Vicksburg begins property prep for growth

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Mayor Willis Thompson said on Monday the city has now cleared the remaining hurdles for cleanup of the former U.S. Rubber site on U.S. 61 South after the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a notice to proceed with Cooley’s Contracting and Dirtworks LLC for the city owned property located at 2000 Rubber Way.

Thompson said moving the cleanup process forward has been a priority since taking office given that the city was awarded a $960,480 EPA Brownfields cleanup grant in 2023. The grant requires no match from the city and covers removal of approximately 30,000 tons of rubber waste, along with storage tanks, residues, drums, totes and other waste materials left at the site.

“Vicksburg isn’t just waiting on opportunities. We’re taking land the city already owns, cleaning it up, and getting it ready for new businesses to locate here,” Thompson said. “Every asset we’re able to put back to good use means more jobs and better opportunities for our people. That’s how we’re building a safer, stronger, smarter Vicksburg.”

The site sits along U.S. 61 South next to the planned Vicksburg-Warren County South Port Mega site, making it well suited for industrial and manufacturing users. The property was once home to a large rubber recycling operation. The company stopped operating in August 2010, and the property was turned over to the state for unpaid taxes before being transferred to the city in December 2019.

“This site has been an eyesore for more than a decade. We’re now intentionally pushing forward on this opportunity and turning it into something that works for Vicksburg,” Thompson said.