The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors met this week and discussed a bridge project and a matter concerning right-of-way acquisition.

County engineer Les Dungan said there are state funds available for the bridge project on Barth Road.

Dungan said he anticipates advertising for bids on that project in the near future.

According to Dungan, each county is allowed to plan for one bridge project at a time using these federal funds.

Dungan said bridges are classified as either on-system or off-system. On-system bridges are those designated as state aid routes and off-system bridges are on county maintained roads.

“When the public funds are given to the state, a portion of those funds are designated for off-system sites,” Dungan said.

Dungan said there were more on-system projects waiting than off.

The Barth Road project was one of the off-system projects.

Dungan said he is in the process of selecting a site for the next bridge project.

“It’s the beginning of our annual bridge inspection and we use those findings to determine which sites are a possible candidate,” Dungan said.

Dungan said that he evaluates the structural condition and use of the bridge to determine which project to do first.

In a separate matter, the board approved a counter offer to the Picayune Item for right-of-way acquisition concerning the Richardson Ozona Road relocation project.

Dungan said that acquisition is the last step the project needs to complete in order to begin construction.

The offer is to purchase about three quarters of an acre at $3 per square foot, totaling $91,820, Dungan said.

Dungan said there is an offer of $8,100 to purchase the quarter acre of land that is separated from the main tract.

The area has been appraised and Dungan said he feels the offer is fair.

Dungan said the project would provide access to Richardson Ozona Road what will be a four-way stop at the red light by Highland Hospital.

Dungan said the right-of-way costs are covered in the project’s budget.

In other action the board:

— Approved the sheriff’s department request to auction forfeited firearms on Sept. 4 at Cuevas Auction.

— Approved Mississippi State University Extension Office’s request to utilize the county fairgrounds at no cost to host 4-H programs for youth development.

Board members scheduled a budget workshop on Thursday, Aug. 28 at 9 a.m.

The next regular board meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 9 a.m.

Check Friday’s edition for continued coverage of Wednesday’s meeting.