By Billy Davis

Panola County’s land commission voted unanimously October 3 to recommend rezoning property east of Batesville for commercial use.

A rezoning vote by the land commission goes to the Panola County Board of Supervisors for final approval.

The property includes a building and six acres along Highway 6 East, just east of Bethlehem Road.

Property owner Russell Paulk said he is seeking the rezoning, from agricultural to commercial, to close a lease deal with a new tenant.

A representative for Indiana-based Equipment Technologies said company builds and sells self-propelled sprayers to farmers.

The building’s layout — warehouse space, offices and a showroom — make it an ideal site for Equipment Technologies, he said.

Paulk and a former tenant had sought a special exception permit in the past, and commissioners debated the impact of allowing a rezoning of the property.

A barbecue business had received a special exception permit from the county in 2008, with plans to make and market barbecue sauce and dry rub. 

“I think Mr. Paulk is doing the right thing,” said commissioner Danny Jones. “A special exception permit — that’s a two to three-month process. We can’t expect him to always wait that long.”   
Equipment Technologies sells Apache brand sprayers. The Web site is etsprayers.com.