SMITHVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - Prior to the deadly tornado on April 27th of 2011, Smithville town leaders had been working on a comprehensive plan.
Now town leaders have a first draft of what they are calling the road map to the future.
The town didn't have the funds to come up with a comprehensive plan before the EF5 tornado.
That is about to change thanks to a grant from the Appalachian Region Commision.
Smithville town leaders have received a rough draft of a comprehensive plan along with a future land use map and a pedestrian friendly map which includes walkways and sidewalks outlining growth over the next twenty years.
"My board of alderman has these rough drafts," says Gregg Kennedy, Mayor of Smithville. "The planning commission has looked over the rough drafts. We got a time for about two weeks now to make recommendation, scratch down on them rough drafts as to what we like to have changed."
If everything in the comprehensive plan materializes it is estimated that Smithville's population will increase to about three to four times of what it currently is right now.
"That's the beauty part about our comprehensive plan," adds Kennedy. "It also entails your future growth and your future land uses outside of city limits. Right now we have some property outside our city limits now that would be some beautiful subdivisions."
"Smithville was wiped out by the tornado but it's slowly, steadily coming back," adds Amanda Roebuck, Smithville resident. "It's going to be bigger and better. It's a great place to raise a family."
For people who live in Smithville or visit the town daily they see progress being made and are counting the days to when it has the amenities a town of this size traditionally has to offer.
"It will be great to have grocery stores back," adds Roebuck. "That way the people get to do what they need to in the town of Smithville. So maybe it will happen soon."
"I think they have rebuilt a lot in a years time," adds Tiffany Vaughn, Monroe County resident. "[The town] it's come a long ways from nothing. It's a slow growing process but they're rebuilding and I mean it's just little by little, you see stuff new stuff coming up."
As the rebuilding continues on so do the aspirations for residents and town leaders that Smithville will fulfill it's Comprehensive plan's potential.
A full day workshop is being scheduled sometime for later this summer where residents can view and discuss the comprehensive plan with town leaders.
