The Board of Supervisors awarded a contract for $201,000 to Universal Services LLC to replace two 55-ton air conditioning units at Pearl River County’s Lenoir Rowell Correctional Facility, at the Board meeting Wednesday.

Currently, one of the existing 55-ton units is no longer functional, forcing staff at the facility to use portable air conditioning units to keep inmates on that side of the building cool, said County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin.

Universal Services previously replaced a 75-ton unit at the front of the facility, County Engineer Les Dungan said. The quote is lower than the county’s estimate of $225,000 to replace the units, Dungan said. It will still take four to six weeks to get the units replaced now that the contract has been awarded, Dungan said.

The Board also approved a motion to apply for a disaster assistance housing grant from MEMA worth $250,000 to purchase building materials to help people recover from the May 11 storm.

The grant would require $50,000 to be put into a 501C3 nonprofit and to create a community based recovery committee, said Emergency Services Director Danny Manley. Manna Ministries has agreed to be the nonprofit to help manage the funds, Manley said. The grant is strictly for building materials to help people rebuild their homes, Manley said.

The Board also approved a lease purchase agreement on a turnkey election system. District IV Supervisor Farron Moeller said the new system should be simpler for voters to use and cut down wait times during Election Day.

In other business the Board:

— Approved final payment for construction on the Shenandoah Bridge to Fred Fayard. The final cost of the project was $204,000.

— Approved the purchase of a Ferris lawnmower at a cost of $15,000.

For more on Wednesday’s meeting, see Friday’s edition.