[5/28/04]The ferry at Kings Point will be taken out of service in 10 days and, if all goes well, returned to service in a matter of days.

If repairs are needed, there’s no way to tell how the only link to the area’s farm and timberland will be out of service.

Warren County Road Manager Richard Winans told supervisors Thursday the ferry will be taken out of service at 9:30 p.m. June 7, its normal closing time, and taken down the Yazoo Diversion Canal to dry dock at Big River Shipbuilders on the E.W. Haining Industrial Center.

“They could start the inspection the afternoon of June 8,” Winans said.

If the inspection shows no problem, Winans said the ferry could be back in service as early as June 11.

Winans also told the board he had contacted the owner of a barge and boat who would be willing to lease it to the county for $1,200 per day with the lease to also cover the services of an operator and insurance. But the owner w0anted a lease of at least 30 days.

A letter will be written to the owners of land on Kings Point informing them of the closing date and that a date to re-establish service is not known, supervisors said.

Vessels such as the ferry barge must be inspected every five years. The ferry is already operating on one extension from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Earlier this week, the board voted to award a contract to Tensas Machine and Manufacturing of Newellton, La., to build a new barge and push boat for the ferry at a cost of $623,100. The board has been trying since 2002 to replace the boat and barge that carries traffic across the Yazoo Canal to the hunting, farming and timber area located due west of downtown Vicksburg.

The closing is coming at what could be a crucial time for farmers, said landowner Raymond May. Some planting has been pushed back by rain earlier in the month and seed need to be in the ground soon to make a crop this year.

Supervisors were not in formal session and took no action.

Also at the meeting, David Rankin, geographical information system director, gave the board a breakdown on the three applicants offering to prepare a Web site for Warren County.

Under consideration are offers from Applied Research Associates Inc., Landtech Web Designs and Buddy Fortner.

The prices ranged from a low of $7,890 from Fortner to a high of $18,429.15 from Applied Research.

District 5 Supervisor Richard George said it might be wise to wait until the board sets its Fiscal Year 2005 budget, so members will know if money is available for the Web site. The board will begin receiving requests for FY 2005 funding from departments in June and must have the budget complete in time to adopt it before the fiscal year begins Oct. 1.