The original item was published from January 3, 2019 12:34 PM to January 4, 2019 12:32 PM
What’s happening in Southaven?
AGGRESSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT
Street Resurfacing…$4 million completed in 2018 (most in City history)
Drainage Improvement…3 major projects that have caused flooding for more than a decade were completed in 2018 at Whitworth parallel to Main Street, Whitworth near Highway 51, and Stonehedge residential subdivision costing approximately $500,000 total
Getwell South Widening Project…a federally-funded $8.7 million project to widen Getwell Road to five lanes from Church Road south to Starlanding Road with a median and pedestrian paths pending four-years planning with projected construction in late 2019 or early 2020
Central/Snowden Grove Parks Multi-Use Trail…Eight-year pending project moving dirt in the spring of 2019 connecting these two major parks with a 10-foot pedestrian trail routing south on Tchulahoma Road, east on Central Parkway, and north on Getwell Road to the park entrance
Main Street Pedestrian Project…Sidewalks from Highway 51 along Main Street to Saucier Park on Northwest Drive starting construction in the spring of 2019
Snowden Grove Pedestrian Project…a federally-funded project to add a 10-foot multi-use trail throughout Snowden Grove Park under construction in late 2019
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Silo Square…a $200 million 228-acre mixed-use development with a town square and pedestrian paths was planned and approved in 2018 with construction to begin in early 2019
Metropolitan Business District…a new business district created and defined in 2018 for the Church Road/I-55 area to incentivize and bring quality commercial development for this high-profile area
Hilton Embassy Suites…developers completing planning stages of this 2-year planned/pending project to bring a $40 million luxury hotel to the Metropolitan Business District
Industrial Development…1,370,000 square feet of new facility space for manufacturing and distribution adding $18 million in property value and 625 new jobs in 2018
Service, Retail, and Other Business…251 new businesses opened in 2018 creating 3,819 new jobs
New Building Permits…358 new residential permits issued in 2018 for a total value of $49,594,000 in new construction as well as 16 new commercial permits with a value of $7,345,575 (excluding industrial)
PARKS & RECREATION ENHANCEMENT & EXPANSION
Tennis Pro Shop…$770,000 renovation of the old metal building constructed in the 1970s into a beautiful facility housing equipment, dressing rooms, concessions, office, and covered seating completed in 2018 to complement the 8-court expansion previously completed in 2017
Volleyball…City’s first-ever operation with 110 girls competing in the inaugural 2018 season
Arena Floor-Leveling…$500,000 project to level the oval section of the floor which will make the facility more versatile for multi-purpose events in addition to the volleyball operation with construction to begin in early 2019
Greenbrook Indoor Softball Facility…7,800 square-foot facility to be built near the main entrance to Greenbrook Park that will house four hitting/pitching tunnels with removable nets for a large multi-purpose training area, offices, concessions, bathrooms, and general assembly area to be bid and under construction in the spring of 2019
Field of Dreams Playground…$448,400 special-needs playground to be constructed in early 2019 adjacent to the Field of Dreams baseball field near the south entrance of Snowden Grove Park
Springfest BBQ/BankPlus Amphitheater Paved & Landscaped Parking Lot…a paving and landscaping project to eliminate the nuisance of mud and poor drainage which will also beautify this area and serve a dual purpose for additional concert parking projected to cost approximately $1,000,000 with construction beginning immediately after the 2019 Springfest event ends in late April
Soccer Expansion…a project currently being designed to add 8 new fields with bathroom/concession pavilion to property just north of the bowling alley at Pine Tar Alley/Snowden Lane which will complement the 5 existing fields on Stateline Road West to bring more participation and use for all with bidding and construction to begin in mid-2019
REVITALIZATION OF “ORIGINAL SOUTHAVEN” & BEAUTIFICATION
Highway 51 Intersection Modernization Project…a $609,037 project to remove the old span-wire traffic signals and replace with beautiful mast arms with signals that have modern traffic communication and pedestrian capabilities to be completed in mid-2019
City Hall Renovation…a $1.7 million project to renovate one of the oldest commercial buildings in Southaven which will improve the safety of many City employees, improve the City’s marketing image, and add to the revitalization attractiveness of the original business district currently being designed with construction to begin in mid-2019
Main Street Decorative Light Poles…a project to remove many old, cluttered light poles on Main Street between Highway 51 and Northwest Drive and replace with beautiful two-headed decorative poles which will provide better lighting and, along with the Main Street Pedestrian Project, improve revitalization attractiveness in our original business district currently being designed by Entergy with construction to begin in mid-2019
Greenbrook/Stateline Median Landscaping Project…a project to remove poorly-grown crape myrtle trees and add new landscaping to improve the look of one of our original residential neighborhood entrances and projected to be completed in the spring of 2019
Monument Signs for City Entrances and High-Profile Intersections…a project to add beautiful, brick-based signs with landscape lighting on I-55 and other intersections to beautify our city and improve our economic attractiveness with bidding and construction to begin in the spring of 2019
Community Pride Awards & Adopt-a-Spot Beautification Program…two new programs to award private property owners for their exceptional efforts to beautify their properties and volunteer to beautify common areas of residential subdivisions which improves property values and the economic attractiveness of our city
PUBLIC SAFETY
Police West Precinct…a retro-fit project of the old WIN Job Center building at Highway 51 and Dorchester Drive to improve our Police operation and add more key presence along Highway 51 completed and occupied in 2018
Fire Station #5…land has been secured for this long-planned project adjacent to the curve on Starlanding Road just west of Getwell for construction of a new fire station in 2020 to improve protection to the Southeastern part of our city and maintain our excellent “Class 3” fire rating
Fire Hydrant Expansion in Annexed Areas…Phase 5 of 6 of a $7.4 million project currently underway along Malone Road to increase the size of water lines to meet Southaven’s fire hydrant standard and improve fire protection
FINANCIAL STABILITY
No Property Tax Millage Increases...Southaven continues to be the largest municipality in Desoto County but only the 4th highest taxing entity of the 7 total.
No Utility Rate Increases
Growing Sales Tax Revenue…$14,789,168 revenue in 2018 shows an excellent growth trend up from $12,499,170 in 2013
Government Finance Officers Association Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting (3rd consecutive year)…a prestigious award given only to about 5% of approximately 89,000 cities/counties nationwide for going beyond typical accounting procedures to improve governmental financial transparency
Net Reserve Increase (Unassigned Fund Balance)…$7,752,000 after Fiscal Year ’17 audit completed in 2018 (up from $2.4 million in 2012)