The Poplarville Board of Aldermen met Tuesday night at Poplarville City Hall where they proclaimed May as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month and heard about the current state of the Poplarville Fire Department.

At the meeting, Poplarville Mayor Brad Necaise read a proclamation he wrote declaring May as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month.

The proclamation came about after Necaise spoke to Harvey and Amanda Hall, who are members of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s local chapter.

“We’re an organization that relies purely on donations so it’s important to spread awareness about the disease,” Amanda Hall said.

Amanda and Harvey have a 4-year-old daughter, who currently struggles with cystic fibrosis.

“She takes 30 pills a day and she goes through a lot and this is something that affects a lot of kids,” Harvey said.

After Necaise read the proclamation, the board approved a motion to recognize the disease in May. They also approved a motion to place a sign recognizing the proclamation on Poplarville City Hall’s lawn.

In other news, former Poplarville Fire Chief Bobby Strahan thanked the board for their fellowship over the years.

Strahan retired in April after serving more than 30 years in Pearl River County, according to previous Item coverage.

“It has been very interesting. I’ve learned a lot from it and I have no regrets,” Strahan said. “I think we did accomplish a lot of things. I believe you as the board and mayor will be doing great things.”

Necaise responded by recognizing Strahan’s achievements and thanking him for his work.

While he’s retired, Strahan said he will continue his involvement in the community.

Afterwards, Capt. Jonathan Head updated the board about the department’s vacant firefighter position. Head said they’ve had two applicants but none met the requirements for the job.

The board approved motions to deny the applicants and re-advertise the job posting in local newspapers.

Later at the meeting, the board approved travel for Poplarville Police Chief Charlie Fazende to attend the summer conference held in Biloxi, Miss. on June 16 -19.

After the meeting, the board went into an executive session to determine whether or not to appoint Head as interim fire chief.

The next meeting will be held Tuesday, May 19 at 5 p.m.