Jackson Free Press

A rubbish dump near Clinton will nearly double in size after action from the Hinds County Board of Supervisors today.

Operators of the Faircloth landfill now control 335 acres of land near south McRaven and Springridge Roads, approximately 26 acres of which can be used for a rubbish site. The landowners asked the county to permit some 55 acres, twice the current size of the site.

Residents and landfill operators have clashed over the site for years. At a public hearing in October, homeowners asked the county to hold off on making a decision on the zoning request until the start of the new term in 2016, when two new members will join the board.

Current District 4 Supervisor Tony Greer chose to run for a seat on the Mississippi Public Service Commission instead of holding on to his slot on the board. Former Clinton Ward 5 Alderman Mike Morgan will replace Greer. George Smith, a former supervisor, is serving out the District 5 term Kenneth Stokes left when he rejoined the Jackson City Council earlier this year. Bobby "Bobcat" McGowan will replace Smith in January.

Pieter Teeuwissen, Hinds County's board attorney, recommended approval of the landfill's permit, saying that the rubbish is consistent with the character of the landfill. Residents fear that the expansion will drag down their property values.

Cindy Ayers-Elliot, who sits on the Hinds County Soil and Water Conservation District, said she feared a larger site would lead to increased soil and water contamination.

"It's not compatible with a landfill. The fate of the southern entrance to Clinton is in your hands," Bill Moore, a local resident, said at this morning's meeting.

Calhoun made a motion to table the item until Morgan and McGowan join the board early next year, but the attempt failed to draw a second. It was ultimately approved.

Teeuwissen said he expected the matter to end up in circuit court regardless of how the board voted.

Later on in the meeting, supervisors approved three funding requests for the upcoming legislative session.

The resolutions include requesting $12.5 million to complete a northern section of the Byram-Clinton Corridor, an 18-mile parkway consisting of a multi-lane route between Byram at Interstate 55 South, extending northwest to the Norrell Road interchange at Interstate 20 in Clinton. Plans for the corridor will include retail, residential and commercial development. That northern section is expected to cost approximately $25 million and will require a 20 percent match from Hinds County.

The county also sent a resolution asking the Legislature for $50 million to go toward wastewater treatment facilities for the corridor.

The county has been talking to the City of Jackson about becoming a wastewater customer. However, if that happens, Jackson will need to make approximately $50 million in upgrades to the Trahon plant in south Jackson, said District 3 Supervisor Peggy Hobson-Calhoun.

The board unanimously approved each of the resolutions.