With the consolidation of 911 dispatch services in Pearl River County, the Picayune Police Department’s building will be closed to the public on holidays and off hours.
During Tuesday’s meeting of Picayune’s City Council, Police Chief Bryan Dawsey updated Councilors on how the public can file reports or complaints with the department when dispatch services are moved to the county owned building on Goodyear Boulevard.
Since dispatchers will no longer work out of the Picayune Police Department on Main Street when the consolidation is complete in the next six months or so, anyone who goes to the department at night or on holidays will probably find few people in the building.
Dawsey said the only time officers will be in the building at those times is when they have to file paperwork or if they are called to the department to take a complaint from a member of the public.
The plan is to install some type of phone system at the front of the building to allow anyone who wishes to file a complaint to call dispatchers and request an officer. Other than that, access to the building will be restricted via a locking system.
Dawsey said the department’s administration is still working out the details.
“I’m sure there’s going to be some little bugs to iron out when we get started,” Dawsey said.
Approval of the contract between the city and county was tabled during a previous meeting held July 7 because of a $40,000 discrepancy. City Clerk Amber Hinton said the discrepancy was removed from the contract approved during Tuesday’s meeting.
The Council also approved the naming of two roads constructed as part of the roundabout installed along Richardson Ozona Road. The roads will be named after prominent people in the community, Jimmy Stockstill, who donated the property to build the roundabout, and former City Manager Reggie Frierson. The roads in question entail one that runs from the new location of Richardson Ozona Road to the old location of Richardson Ozona Road, and a section of road that connects Highway 11 with the roundabout. Mayor Ed Pinero said which road will receive which name is still being determined.
A change order to the project currently underway to widen Highway 11 was also approved by the Council. Jonathan Hickman with Dungan Engineering said the change order for about $26,000 was needed to reimburse the cost of materials purchased that are now not needed. Hickman said the materials, which are sewer lines, were not used because MDOT made a last minute change to allow contractors to bore lines instead of cutting into the right of way to install them.
Hickman said the materials had already been delivered and been on the job site for months when MDOT made the change, meaning the manufacturer would not take them back. MDOT will pay $11,000 of the cost, while the Pearl River County Utility Authority will cover the remaining $15,000. The Utility Authority is covering the cost because that entity owns and operates the city’s wastewater system. Hickman said the change was brought to the Council because the city of Picayune is overseeing the aspects of the project that deal with water and wastewater infrastructure.
The plan is for the Utility Authority to attempt to sell the materials to recoup the expense.
The next Council meeting will be Aug. 4 at 5 p.m.