Dear Olive Branch Residents,

May is the month many in our City set their sights on Summer. At City Hall, we're looking forward to a Summer of progress! Here are just a few updates with what's happening across our City of Olive Branch.

Progress photo as of 04/26/2025 of the New Animal Shelter

Animal Shelter Progress

Walls are up on the new state-of-the-art Animal Shelter! Groundbreaking for the City's New Shelter occurred on Friday, February 14. This new facility is over 6,000 square feet and will greatly expand our shelter's ability to provide efficient animal services and sheltering. This project is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2025.

Public Works Facility

Utility lines and a foundation have been installed on the site of the new Public Works Facility. In November of 2024, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on our new 24,000 square foot facility located behind the Police Department off of Highway 178

Soccer Complex Expansion

Construction has started on the George M. Harrison Soccer Complex. Crews have started filling in a section of the pond to begin the work on expanding the parking along the complex. The City’s Soccer Complex is expanding in 2025 to include four new soccer fields, a brand new concessions/restroom facility, and a multi-use walking trail that will connect to Ross Road. Additionally, an expanded parking area will add an additional 400 parking spots to those using our Soccer Complex. Olive Branch Parks and Recreation welcomes over 1,600 participants during its Spring and Fall Soccer Seasons.

City Park Updates

The City received a generous donation from the Homer Skelton and the Homer Skelton Charitable Foundation; making it possible to build six pickleball courts and a restroom facility inside City Park as well! Additionally to the projects you see above, progress is being made on the City's new 18-hole disc golf course that will be nestled inside City Park.

Plans announced for Fire Station #6

In May, bids will be accepted for construction of Fire Station #6. This station will be located on Center Hill Road and will add Fire and Ambulance protection to the eastern part of the City. The new station will be over 14,000 square feet, with 4 apparatus bays, a built-in generator and tornado shelter for personnel, as well as an SCBA (Airpack) repair room and maintenance shop; making it quicker and more cost efficient for firefighters to repair equipment in-house.

New Hangar for Olive Branch Airport

Thanks to a grant from the State of Mississippi Legislature, the Olive Branch Airport will be constructing a 12,000 sq. ft. City-owned corporate aircraft hanger as part of the airport expansion project. This new hangar will begin construction this Spring and will allow the City’s Airport to house new corporate tenants.

Water & Sewer Service Upgrades

The City of Olive Branch is continuing to improve Water & Sewer services for the Northeast and Southern areas of Olive Branch. On January 27th, water and sewer installation began in the area near Pleasant Hill Road and College, impacting the subdivisions of Spring Valley, Pine Crest, and Pleasant Hill Estates. This project will be concluded in the Spring of 2026. In early February, water and sewer installation will occur in the area North of Goodman Road to Polk Lane Cove, and along Polk Lane East; impacting the subdivisions of Pleasant Grove and Davis Estates. This project is scheduled to be concluded by the Spring of 2026. Both of these projects were funded thanks to the Mississippi Municipality & County Water Infrastructure (MCWI) Grant the City sought and was selected to receive. When cities add water and sewer services to unserviced areas, state professionals tell us it increases the value of existing homes in the area.

A Notice to Proceed is a formal, written authorization issued by the City of Olive Branch to the contractor, signaling the start of the project work as defined in the contract. In addition to what you read inside this newsletter, there are even more things happening across our City. To help answer resident questions, the City has started listing all of its “Notice to Proceed” on the City website. To view an inclusive list, please visit www.obms.us/1365/Notice-to-Proceed.

2025 Farmers Market at City Hall starts June 7! I am excited to share that thanks to community support, our market has grown to 45 vendors. The City of Olive Branch Farmers Market is an Associate Member of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture's Genuine Mississippi Program. To continue this status, the City of Olive Branch Farmers Market must consist of Mississippi farmers selling Mississippi agricultural or artisanal products. The Olive Branch Farmers Market is open Saturdays, June-September from 8 am till Noon. It is located in the parking lot of City Hall at 9200 Pigeon Roost Road. Come out and support these vendors and shop local!

Mayor's Youth Council

Mayor's Youth Council Class of 2024-2025 (Class #2) held Program Graduation April 28 at the Cotton Gin. This year's council was comprised of 22 Olive Branch Residents who were Juniors and Seniors. As a council, they maintained a 4.09 GPA and held leadership positions in multiple sports teams and student organizations on their school campus. As a council, they completed over a 120 hours of community service through this program.

Medallion (1-Year participant recognition)
Abdul Alnajjar, Ainsley Carver, Elizabeth Flowers, Emily Armistead, Gabriel Bellamy, Henry Gaschk, Kaylee Loden, Kelcie Byars, Kelsey Williams, Kennedy Purnell, Mason Jones, Reese Womack, Ronald Hobbs, Vivek Hira

Honor Cord (2-year participant recognition)
Ayanna Showkat, Brooklyn Richmond, Colton Lee, Olivia Allen, Olivia Court, Quinn Thurman, Sarah Grace Niblett, Sydney Skinner

To qualify for the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council, all applicants must be City of Olive Branch residents entering 11-12th grade. Applicants must complete an application with two letters of recommendation and be able to attend at least 80% of all sessions and the MML Youth Leadership Summit. Applications for the 2025-2026 program will open in July. To learn more, please be sure to visit www.obms.us/youthcouncil

Citizens Police Academy is a 10 week program offered to residents.

OBPD Citizen Police Academy

This 10 week program is great way to learn about the Police Department and the role our officers play in public safety. This program is offered twice a year and is completely free. Learn more at https://www.obms.us/205/Citizens-Academy.

Events & Meetings

Looking for fun events this Summer or wanting to stay in the loop with City News? Here are just a few upcoming dates that are happening in #MyCityofOB in May:

5/3: Food Truck Rally at the Soccer Complex 11am to 5pm

5/5: Special Olympics Torch Run through Old Towne

5/5: General Food Safety Course at the Olive Branch Senior Center at 4pm; register by emailing info@obms.us

5/6: Board of Aldermen meeting at the City Court Building at 6pm

5/8: Board of Zoning Adjustment meeting at the City Court Building at 6pm

5/10: Children's Fishing Rodeo at City Park, Registration begins at 8 am. Event is from 9am to Noon

5/13: Planning Commission meeting at the City Court Building at 6pm

5/20: Board of Aldermen meeting at the City Court Building at 6pm

To view our full event calendar, please be sure to visit www.obms.us/calendar

Stay In Touch

Thank you for reading the latest edition of our City's newsletter, From The Mayor’s Desk. I hope to see you at an upcoming community event and encourage you to visit City Hall and attend Board of Aldermen meetings to be heard and stay connected.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Mayor. If you have a special interest topic you would like to see covered in a future From The Mayor's Desk publication or questions about a certain topic, please send an email to info@obms.us. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Sincerely,

Kenneth (Ken) R. Adams

Mayor of the City of Olive Branch

ken.adams@obms.us 662.892.9201