Warren County supervisors hope negotiations may get the county a better price for the Magnolia Road property.

The Board of Supervisors Monday authorized board president Richard George and vice president John Arnold to meet with Harry Gilliland of HHG LLC to see if they can get him to pay more than his bid of  $154,300, county administrator John Smith said.

“They want to see if they can get a better price,” he added.

At the same time it authorized George and Arnold to begin negotiations, the board rejected a $65,000 from John W. Massey.

The supervisors in March decided to try and sell the property directly to a private group or individual by negotiation, rather than the public sealed bid. The decision came after the supervisors received what they believed were inadequate bids on the 12-acre property, which was twice put up for sale by public bid, once in December and again in January.

They received no bids the first time and two bids from the January advertisement, which they rejected in March.

The county acquired the land in the mid-1960s as part of an economic development program to allow F.L. Cappaert to expand his Magnolia Mobile Homes business.

The land was later subleased to another person, who then sold their lease interest.

When that individual did not keep the lease up, it terminated the lease and the land returned to the county.

In another matter, the supervisors accepted a $134,368 bid from Triple E Construction of Lake Village, Ark., to demolish the old Mississippi 3 bridge. Smith said the work could begin within 60 days.

The county wants to demolish the bridge and remove it from the state aid bridge roster because it is no longer being used. Razing the bridge will allow the county to get its full allotment of state aid bridge funds.