interest from East Mississippi Community College’s rodeo team, as well as a private rodeo group in Clay County, both of which might hold competitions at the horse park once it’s finished by next summer.

Meanwhile, county officials estimate another three years before a planned sports complex off Highway 82 west of Columbus is up and running.

Engineering, design and preliminary site work could begin for the estimated $4 million project in January, with phases to build fields, lighting, parking and concession stands to follow.

The current plan includes 14 fields encompassing baseball, softball and T-ball.

In Columbus, playground equipment has been ordered for East Columbus Gym and Hank Aaron Park. The picnic tables and other damaged equipment at Sim Scott also has been ordered. Repairs to the Splash Pad at Sim Scott, also damaged by the tornado, are underway and new equipment is being studied for Lee Park. An indoor volleyball court will soon be installed at East Columbus Gym.

The floors have been refinished at the Sandfield Community Center and are ready to use. Bids are also being received for a new outdoor pavilion at the East Columbus Gym, as well as an outdoor pavilion with restrooms at the Townsend Community Center.

Highway 82 interchanges

Work on the exits off Highway 82 at 18th Avenue and Military Road are proceeding on schedule. The $5 million MDOT improvements are under contract to be completed in May. The 18th Avenue interchanges are roughly 75 percent complete, with the primary remaining involving striping and traffic control installations. The smaller Military Road interchange is roughly 25 percent completed, but is also expected to be completed on time.

Story by Slim Smith and Zack Plair

Photos by Jennifer Mosbrucker