OAKLAND — Brandon Sims walked straight into a disaster zone when he accepted the position of manager of George Payne Cossar State Park on March 16.
The park was reeling from Fern, the ice storm that hit in late January. The former football coach understood what was in front of him and had a dedicated Cossar Park staff already working to bring the park back online.
“We are still not sure when the park will be able to open. The employees here have been working to clear what we can. We’ve just gotten bids to have a company come in and remove the widow-makers still hanging from the damaged trees,” Sims said.
He has also requested from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to set a volunteer day to help with cleanup but knows that will not happen until dangerous limbs are removed. He is hoping that volunteers can come in later this month.
Many groups have offered to help with cleaning up the 589-acre park to hasten its reopening. Of course, Cossar is not the only state park still under shutdown orders. Wall Doxey in Holly Springs, John Kyle in Sardis and J.P. Coleman in Iuka are also dealing with the same issues.
At Cossar, employees are currently doing what they can safely do with debris and also have used this down time to remodel two cabins, paint the gatehouse entrance and replace rotten boards in the bathhouse and day use area.
In spite of the natural disaster, Sims is excited to step into the manager role. Having grown up just across the way in Teasdale, in Tallahatchie County, Sims is very familiar with the park and Enid Lake.
“I grew up on this lake. I even remember the swimming pool. We were out here all the time on our boat,” he recalled.
Sims said his immediate goal is to get reopened and then to bring more visitors to the park, to upgrade campgrounds and improve the Jones Creek campsites.
He and his high school sweetheart, Jesse, married in October 2023 and have an 8-month-old daughter, Meri Michael. They are looking forward to moving onto the park property soon.
In addition to coaching for six years, Sims has worked in maintenance at Tallahatchie General Hospital and owned his own landscaping business. Those skills will all be put into use in his new role.
Sims is a graduate of Charleston High School, Northwest Community College and Delta State University. He is a hunter and fisherman and loves watching sports. He and his family attend Jackson Grove Church of Christ in Teasdale.
