Jackson Free Press

Some Jackson leaders and developers don't want the new home for the Mississippi Department of Revenue at the corner of Lakeland Drive and Ridgewood Road.

"There are a number of downtown sites that could be retrofitted and leased, as well as other sites such as the Metrocenter, that I think would allow the tax commission to relocate to nicer, more cost effective places (that) would be better for the metro," Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell said.

Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, sponsored a $3 million bond bill this session to fund a study looking at potential new sites for the department..Kirby says it needs to relocate from its present facility on Springridge Road near Clinton. He said that facility suffered a dangerous gas leak and also costs the state $900,000 a year to lease.

Whitwell said the $3 million bond bill is a reduction from an original $50 million bond bill funding the construction of the new facility.

The councilman said property-owners in the area are leery of a new facility in the spot, which now houses the Mississippi Research and Development Center, and occupies woodlands along the Pearl River and abuts a number of high-end residential properties. The proposed facility could be the length of multiple football fields, he said.

"The state of Mississippi built the Information and Technology Services in that research and development center, and they clear-cut all the trees between that building and the Eastbrook condominiums. ... They did not prove themselves to be a good partner with the neighborhood because they have not replaced any trees to rebuild the buffer. That, in itself, left a bad taste in the mouth of the people who live in that area," Whitwell said.

Whitwell added that the state also never presented the future building to the public in a formal request-for-proposals process, in which prospective contractors submit bids for construction work on the facility.

"To do that without transparency and public input is really tragic," Whitwell said.

Kirby said the new building has to meet specific standards and can't be located anywhere.

"Not just any building will work because of the work flow and the paper flow. There's so much paper there, it has to be in different sections, so we're just trying to get them a decent location," Kirby said. "I passed an incentive last year that it would be in Rankin County and the House wouldn't (allow) that (to pass). They all wanted it in Jackson, so we passed a bill this year putting it in Jackson."

Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen complained that the taxpayer-funded 200,000-square-foot building at its proposed location would be "more expensive than any building constructed by the private sector."

"For comparison, Parkway Properties' recently constructed Pinnacle Office Building is a Class A, LEED Gold Certified, 190,000-square-foot office building that was built for less than $50 million," Allen wrote on DJP's blog The President's Corner.

"At issue, is the lack of a transparent decision making process and the apparent lack of fiscal cost comparisons to the numerous proposals presented by the private sector. Compare it to all of the public debate, compromise, public horse trading and transparency that went on for weeks regarding both the National Civil Rights Museum and the Mississippi Museum of History."

Allen added that public bonds are historically used for public projects, such as museums, and not for state office facilities.

The issue is out of legislator's hands, Kirby said.

"It's entirely up to the department of Finance and Administration," he said.

Previous Comments

ID

163028

Comment

Thank you, JFP, for bringing attention to this matter. Proud to see my councilman on top of this issue. The state is cutting public education spending, but considering $50 million to tear down trees and build a state building which is opposed by the neighboring community. I'm no expert on construction - but Parkway is (see above). Sounds like $50m is very high. I hope people across the Metro area will ask their elected officials to work with DFA to find an alternative.

Author

whoverstreet

Date

2011-04-07T13:40:18-06:00

ID

163029

Comment

Quentin has been awesome since he's been in office.

Author

RobbieR

Date

2011-04-07T14:02:06-06:00

ID

163037

Comment

There are so many things wrong with any decision to tear down any more green space ...Kirby's response about paper was so "1970s"... the Tax Commission should be moving toward more sustainable practices that don't involve "so much paper"... why not use those bond dollars to institute some best practices where you can reduce paper which reduces the need for space... it's 2011 people!

Author

833WMaple

Date

2011-04-07T15:52:49-06:00

ID

163049

Comment

If this were a private venture, I'd be more in favor of this. But the state already takes up so much space in Jackson and we don't get any monetary support because of it. And as said above, the price tag seems way to high for such a venture.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2011-04-07T19:15:27-06:00