During Monday’s Pearl River County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, the Board approved payments for completed projects and awarded another year of contracts.
The Board voted to guarantee a $700,000 line of credit for use by the Pearl River County Hospital and Nursing Home through First Southern Bank.
PRCHNH Administrator Steve Vaughn said nothing is owed on the previous line of credit held by Hancock Bank, which decided not to renew the credit.
Pearl River County Sheriff David Allison requested approval to change documentation of a DUI grant applied for in July. The only change was to update the grant number.
Allison said the grant, in the amount of about $50,000, would cover some overtime pay in the department and other expenses relating to DUI cases.
The Board also approved final payment for the wastewater treatment system at the Walkiah Bluff Water Park.
County Engineer Les Dungan said the site was inspected and approved by the Health Department.
Dungan advised the Board that bids for the seven-site EWP project expired 60 days after they were presented on Nov. 20.
However, Dungan said the contractors were still willing to honor their bids, but he feared the county could lose them if they waited any longer.
The Board awarded the bids to TCB Construction Company and Pearl River Paving during its Dec. 5 meeting, pending an additional $5,500 in funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The total cost of the project is about $250,000 with the county matching $55,000, previous coverage states.
In a separate matter, two Board members asked if 16th section land could become walking tracks and if County Road Manager Charlie Schielder had the equipment to build them.
District IV Supervisor Farron Moeller said he’s been getting a lot of requests for a track in the Salem community. District I Supervisor Donald Hart said he has received similar requests in the Derby community.
Schielder said there also has been discussion of paving an area in Derby for emergency helicopters to land in case of medical emergencies.
Schielder said work would have to be done soon before road paving begins this spring.
Pearl River County Chancery Clerk Melinda Bowman requested a change in bailiffs’ wages on behalf of Chancery Court Judge Williams.
Bowman said in the past, bailiffs have been paid on a day-to-day basis, but the judge is requesting they be paid for the full 12-day court session.
She said the change is going to increase the court budget, but could not say by how much.
In other news, the Board:
•Approved sending $21,000 in already budgeted funds to the Pearl River Valley Opportunity.
• Accepted a $40,000 grant from the Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation for the Henleyfield Volunteer Fire Department to purchase new equipment.
• Approved a first payment for the renovations to the county courthouse. County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin said the project should be finished in May or June.
•Accepted lease purchase agreements for the remaining three Ford sedans for the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department and the LiveScan fingerprinting device for the jail.
•Accepted a $27,000 MEMA Hurricane Katrina reimbursement.
The next Board meeting will be held on Feb. 22 at 9 a.m.
County offices will be closed Monday, Feb. 20 President’s Day.