Tuesday March 27,
2012
50 cents
Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 74
Mostly Sunny Today
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• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 Section
City seeks special election for revenues Mayor’s proposal calls for 10 mill ad valorem tax increase to fund infrastructure improvements BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Corinth leaders believe the city needs much work to prepare for the future, and they may ask residents to vote on whether they want to help pay the way. Mayor Tommy Irwin said a resolution will come before the Board of Aldermen around June or July to set a special election on a 10 mill ad valorem tax increase that would go for specific city improvements.
The tax would be in place for a five-year period and could be renewed beyond that point by another election. Irwin believes the city needs a renewed focus on infrastructure. “We have got major work to do in this community,” he said. “I believe, without question, that if we do not start working on improving our community, our young people will not come back.” An estimated 80 percent of
the money would likely go toward street paving. “When you get out of our downtown area, there are streets that have not had any paving on them in a long, long time,” said Irwin. The mayor expects the tax revenue would also go toward improving the look of the corridors into the city, bridge improvements, other street improvements and some signage. Ten mills is the maximum the city can seek.
It is estimated that would generate about $870,000 in a year and about $4.35 million over five years. City Clerk Vickie Roach said the tax cost for the owner of a $100,000 home with homestead exemption would be an additional $100 per year. If citizens vote “no” in the election, “We’ll continue on doing the best we can with what we have,” said Irwin. With limited funding, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen faces the difficult task of balancing forward-thinking projects with immediate needs, such as cleaning up the creeks in order to prevent further flooding dev-
astation and undertaking a $20 million upgrade of the sewer treatment plant. The city operates on property tax revenue, sales tax revenue, and fines and fees. “The money that we bring into the city is basically enough to do an adequate job, and that would probably have a question mark,” the mayor said. He outlined numerous projects already in progress or in the works. The city will continue working on cleanup of the three major creeks, getting them to a point where they can be mainPlease see REVENUE | 2
Corinth motels fill up for weekend of reenactments BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Jebb Johnston
The former Los Amigos Mexican restaurant building on U.S. Highway 72 will soon open as America’s Car-Mart.
Defunct buildings make way for new business on US 72 BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Two defunct restaurant buildings on U.S. Highway 72 are making way for a used car lot chain. Corinth recently issued a remodeling permit for America’s Car-Mart to revamp the former Los Amigos restaurant building at 2402 Highway 72 East for use as a sales office. The small neighboring building, long vacant after serving as a Bumpers Drive-In, was demolished.
A Car-Mart employee said work is moving quickly and the business will likely open its Corinth location in April. A Tupelo location is set to open this weekend. The project also includes some paving, said Dave Huwe, director of community development and planning. Based in Bentonville, Ark., CarMart operates 112 dealerships in nine states. Most of its customers receive financing through the business, which also accepts trades of items such as electronics
and appliances. Car-Mart began in 1981 in Rogers, Ark. It focuses on small cities with locations in Tennessee, Alabama and other states in the south-central U.S. The Corinth location will be Car-Mart’s third in Mississippi. The remodeling permit is for a $145,000 project. In the 1980s, the restaurant building was home to Pizza Inn and Pancho’s Mexican restaurant. In later years, Los Amigos and other Mexican restaurants did business there.
It’s Blue versus Gray. Not only on the battlefield, but also when it comes to finding a place to stay in Corinth. Most hotels in the Crossroads area are booked for the weekend as reenactors begin descending on the area for the 150th Battle of Shiloh Reenactment. “We are totally booked through Saturday,” said Barbara Wilbanks with the Holiday Inn Express. “There are just a few rooms for Sunday when most will begin to go home following the Battle of Shiloh activities.” The Hampton Inn — normally completely booked Monday through Wednesday — has a big group coming from Indiana today that will keep the hotel at capacity through Sunday, according to an employee. The 46 rooms of the Econo Lodge are booked for FridaySunday. Angie McGaha with the Quality Inn says the hotel has five rooms available for Fri-
day night and only four of its 97 rooms open for Saturday. “We are pretty much booked with just a few rooms available,” said McGaha. Battle activities get under way Wednesday night as a group of Confederate reenactors will set up camp on the grounds of the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. Camps will be open to the public from 6-8 p.m. The public can have breakfast with the soldiers the following morning at 7 a.m. as they begin their march to Shiloh. There is no charge to view the event, but the breakfast cost is $5 per person or free for children under 16 and $3 for people over 50. There are two Civil War reenactments being staged Friday through Sunday near Shiloh National Military Park to commemorate the battle’s 150th anniversary. The reenactments groups are Armies of the Tennessee and Blue Gray Alliance. Details of the reenactments and other events at Shiloh park the weekend of April 6-8 will be published inside a Daily Corinthian special section on Friday.
Eagle Scout project brings trees to Lighthouse Foundation grounds BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com
A local Boy Scout is soaring toward scouting’s highest rank by getting his hands dirty with a down to earth service project. Scout Mitch Mitchell spent a recent Saturday working with volunteers to plant fruit trees on the grounds of the Lighthouse Foundation. The planting effort is Mitchell’s Eagle Scout project, a key step along the way toward attaining the rank of Eagle Scout — the highest rank a scout can attain. Mitchell said he was inspired to focus on the Lighthouse Foundation for the project after visiting the foundation during an earlier community service project with the scouts. When the time came to plan his Eagle Scout service project, he went to Scoutmaster Keith Windham who suggested the planting project and he felt it would be a good fit for him. Obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout, a rank reached by only 2 percent of all those involved in scouting, requires the scout to earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, demonstrate character through service and leadership
embodying the scouting ideals and laws and, finally, to lead, organize and carry out a community service project. Mitchell, who has been involved in scouting since the age of six, worked with a variety of individuals and groups throughout the community to pull the project together. Woodmen of the World donated the trees for the effort while Keep Corinth Beautiful provided expertise and assistance and Alcorn County Master Gardener helped with horticulture advice to ensure the trees are planted and maintained properly. Mitchell’s mother, Rhonda Mitchell, said they’ve been so blessed by all those who have volunteered time and effort to make the project successful and want to thank everyone who has taken part. On the morning of the planting, Mitch Mitchell gathered with several volunteers and other scouts to lay out the plans for the project including a lesson on how the plants grow and how they have to be cared for. They then headed outside to
Staff photo by Brant Sappington
Please see SCOUT | 2
Boy Scout Mitch Mitchell (right) and his father, James Mitchell, unload material for his Eagle Scout community service project planting fruit trees at the Lighthouse Foundation.
Index Stocks........7 Classified......14 Comics...... 11 Wisdom...... 10
Weather........5 Obituaries........ 3 Opinion........4 Sports........8
On this day in history 150 years ago March 27 — President Davis writes to Gen. A.S. Johnston, “My confidence in you has never wavered and I hope the public will soon give me credit for [my] judgment…it would be worse than useless to point out how much depends upon you.”