Concerned over Lake Tom Bailey

There is additional information regarding the report “Solar farm taints Lake Tom Bailey” that was published Feb. 23 in The Meridian Star.

There are still copious amounts of red clay silt that are escaping from the Meridian Solar III site.

One Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality inspector who inspected the site described the site as the worst ecological disaster in Mississippi and that the site would not be stable for years. Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks inspectors were not allowed on site during MDEQ visits.

This site is almost 700 acres of bare clay soil.

The lake is approximately 200 acres and has not even been able to contain the extremely heavy silt run off as heavy red clay has been noted 10 miles south of the lake discharge.

This discharge flows into the Tombigbee River and Mobile Bay.

Local resident have never seen the streams so muddy. There have been almost no ducks on the lake and the bald eagles have left. Few fishermen, too.

The main concerns have to do with the construction company’s integrity. The resolution to their similar problems at their Virginia site may have been to forfeit a $396,000 silt bond. Essex County, Virginia news articles state that local college student volunteers have been organized to re-sod that site.

It is disturbing that local residents have not been able to get any real help from the media or regulators until now.

The lake and streams could have bee saved. Too late now; clean up cost will be high.

More sites are proposed. I hope our leaders are more careful. We must protect our environment.

Tommy Snell

Toomsuba

Optimists say thank you

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, The Downtown Optimist Club hosted the 73rd annual Pancake Jubilee at the Temple Theater Ballroom. More than 2,750 people joined us to eat pancakes and help us raise money to support Youth programs in Meridian. We would like to personally thank each of them for supporting our efforts!

We also want to thank all the broadcast and print media companies in our area for helping us promote this event. Newspaper, TV and radio stations gave freely of their valuable space and time to help us get the word out about the Pancake Jubilee and we appreciate their spirit of community.

We also want to thank some very special people who helped make our event such a great success.

Mugshots Bar & Grill donated the use of their mobile kitchen to help us cook sausage faster and safer! The Service Company donated their time and expertise to connect our power so we could cook the pancakes. Southern Business Supply donated all of the spring water used to brew our coffee. Our food supplier, Wood Fruitticher, once again donated the use of a refrigerated trailer to store our milk and sausage. Meridian Coca-Cola donated the banners you’ve been seeing around town and ice bins for keeping our drinks and milk as cold as ice. And, once again, Roger Smith gave us extra time to setup the Temple Ballroom in preparation for the Jubilee where it has been held for as long as anyone can remember.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the volunteers from various organizations that came and worked very hard to help in so many ways. The Debs, the Boy Scouts and the Carter Foundation were all amazing. Those kids are our future and based on their efforts at every year’s Jubilee, it’s clear to us that our future is in good hands! Lisa Hickman of Hill Real Estate, Sara Smith of Care Lodge and Gary Turbyville of Cans For Kids all volunteered and brought other volunteers with them to help us again and we are so blessed to have people like them in our community!

The annual Pancake Jubilee is more than just a fundraiser; it’s a chance for us to remember all the DTOC members who have cooked pancakes since 1947 to raise money for the youth of our community. Each year, we see the people of Meridian & Lauderdale County take time out of their busy lives to come to eat, laugh, visit and reinforce the bonds of community for another year. And each year, the members of The Downtown Optimist Club are reminded we are so blessed to live in a community ready and willing to invest in enriching the lives of our youth.

The annual Pancake Jubilee is much more than a fundraiser, it is tradition shared among friends.

Thank You!

Paul H. Tarver

The Downtown Optimist Club of Meridian