City looks to harvest 200 acres of timber

The city of Cairo is putting approximately 200 acres of timber up for sale to the highest bidder as part of the management plan for the defunct Land Application Sewer operation on Wight Road.
Russell Fowler of Flint River Timber is serving as the city’s timber consultant and manager of the LAS timber.
The plan is to clear-cut a 200-acre section on the west side of the LAS site and use the proceeds to replant the site.
According to City Manager Chris Addleton, the long-term plan for the former LAS site is to develop it as an industrial park.
Councilman James H. (Jimmy) Douglas questioned if the city really needed that much property for an industrial site.
“Should we advertise the property for sale and dispose of it rather than growing timber on it?” Douglas asked.
Addleton said that there is about 40 miles of underground pipe buried 18 inches to two feet underground on the site as well as risers and spray heads that would cost approximately $1 million to remove.
The council voted unanimously to authorize the sale of the timber to the highest bidder.