Officials from the Town of Sumrall are looking forward to continuing several improvement projects throughout the town in the new year, including the addition of streetlights, upgrades to the Sumrall Sports Complex and Rocky Branch Park, and parking improvements in downtown near Sumrall Town Hall.
Mayor Joel Lofton said he and members of the Sumrall Board of Aldermen are excited to be able to physically show progress in those areas, especially after all the work that has been put into those projects over the last several months.
“We’re very excited that we’re now able to show something to get to the point where you can get a shovel in the dirt – there’s an awful lot of work that goes on that folks never see,” he said. “It’s exciting that, even though for quite some time it’s appeared that we’ve been (not making progress), now that work will come to light.
“Those things are governed by regulatory bodies and funding issues, and all of that is beyond our control. But all of that is a good bit of work to get it through those processes, and now with all that behind us, we’re actually going to see what we’ve talked about for so long. So we’re very excited about it.”
The ongoing projects include the following:
SUMRALL SPORTS COMPLEX
Over the past week, officials oversaw the initiation of work on the structural steel components of the sports complex, which is located off of Mississippi 42. In addition, preparation has begun on the foundation for the light poles that will be installed at each of the site’s eight tennis courts.
The installation of the structural steel and the lighting is expected to be completed by the end of this month, regardless of the inclement weather expected in the area this week.
“We’ve had the Highway 42 complex going (for some time), so it’s very exciting to go out each week and see the changes,” Lofton said. “It’s things that are tangible – you can pull up and you can see something this week that wasn’t here last week, and we’re going to start to see that all over town now.
“So we’re extremely excited about it.”
In summer of last year, Sumrall aldermen awarded the bid for Phase II of the Sumrall Sport Complex improvements plan and voted to approve the $2.5 million project to MithCo Construction of Hattiesburg.
Phase II of the project will include eight tennis courts, along with a facility that will offer locker rooms, concession stands, public restrooms, viewing areas and storage. It also will include an additional soccer field, along with more parking, to the site off Mississippi 42.
Plans for Phase II began in 2021 for the site, which had seen extensive work over the previous months. As part of that, town officials received $600,000 from the Mississippi House of Representatives, which was secured with the help of District 101 Representative Kent McCarty and District 41 Senator Joey Fillingane.
Previously, Fillingane helped secure funding for work at the sports complex under two initiatives: $500,000 through the BP Settlement Bill and $2 million from Senate Bill 3065.
ROCKY BRANCH PARK
The Town of Sumrall’s Public Works Department, with the assistance of officials from Lamar County, recently was able to line a portion of the stream bank traversing Rocky Branch Park to minimize the erosion that has plagued the area for several years. Additionally, the tennis court and basketball court resurfacing jobs have been completed.
Officials expect the park’s basketball goals to arrive in the very near future, and will install those as soon as they are delivered.
STREET LIGHTS
The Sumrall Board of Aldermen recently approved the addition of several new street lights in areas such as Magnolia Station and The Oaks neighborhood. Mississippi Power has been authorized to complete that work in those areas.
“The timeline for that is rather difficult to say at the moment,” Lofton said. “We’ve accepted the bid for that, and (the Mississippi Department of Transportation) has indicated to us that they’ve approved of it, but they will kind of kick that off, so we’re waiting on that.
“Hopefully, we’ll have that (answer) this week, and this kind of works hand-in-hand with the sidewalk project. Rocky Branch Park had (minimal) lighting, but now with an expanded trail and expanded facilities there, the lighting will provide an increased level of safety for that park.”
DOWNTOWN PARKING
Survey crews recently arrived in town to stake the downtown area for addition parking spots to accommodate additional motorists. Culverts, drainage structures and utilities will be addressed over the next week, which will be followed by expansion of parking areas, addition of clay gravel, grading and parking that follows the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Officials expect to complete that project as soon as possible in order to minimize negative impacts on business and traffic.
