Commission lowers speed limit further on 42

HAMILTON — The Marion County Commission lowered the speed limit on County Highway 42 once again down to 25 miles per hour during its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
The commission had lowered the speed limit during the previous meeting to 35 miles per hour, but decided to lower it once again for added safety for the athletic facilities there which have parking on both sides of the road.
In other business, two part-time workers were hired to work on potholes in District 2.
Dylan Bailey was hired by Marion County Solid Waste starting at $15.75 an hour, with a bump up to $16.75 after a six-month probationary period. That pay is based on his previous experience with that department.
The commission approved the rental of equipment from Thompson Machinery in Tupelo, Miss., to do groundwork around the runway at the Marion County-Rankin Fite Airport for a rate of $5,000 per month.
The commission also agreed to start taking bids for renovations to an airport hangar facility.
“It’s our oldest hangar there,” explained County Engineer Chris Willbanks. “We have tenants in it currently. We’re looking to increase rent, and if we do that we want to make improvements to the hangar so we can justify the increase.”
Willbanks said the hangar’s location could prove problematic for future projects, but the investment would pay off in the meantime.
“There were questions about it potentially interfering with offsets from the runway,” he said. “Currently, the way our runway and taxiways sit, it’s not in any kind of conflict. In the future, we’re looking at potentially doing a parallel taxiway on the southern end.
“If we move forward with that project, then it would be in the way. But the way our plan’s going, we have several other things in front of that. It’s probably 7-10 years down the road.
“If we go ahead and make the improvements now, I think the increased rent will justify what we need to do. It’ll be worth our increased investment into it to get the increased rent for the next 7-10 years. Then if we need to re-visit where the hangar is located to do future projects, then we can look at it then.”
At the beginning of the meeting, SNAP-Ed coordinator Ginger Eatman updated the commission on upcoming county Extension office events like the Outdoor and Garden Expo on Saturday, March 8, which will feature several activities and workshops, such as a 5k, a turkey calling competition and more.
The commission entered into executive session to discuss good name and character before adjourning at the end of the meeting.