Herring working to rid Oak Ridge Road of an old eyesore

Edward Herring has only been in office for a few weeks, but the new District 1 Warren County supervisor has been busy.

One of the first tasks he set for himself was to rid Oak Ridge Road of a decade-old eyesore. The abandoned store and gas station sits in the heart of Herring’s district near the Openwood Plantation Subdivision and the YMCA pool.

The property was forfeited for non-payment of taxes years ago. The last known owner was Moak Petroleum Products, which last filed with the Secretary of State in 2008, according to public records. The state of Mississippi is the current owner of the property, and the Secretary of State’s office has control of it.

Herring said he has been in contact with both the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality regarding demolition of the structure and removal of the gas tanks. Both entities expressed the willingness to cooperate in bringing the property into better shape, Herring said, and he has begun the paperwork to make it happen. He hopes to have the area cleared this spring.

Unless someone comes forward expressing a desire to redevelop the property, Herring expects it will be turned into a green space.