The Madison County Herald from Canton, Mississippi • Page 4

MADISON COUNTS HERALD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2001 Looking Back at 2091 Freedom, commitment, growth top 2001 We decided that our first commitment would be the homeowners and families of Madison. We would protect property values through planning and zoning ordinances. We would build a city with quality of life as its cornerstone and with family as its foundation. We knew it would not be easy to build such a city. But our vision was focused on generations to come, on a sense of community, increasing property values, a home for our seniors and most of all, a safe haven for our children.

Tt is ffratifvintr to hnvp sppn tho By Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler Special to the Herald MADISON As the year 2001 comes to a close, we cherish our precious freedoms and blessings more than ever before. The events of 2001 have reminded us what it truly means to be an American. During Madison's first citywide event to honor Veterans Day, we found an understanding that our many freedoms were never really free, but paid for with the lives of countless heroes. In November, our community at large and near neighbors were faced with personal tragedy as their lives and homes were devastated by a tornado. We must always remember that a sense of community is not defined by physical boundaries.

TRIAD, a crime prevention organization, works directly with the Madison Police Department. In recent years, our city welcomed Sunnybrook Estates and the unique Geneva Gardens. These developments joined the excellent retirement living choices provided by The Home Place and Saint Catherine's Village. Looking back 20 years when Madison was a town of just over 2,000 people, a group of local citizens held a public meeting at what is now Madison Station Elementary School. That night, we chartered a course for the community we love and enjoy every day.

We embarked on the journey with a belief that through our dedication and commitment, Madison would grow to be Mississippi's finest city. Towns in the South said that in Madison "business is booming under careful guidance of local officials." We have worked hard to attract the kind of businesses that want to join us in building a great city. The major retail growth we have anticipated at 1-55 and Mississippi 463 will emerge in 2002. The state's only six-point interchange should be completed in 2002, and our patience in overcrowding traffic will begin to see rewards with the widening of U.S. 51 and Old Canton Road.

As one of 20 certified retirement communities in the state, Madison continues to make advancements in providing opportunities for retirees. The Caboose Society is involved in a number of activities associated with the chamber of commerce. Only one police department in Mississippi has reached this standard. In addition, we are so pleased to see the progress of our new fire station that will give our fire department another advantage in early response. This year, as we have watched the building of a new elementary and middle school in Madison, we saw the continuing excellence of an educational system that is second to none in Mississippi.

Each Madison school, whether it is part of the private or public school system, has its own special identity. Each of our schools has achieved high honors and is a credit to our city. In speaking of commercial growth in the city of Madison, authors of The 50 Best Small BamiMeir year for Maiisomi CoiMrty schools The new Ridgeland High School under to students in grades 9-12. academically, but we can boast about co-curricular achievements as well. Madison Central is home to eight state athletic championships since 1999, including the All-Sports Award for Mississippi for four out of the past five years.

A record number of Madison Central band students (17) were selected to participate in the 2000 Mississippi All-State Lions Band, By Mike Kent Special to the Herald On May 1, 2000, the Madison County School District embarked on a $66 million building program. As we begin 2002, this program is nearing completion. East Flora elementary and middle schools started the school year in completely renovated buildings, including a new 12-classroom addition. Madison Avenue Upper Elementary (grades 3-5) is scheduled to move into new facilities adjacent to the existing Madison Avenue (grades K-2) during Christmas break. In addition, Velma Jackson middle (grades 6-8) will relocate to the new Northeast Madison Middle School located on Sulpher Springs Road during January.

The new Madison Middle School, which will house students in grades 6-8 currently attending Rosa Scott Middle School, will be ready for occupancy later in the spring. In addition to new construction, there is extensive renovation being done to all existing schools. Much of this work will be done next summer when school is not in session; however, Luther Branson Elementary, Velma Jackson Elementary, Velma Jackson High School and Ann Smith Elementary will begin enjoying renovated facilities in January. The new Ridgeland High School located on Sunnybrook Road will open its doors in August to students in grades 9-12 who live in the Ann SmithOlde Towne attendance zone. The completion of our building program will come with the opening of a new Ridgeland area elementary school in 2003.

We remain proud that the Madison County School District is one of only 12 districts statewide to hold the coveted designation of Level 5 Accreditation from the State Department of Education. Our students once again scored near the top in the state and metro areas on statewide testing administered last year. With more than 1,000 employees, 16 schools and a student enrollment of 9,039, the Madison County School District boasts 10 National Board certified teachers. The quality of our lives is improved every day through the generosity of our volunteers. The lasting contributions that a volunteer makes to Butler Madison can never be fully measured.

Our churches continue to form the foundation of community life. Their commitment to helping out and being there in good times and hard times means everything to this city. Our police department and fire department continue to provide improved levels in service that are remarkable. Our police department will soon finish the requirements for national accreditation. The district has many dedicated administrators and faculty members who continually work to secure grant money to implement programs which ben Kent efit our students.

We are very proud that Velma Jackson Elementary and East Flora Elementary were selected as Barksdale Reading grant recipients. Recognition also goes to Dr. Pollia Griffin, assis-tant superintendent, and Jo Prather, director of elementary curriculum, for winning grants totaling $1.5 million over the next three years. Madison Station Elementary is the only site in the district to receive a grant through the State Department of Health to fund a school nurse. Madison Station Elementary and Rosa Scott Middle are the recipients of a Mississippi Arts Commission grant; while Madison Station also received a State Department of Education grant to fund the integration of arts into all areas of the curriculum.

Olde Towne Elementary received a Goals 2000 Education Excellence Grant, which focuses on the integration of arts, with emphasis on enhancement of reading achievement. East Flora and Luther Branson elementary enjoy state-of-the-art music labs funded through a grant from Yamaha, while East Flora Middle School is home to the 21st Century After-School Program and the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program. The Business and Commerce Center received over $65,000 in grants to install a new technology lab and upgrade existing programs. Perhaps the district's most ambitious grant award is at Velma Jackson High School, which is the site of the Magnet Program, "ECO Journeys." This program was initially funded for three years by a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education and is affiliated with the National Academy Foundation.

This site received the Magnet Schools of America Outstanding School Program Award for vide the necessary infrastructure to serve Nissan. In addition to the transportation imnrnvp- Jkfk' ments a new Cy wastewater treat ment facility is being constructed at Beattie's Bluff on the Big Black River, along with a major sewer transport line from the Nissan site to the facility. The $930 million Nissan assembly plant is scheduled for production in 2003 and will employ approximately 4,000 people. Site improvements and additional infrastructure were the major components of Mississippi's Major Economic Impact Authority's commitment authorized for Nissan by special legislation in 2000. The Madison County Board of Supervisors committed $20 million to compliment the state's road construction, and up to $5 million for the construction of a temporary employmenttraining facility.

Nissan's human resource personnel and representatives of the Mississippi Employment Security Commission are currently using this recently completed 1 support of so many people who have believed that our vision could become a reality. May God bless everyone as we rededicate our lives to this important commitment in the coming year. Ed Inman Special to the Herald expected to open its doors in August i Jackson Middle School football team won the 1999 Regional Championship. All of our schools are active in their communities and routinely raise money for and supply volunteers to various charitable organi- Mike Kent is superintendent of the Madison County School District. growth One of the most important accomplishments in 2001 has been the spirit of cooperation that has developed between the Madison County Foundation and MCEDA.

Both entities have pledged to work together on issues affecting the orderly growth and development of the county. All of the chamber of commerce entities have also been invited to join in this effort of joint participation and support. Madison County has experienced tremendous growth with new office complexes, new schools, new highways, new interstate interchanges, new commercial developments, new residential developments and much more in many different areas of the county. With all this development, the social and physical infrastructure will continue to be under pressure. It will be imperative that the leadership in the county identify needs, develop plans and implement those plans to maximize the opportunities that have been presented to the county at this time.

Jerry Acy is executive director of the Madison County Economic Development Authority. 2000-2001. In 2001, VJMHS was home to the Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient, the National Beta Club Scholarship recipient and sent two representatives to the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. Their Academic Team was a regional semifinalist in 2001, and their BETA Club placed first in the state in the area of community service. Over 90 percent of last year's VJMHS graduates continued in post-secondary education.

Madison Central High School remains consistently among the top schools in the state in the number of students achieving National Merit finalist recognition, producing 26 finalists in the past five years. The Academic Decathlon Team finished second in state competition, while the Academic Competition Team won the state championship. Beginning with the 2001 school year, Madison Central expanded its curriculum to offer dual enrollment with Holmes Community College. This program allows students enrolled at Madison Central to take courses for credit at HCC. With an average ACT score of 22.1 and a graduation rate of 81 percent, over 89 percent of MC students continue in post-secondary education; with graduates earning $3 million in scholarship offerings.

Olde Towne Middle School had 35 seventh-graders selected as Duke TIP scholars. In 2000-01, this school had three District Science Fair winners and one State Science Fair winner. Rosa Scott, the top scoring middle school in statewide standardized testing (1996-1999), had 100 seventh-graders participating in the Duke TIP program. This school also had the first- and second-place winners in Mississippi in the Thinking Cap Sixth-grade Academic Team Competition and sent 6th-7th grade Destination Imagination Teams to World Competition. The gifted class at Velma Jackson Elementary won first-place in the Community Problem Solving Competition at the 2001 Mississippi Future Problem Solving Bowl.

Not only does the district excel square-foot facility to process job applicants. In 2001, 10 additional companies announced plans to locate automotive related operations in Madison County. Tower Automotive started construction in November on its new $35 million facility in the Central Mississippi Industrial Center. Five other companies plan to locate in the CMIC, and four companies will build their facilities on the Nissan site. These 10 companies will invest approximately $135.5 million and create more than 1,100 new jobs.

This new investment plus the Nissan project accounts for over $1 billion and over 5,000 new jobs announced for Madison County in a 12-month period from November 2000 to November 2001. Major improvements to the water, sewer and transportation system serving the CMIC are being planned to serve the new companies. The sewer system will also be a major step in implementing the countywide wastewater treatment plan as approved by the Madison County Board of Supervisors. During 2001, this plan was finalized and endorsed by all the sewer providers in the county. It -f" mi ill 'II i i ll ii ll --n in i.

mim i -f Ed InmanSpecial to the Herald Madison Avenue Upper Elementary (grades 3-5) is existing Madison Avenue Elementary School (grades scheduled to move into new facilities adjacent to the K-2) during the Christmas holidays. construction off Sunnybrook Road is while choirs from Madison Central, Rosa Scott, Olde Towne Middle and East Flora routinely receive superior ratings in state and national competitions. The Velma Jackson Magnet High School football team won the 1999 District 6 Class 3A Championship, while the girls basketball team advanced to the second round in state championship competition. The Velma sold three lots in the CMIC and one in the Madison Business Park. There are two other sites presently under contract in the CMIC.

Since the new industries will require almost 180 acres, there will be no large sites owned by MCEDA remaining in this area. However, currently over 130 acres are available in Flora and almost 200 acres in Canton. New inquiries concerning potential commercial and industrial projects are directed to the MCEDA offices on an almost daily basis. The MCEDA staff continues to support existing industry by hosting periodic meetings with human resource personnel and plant managers. In these meetings, issues such as training, transportation and taxes are discussed among the participants.

At times, outside speakers and experts are invited to meet with the groups. Action plans are developed to address those issues. In 2001, MCEDA was successful in assisting Falcon Corporation to maintain and expand its facilities in Canton. There were five other expansions of existing industries for a total of $4.6 million in new investments and over 380 new jobs. County bustling with tremendous By Jerry Acy Special to the Herald CANTON In many respects, 2001 will go down as a banner year for Madison County.

With all the activity and development taking place here, it is hard to believe that the rest of the nation slipped into a recession. After the Nissan announcement in November 2000, things seemed slow to develop, and the weather was very uncooperative. However, after designs were completed and contracts awarded, construction started in earnest in late January and early February. Since then, there has been a constant beehive of construction activity on the site and in the surrounding areas. There is a new interchange being constructed on 1-55 just south of Canton for Nissan Parkway, connecting to U.S.

51 on the east and Mississippi 22 on the west. Nissan Drive is a new five-lane road under construction that will stretch from Nissan Parkway on the north to Church Road in the Central Mississippi Industrial Center (CMIC). The Madison County Economic Development Authority (MCE-DA) worked throughout the year with state and local entities to pro- will be essential in facilitating new development in areas currently without wastewater service. There were other major accomplishments and developments in 2001. MCEDA continued to work with the town of Flora in developing and promoting the Flora Industrial Park.

Primos Hunting Calls announced plans to build a new facility in this park. Construction is now under way on the approximately building that will house Primos' production and distribution operations in addition to its corporate offices. Due to requests and inquiries about commercial property in the Canton Commercial and Industrial Center (CCIC), MCEDA rezoned to C-3 all its property with frontage along 1-55 and Mississippi 22 in Canton. A new development plan was adopted and this property is currently being marketed to accommodate the demand. One commercial lot was sold and another is under contract.

A new connector road from Mississippi 22 into the park is designed and is ready for advertising. During the year, MCEDA.