Maybe make a splash

Feb 12, 2024

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It’s no secret that our small Delta communities have little to sometimes zero disposable cash to spend on fixing streets, updating equipment and bringing new amenities.

It is also no surprise that when some cash does come along, like Indianola’s $700,000 share of Congressman Bennie Thompson’s $2.2 million grant to Sunflower County’s municipalities, it brings a new set of problems, namely, how to spend the cash.

Supposedly, there are few to no strings attached to the money.

The city can spend it on just about anything it needs...or wants.

Mayor Ken Featherstone gave a presentation this past Monday night that included a wish list from multiple departments covering public works, the water department, public safety and parks and recreation.

It’s clear that the $700,000 will likely not be used to patch streets, and that’s probably wise.

Unlike towns like Drew, $700,000 probably would not make a dent in our asphalt dents. So, leave the dents where they are for now.

Anytime there’s some extra money to spend, there will be a long line of vendors and department heads lobbying for a cut.

We could spend six figures doing an aerial spray for mosquitoes, but based on our prior knowledge of the insects and the Delta, we’d probably still have mosquitoes.

We could spend six figures on new equipment for public works, but it would probably just go into the existing inventory of unused, underused and abused equipment that’s already there.

We could even spend a hundred grand paying someone to “clean up the bayou.”

But it would probably still be green come Christmas-time.

It’s not too late for the city to revamp its plans for that $700,000 and orient it toward some quality-of-life projects for the citizens.

Featherstone highlighted a parks project that would include a retooling of B.B. King Park, including a covered area with a basketball court.

Let’s do that.

As we enter another week of triple digit heat, perhaps the city should consider a splash pad for the kids next summer. Climate scientists believe it will still be hot in another year.

Lots of towns have splash pads, big and small.

They are a hit with kids and parents alike, and they are not outlandishly expensive to install and maintain.

Before we even do that, perhaps we should have an informal, town hall-type meeting where citizens can throw out ideas about community needs, and dare I suggest, community wants.

The Delta is losing population every year, and Indianola is not immune to this trend.

A lift truck isn’t going to move the needle against that trend, but a splash pad might.

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