By John Howell
Batesville Boy Scout representatives were expected to meet yesterday with city officials and Mississippi Department of Archives and History Chief Archeologist Pam Lieb to get approval for a walking trail to be constructed at the Batesville Mounds site as an Eagle Scout project.
Jake Broome and his father, Batesville Troop 478 Assistant Scoutmaster Billy Broome pitched the proposal to the city’s mayor and aldermen during their First Tuesday meeting.
The younger Broome described his plans for a two-mile trail that would lead through much of the scenic, 90-acre site.
“We knew we’d have to get several approvals for before we started,” Billy Broome said.
Jake Broome is a Life Scout whose goal is to reach Eagle rank before his 18th birthday next September, his father said.
“We’ve got lots of people who want to help with this,” Billy Broome said.
Broome and Scoutmaster Jim Whitten have said at several city meetings that there are a number of local Scouts like Jake  who have earned Life rank and who are waiting to start on projects that will allow them to attain Eagle rank.
City officials initially approached cautiously requests for permission to initiate projects or activities at the site  until they received guidance from MDAH. The city accepted ownership of the Mounds site in late 2014 from the Panola County Industrial Development Authority (IDA). Scouts had utilized the site for camping weekend in October, 2014 while it was still under IDA ownership. Scouts have now received approval from the city to hold a camping weekend there Oct. 16-18, Broome said.
At the July 21 city meeting, Lieb, with MDAH archeologist Susan Olin and University of Mississippi archeology professor Jay Johnson, appeared to give a green light to activities at the site with one exception: Don’t dig.
When Scoutmasters Broome and Jim Whitten, during the July meeting asked about opening walking trails and clearing paths, Lieb replied: “All you have to do is let us see where it’s going to make sure you don’t hit anything.”