The first Board of Supervisors meeting of the year had new Beat 1 Supervisor Eugene “Blue” Green dealing with complaints about road conditions.
Pastor Johnnie Porter approached the board about the road conditions in District 1. She is a resident of District 2; however, the church she pastors, Rose Hill Christian Methodist Episcopal, is in Green’s district.
Porter said her business with the board was personal and stated she has had to take her car to Griffith’s Tire a few times within the last three months due to traveling up and down roads in District 1, specifically Hutson-Morris Road.
The first visit resulted in a cracked front rim that had to be welded, the second a back rim was cracked in two places and another time she had to go back to have air added to the back tire due to welding, all initially from hitting potholes, according Porter. She said she filed a claim for the front rim, which was approved. When she went to file a claim on the second incident in December, she said she was denied because according to a road foreman there were no potholes on Hutson-Morris Road.
“That was false. I decided (Sunday) on my way to church to drive very slowly and count the potholes. As of Jan. 5, 2020, I counted 51 potholes, not counting the small holes just the bigger ones. Now Hutson-Morris Road is 3.8 miles from Gates Road to Mississippi 44,” Porter said.
Board attorney Drew Foxworth advised Porter to have the adjuster call Green and discuss the matter with him.
Green advised work has already begun to fill in the potholes on Hutson-Morris Road.
A bid by R & R Roofing and Sheet Metal was approved for the new roof at the Columbia Animal Control Center. The roof and the suspended ceiling on the inside were damaged from straight line winds associated with Tropical Storm Olga Oct. 26. District 4 Supervisor Raymon “Tater” Rowell said work should begin within a week. The county owns the building, and the city operates the shelter.
The supervisors were questioned about the inside work, including the ceiling and the attic fan, which has been broken for months. Beat 5 Supervisor Calvin Newsom said once the work was completed on the roof, work would begin on the inside.
Dewayne Stuckey with the Marion County Fire District approached the board about an agreement with the Lamar County Fire District. Even though Tri-Community has a fire rating of seven, anyone who lives in their district but outside five road miles from a fire station have a fire rating of 10, which causes homeowners insurance rates to be higher. Places outside the five road miles radius of a station but still within the county are actually within a five-mile radius of Hickory Grove Fire Department in Lamar County. Hickory Grove also has a fire rating of seven.
The response agreement would allow Hickory Grove to cover the parcels that are outside of the Tri-Community radius along with Tri-Community. In the agreement there is no exchange of money but offers a better insurance rating for those living outside the radius. The board approved the agreement. An agreement is also in the works for Tri-Community to do the same for areas in Lamar County. Stuckey advised that agreement will be presented toward the end of the month.
Tri-Community Fire Chief Cole Robbins spoke to the board about purchasing two new firetrucks for its district. Robbins and Stuckey originally addressed the board in November about the purchases, but no decision had been made yet about a CAP loan that needs to be approved by the board. A CAP loan is a capital improvement revolving loan program for improvement to the public facilities and infrastructure.
Robbins advised approval had been received for the district to receive two rounds of rural firetrucks acquisition grants. Robbins said it is a $90,000 annual grant that is done by the state to help purchase firetrucks. The county fire chiefs meet and the grant is rotated to each fire department.
One of the grants is a supplement grant is for $70,000 and the other is $90,000. Robbins said a joint resolution is needed between the board and the fire district to approve the purchase of the trucks. The board did approve the resolution.
Stuckey said the state fire marshal’s office gave them a 90-day extension to get the grants. The cost to purchase the trucks is $580,754. The total after the sale of the old trucks in the amount of $50,000 plus the $160,000 in grants would bring it to $370,754, which Robbins said would be paid with Mississippi Insurance rebate money and the tax money Tri-Community receives every year.
Stuckey said the note should be paid off by the end of this year.
Robbins said the reason why trucks have to be replaced is because the Mississippi State Rating Bureau requires the equipment be maintained to maintain the fire rating. Stuckey said the old trucks are 21 years old.
