The removal of an amphitheater concept from a $12.6 million dollar grant had some city leaders questioning what Yazoo City can truly expect from the RAISE Grant.
“All we are getting are some sidewalks for $12 million dollars,” said Alderwoman Elizabeth Thomas.
However, Alma Jones, the city’s grant manager, said the term “amphitheater” was never specified in the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grant application.
“The word ‘amphitheater’ is not in there,” Jones said. “Nor, with the budget breakdown when it lists all the things that the $12.6 million was going to be used for, that is not called out. If you look at the budget breakdown, no money was ever allocated for that in the grant application.”
In 2022, the city of Yazoo City was awarded $12,641,440 through the RAISE Grant Program to be used in a variety of projects through the U.S. Department of Transportation. According to the 2022 grant award press release, the funds will be used for the construction of a train station, development of a stormwater park to capture and absorb excessive stormwater and flooding, as well as “complete streets” redevelopment, which will include bike lanes, sidewalks, lighting, broadband infrastructure, and stormwater management along Main Street.
An amphitheater is never referenced in the grant announcement that has been provided to the public.
“What we were told from the Federal Highway Department is that you cannot construct an amphitheater using roadway funds or (Mississippi Department of Transportation) funds,” added Jones.
The discussion of the amphitheater came after Alderman Charlie Jenkins questioned a statement he said was made by Ben Farmer, president of Farmer and Morgan, which is the firm overseeing the grant.
“It was stated that the amphitheater and stormwater park was being removed from the project,” Jenkins said. “My question is when they said it was removed, they said it was approved by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. We have not talked about that, so I don’t know when it got approved. And, if they were going to take that part out of the project, where would that money go?”
Jones said the stormwater concept is still a part of the grant program. But she said the amphitheater concept, however, was never mentioned within the application in the first place.
“So, there never was any money allocated for an amphitheater,” she added.
“But that has been something I have heard since day one about the amphitheater,” replied Alderman Jammie McCoy. “Now we are two years into it, and this is just now coming out like this?”
Alderman Macklyn Austin said Farmer said the city was aware of the removal four months ago.
“He (Farmer) said we knew about it four months ago,” Austin said.
“How did we know about it,” McCoy asked.
“Four months ago, is when we called him (Farmer) in here to do an update because he had gotten $308,000, and we were trying to figure out what he had done,” Thomas added. “It was told to us that it took that to get the work started before you put it together.”
The Farmer and Morgan firm wasn’t selected for the project until October of 2023, about a year after Yazoo City was awarded the grant. The contract was entered into October of 2024. Since that time, Farmer said a variety of surveys and environmental studies have been conducted.
Within the $12,6 million dollar RAISE grant, Jones said $400,363 has been invoiced on behalf of the grant as of Nov. 24. Of that amount, $364,141 has been reimbursed.
Jenkins said he is concerned what the removal of an amphitheater concept leaves the city within light of the grant program.
“If you take the amphitheater away from the project, then you don’t have anything,” he said.
Mayor David Starling said he admits that renderings of an amphitheater had been provided to the city board. However, he agrees with Jones that the concept was never technically a part of the grant application.
“These decisions did not come from us or Farmer Morgan,” Starling said. “They came from the federal highway department and MDOT. It is not a part of the grant. The main selling point of this grant was a stormwater park.”
Jones also reminded the board that the application was spearheaded by the previous city administration.
There have also been some reservations from Main Street businesses who are concerned over the potential parking and traffic flow that could be suggested with the project. They were very vocal in their opposition to the grant pushing for limited parallel parking on Main Street, which would also be converted into a two-way road to accommodate the parking.
“It was public outcry,” Starling said. “This board talked a lot about losing the merchants from downtown. They complained to all of us that if we went with what was in the grant, they were going to pack up and leave. There wouldn’t be a business downtown. They (the grant program) gave us an outlet to say that if there were public outcry on some things, they would consider some changes.”
The board said they would like for Farmer to visit an upcoming board meeting to discuss the concerns, questions and provide updates on the program.
Timewise, the funds of the grant must be obligated by September of 2026, which is nine months away. The deadline for the grant’s completion is Sept. 30 of 2031.
