LAWRENCE CO. – The Lawrence County Redevelopment Commission met Thursday morning, approving amendments to the 2022 plan for the Lehigh TIF District in Marion Township.
At the start of the meeting, a public hearing was held to allow members of the community to comment on the changes, which would see Lawrence County provide funds for the Virgil I. Grissom Memorial Airport, as well as repairs of Meridian Road in Mitchell.
Funds would be paid using money generated from the sale of Dunn Memorial Hospital, to later be reimbursed using revenue generated by the Lehigh TIF District.
The funds allocated to the airport, $184,075, would make up a 5% grant match needed for them to pursue a grant from the Federal Administration Association. Airport manager Jeff Lyton was present at the meeting to speak in favor of the amendment.
“It’s important that we have a state of the art airport to grow commerce and attract businesses to the county,” he said.
Mayor of Mitchell Nathan Jenkins was also present at the event, speaking in support of the county aiding efforts to repair Meridian Road, saying construction efforts at the nearby Lehigh plant have left the road in rough shape.
“As an official of the city of Mitchell, I really appreciate you guys looking into this. That street needs paved, bad. I mean, the construction trucks and everything have just really worn it out,” Jenkins said.
Part of the repair efforts in the area could also include the Meridian Road bridge, which Jenkins said is crucial for the city. If not addressed, he said a weight limit for passing vehicles could be needed.
“The bridge is an important structure. We need to make sure it’s safe or we’re going to have to put a weight limit on it. And here again, that is a route that is used by some of the Lehigh traffic, so even after construction is done, some of the trucks will be using this,” he said.
Commission member Wally Branham said that, while he’s not opposed to instituting a weight limit for the bridge, it could create travel issues.
“I’m not opposed to putting the weight limit on the bridge, just to keep the traffic off of it. But, that’s really not fair to the people that are south of the railroad to (US) 60. They still have other industry besides Lehigh, so we have to protect that and you cannot get there any other way,” said Branham.
Though no amount is specified for the road repair currently, the amendment states the amount is not to exceed $400,000.
No members of the public spoke against the changes during the public hearing. Later in the meeting, the commission voted to proceed forward with the amendments to the previous plans.
