The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors approved Waste Management’s expansions for Central Landfill in Millard late yesterday afternoon, but with some changes to address fears county residents have voiced.

Originally Waste Management wanted to have 47 acres added to the site, but the board approved a 29-acre expansion, which will square up the foot print, said County Administrator Adrian Lumpkin. Additionally, the agreement between Waste Management and the county lowers the maximum height of the landfill from 298 feet to 275 feet, or 10 feet above the old cell, Lumpkin said. Waste Management was asking for a maximum of 390 feet, he said.

The board required that the ground surrounding the cell have grass growing on it at all times as the new cell is being built. Of the 19 counties Waste Management asked for to increase their coverage area, the board approved only six. Those counties are Perry, Jones, Covington, Simpson, Smith and Jasper, Lumpkin said.

“I feel like this is a pretty good deal,” Lumpkin said.

In action earlier in the day, definitions in noise ordinances were clarified. Sheriff Joe Stuart addressed the board about establishing a definitive set of noise ordinance standards after receiving numerous complaints about the county mud bog. It appears the mud bog in the area of the NASA test site creates too much noise at late night hours for residents near the bog. Stuart asked what the noise ordinance could dictate on the matter.

Lumpkin said the already adopted noise ordinance mandates any noisy event involving motor vehicles should shut down by 10:30 p.m. If anyone has an event that would last beyond that time, they need to go the county building codes office and apply for a permit. A permit will cost $25 and once the permit is applied for, the building department will have five days to respond, he said. If the permit is denied, event promoters can appeal the decision with the board of supervisors. Promoters of such events are advised to apply for such permits in a timely manner to allow the permitting process and the appeal process to follow through. No appeal process was discussed for residents to follow if a permit is approved.

Stuart said his department would like to use two motorcycles used for neighborhood patrols. Leasing two motorcycle patrol vehicles would cost about $350 a month, he said. The sheriff said there are two deputies that have motorcycle endorsements. However, Lumpkin said those deputies would still require proper training.

While the idea of motorcycle officers had been most recently mentioned at a community forum, District IV Supervisor Robert Thigpen said that the board had considered using motorcycles in patrol activities before Hurricane Katrina. The board approved the motorcycles and seeking a lease agreement.

Following a recent discussion between Chief Building Inspector Kirk Pichon, Lumpkin and supervisors, Thigpen and Danny Wise and local builder Charles Ray Perry concerning adjustments to the building codes, Pichon told the board he received feedback from residents concerned about changes.

“After the story hit the paper, I had three or four phone calls wanting to know what we were doing, (they asked me) ‘we finally got building codes in the county, why were we starting to weaken them already?’” Pichon said.

Pichon suggested the changes discussed at that meeting be allowed as alternatives to meet the county wide building codes. Making them alternatives would avoid trouble while still accomplishing the same things.

“The changes we made here are really common sense items,” Thigpen said. “The building codes are tough and needed, and will make a difference way down the line.”

The changes will be reviewed further and presented to the board again at their next meeting, Lumpkin said.

A county resident brought a petition concerning making a private road a county road. Jennifer Adams said the road she and her neighbors live on is in serious disrepair and the tractors other residents use to try to grade the road are only making the situation worse.

“It’s really hard to get a lot of them together to be able to accomplish anything on the road because there are so many people,” Adams said.

District I Supervisor Anthony Hales determined that a since a school bus needs pick up a number of children that live on the road, the school could request that road be a bus turn around. If the school, Pearl River Central, will agree to bring a bus down the road and present a bus turnaround request to the board then the county could help maintain the road.

A request by a county resident to install a rubbish site on a section of his land was taken under advisement. There is a rubbish site at Central Landfill in Millard, Waste Management Regional Manager Mike Hall said.

Thigpen suggested letting the solid waste advisory board take a look at the request. Hales said he did not want to go through a long drawn out process if there was already a rubbish site in the county. The board decided to take it under advisement.

Rodney Spiers with the Mississippi Department of Corrections asked the board about entering into a lease agreement to house an office that was not included in plans fort reconstruction of the Chimney Square building. Spiers found a place with 1,800 square feet and a rear entrance. A three-year contract for the building in Picayune $1,200 a month.

“It seems to be able to fit our purposes,” Spiers said.

Spiers said there is an account with money saved up for this use. There are about 400 people on probation in the county, he said. The board approved lease agreement with Amy Holiday Rush for a building for the MDOC.

In other business the board went into executive session for pending litigation and economic development.

The board also;

— Authorized board president to sign request for payment of Hazard Mitigation Grant of a total of $7,426 for project 594-0001.

— Approved to request reimbursement for $93,886 the Mississippi Development Authority for salaries for building code division.

— Acknowledged an announcement of a meeting to take place on April 25, 2007 to present Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps to public. Holmes said those maps will also be available on the Internet and paper copies will be available at the two city halls. Public comment is requested on the maps, Holmes said.

— Approved change order for lights at Bill Watson park for $7,806.30.

— Authorized board president to sign Mississippi Emergency Management Agency reimbursement #28 for $413,776.94.

— Approved a notice to proceed agreements on repair for repairs to the courthouse interior, the hospital and the voting precincts.

— Approved request to issue check to Mississippi State Treasurer of $1,666..47

— Approved a request to issue check to district attorneys office for $45 for records fee.

The next meeting of the board of supervisors will meet again 9 a.m. April 2, at the Poplarville courthouse.