A special called meeting of the Simpson County Board of Supervisors was held on May 12 to hear from several leaders from the Skiffer community.
The group was made up of Rev. Edgar Lee, Rev. Ralph Walker, Charles Funchess, R. D. Nelson and Patrick Flagg. They appeared before the board seeking assistance with the park in their community.
Currently it is home to two baseball fields, a basketball court, a pavillion and a walking track. The group was asking for the county’s assistance to add facilities to the park to include a community center and possibly a storm shelter where residents could gather for safety in the event of inclement weather.
The park is organized as a 501-C-3 in the name of the Skiffer Community Development Association, Inc. They are seeking additional funding through grants or other sources to make the improvements that they presented to the board. They say they are amenable to leasing the property to the county if that would improve their opportunity to receive a grant to improve activities offered in the community.
However, if the county leases the property it will then have an obligation to maintain the park and will be faced with additional liability in the event of an injury. The county does have a Park Commission but it has little staffing, and the board says that adding more duties at the current level is not an option.
Another disadvantage for the Skiffer community is that if the county were to take over the park it would no longer be community controlled as it currently is.
The group said that they had assistance from Jackson State University for the grant writing but nothing has materialized as of yet.
A visit to the park indicated that the community is maintaining the park and the grounds are in good condition.
In other business, the board heard from County Administrator Rhuel Dickinson that the federal funds the county was hoping to receive and use for road and bridge projects can only go to expenses associated with the prevention of illness.
Another issue the county could possibly face is the fact that before they could receive the federalmoney, they had to spend that amount out of their existing budget, then apply for reimbursment. They also had to provide documentation that spending the funds left a shortfall in revenue.
The board approved the purchase of additional culverts in the amount of $10,265.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors is slated for June 7.
