The Warren County Board of Supervisors is out of the ferry business.

During its Monday meeting, the board approved a four-year mooring lease for Cottonport Hardwoods LLC to be used in the King’s Point Ferry area for the company’s logging operation.

Board Attorney Blake Teller mentioned that this agreement includes a clause between the county and the lumber company that would allow the county to use Cottonport Hardwoods’ vessel for transporting its own vehicles and tools as well as Warren County residents to and from the island as an alternative to the county-run King’s Point Ferry.

“In lieu of paying money for rent, (the company) will agree to transport other members of the public that need to get over there and our county trucks and equipment as it needs to get over there on occasion,” Teller said.

Teller added that Cottonport Hardwoods LLC is expected to operate in the area for at least the next four years.

Bid accepted for 2023 Paving Project

In other matters, the Board of Supervisors voted Monday to accept a bid of $2,034,945.05 for work on the 2023 Warren County Paving Project.

The winning company was Central Asphalt, which gave a slightly lower price than the only other competitor, APAC-Mississippi/Tennessee, which submitted a bid of $2,068,047.60.

Funding from the project will come from American Rescue Plan Act, the federal stimulus program created in March of 2021.

The supervisors also authorized the advertisement for bids on repairs to be done on the Halls Ferry Road Bridge, which passes over the Thatcher Bayou on the south side of Vicksburg. The repairs will address the scouring that has developed on the bridge’s pilings where sediment has washed away.

The board also voted to approve a request from the Mississippi Housing Authority No. VI to reappoint Zelmarine Murphy to a five-year term on the Board of Commissioners. The Housing Authority is the state organization responsible for providing homes for low-income families in the area.

Near the end of the meeting, Chancery Clerk Donna Hardy brought several routine items to the board for a vote, including the acceptance of 150 Homestead applications that were submitted for 2023 in Warren County.