Upgrades to Coliseum still ongoing

Improvements to the Neshoba County Coliseum in preparation for disaster situations as well as routine operations continue.

“The project is progressing fast,” said County Administrator Jeff Mayo. “J & J Contractors is doing a great job, particularly in working with us around events and the weather.”

Some improvements being made to the Coliseum include the addition of a new storage area and HVAC enhancements like replacing package units and converting heating to LP gas, along with adding four showers at the rear of the Coliseum. 

According to officials, code requirements mandate a sprinkler system for the storage addition, and a dry system will be used to prevent freezing, but limited water supply to the building poses a challenge to comply with the six-inch supply capacity called for by the plans. 

Despite the challenge, county supervisors have approved a proposal by the Central Water Association to upgrade the water meter and eliminate restrictions at the cost of parts.

“While we have a six-inch line coming into the Coliseum, we only have available water supply of two inches due to the meter being of two-inch size,” Mayo said. “To maximize fire protection and provide for capability for both the existing and to be installed sprinklers in the storage addition, the two-inch meter needs to be replaced with a six-inch meter and the three-inch restriction where the old meter needs to be removed. This will allow maximum water flow to the facility in the event the sprinkler system is needed.”

In other action, supervisors voted to:

• Approve pay increases of $1 an hour for three Sheriff’s deputies for taking on new roles: Mark Flake as the fire investigator, Matthew Winstead as the criminal investigator, and Patrick Burt as shift supervisor effective March 18;

• Approve the acquisition of an equipped 2018 Ford SUV at a cost of $28,000 for the Sheriff’s Department;

• Approve a pay increase of $0.50 an hour for Mallory Miller for six months of employment at the jail effective March 4;

• Approve moving Shundrell Clemons from full-time jail staff to part-time staff effective March 18 with a reduction of pay of $0.50 an hour;

• Approve a writ of garnishment for Damon Hudson for $1,131;

• Approve a road crossing for Central Water Association at 10181 Road 139;

• Approve hiring Theodore Gamble III as a full-time sanitation worker at $14 an hour effective March 18;

• Accept the resignation of part-time Deputy Circuit Clerk Gail Breazeale effective March 8, and approve hiring Charlotte Logan as Deputy Circuit Clerk at $13.25 pending pre-employment drug screen;

• Approve increasing voting precinct facility rental fees from $75 to $150 a day;

• Approve hiring Jacquelyn Grace Everett as a dispatcher at $14 an hour effective March 18;

• Approve a payment application from Burke-Mordecai Builders for $86,734 for the Emergency Management Storage Addition Project;

• Approve a travel request for new Emergency Management Director Josh Burt and County Administrator Jeff Mayo to attend the Partners in Preparedness Conference in Biloxi on April 30 and pay registration fees totaling $175 each;

• Approve hiring Constables Keith McCrory and John Lilley to provide security for large events held at the Coliseum;

• Approve the transfer and appointment of John Posey as Justice Court Clerk at $38,500 a year salary effective March 18;

• Approve a travel request for Gidget Tate and Jeff Mayo to attend the Mississippi Chancery Clerks Association & Mississippi Association of County Administrators Comptrollers Spring Educational Workshop from May 14-15 in Ridgeland;

• Approve a travel request for Supervisors to attend East Central Planning and Development District’s MAS Spring Regional Meeting at the Train Depot in Newton on March 27.