The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors approved a motion to hold a Public Safety Awareness Day next fall.
John Odle from the Henleyfield Volunteer Fire Department made the proposal to the Board during its regular meeting Wednesday morning.
Odle said he hopes to educate the public by sharing information about what volunteer fire departments do and how the public can help.
The event would be held at the county fairgrounds and be open to the public, Odle said. He intends to invite representatives from state and federal agencies, such as MEMA.
The Board approved his request to hold the event in September or October of 2018 depending on fairgrounds availability.
In a separate matter, Mississippi District 46 Senator Philip Moran spoke to the Board about working with the county to manage mosquitos.
Moran, who also owns Philips Pest Control, LLC, said he currently helps manage the pest control program in Hancock County and would like to extend his services into Pearl River County.
With threats of mosquito-borne illnesses like the Zika virus and West Nile coming into south Mississippi, Moran said the county should look at ways to further prevent them from affecting the population.
“If and when this happens, there will be some money pumped into our area to combat this,” he said.
Moran also mentioned that he may introduce a bill to the legislature this year requiring people who raise honeybees to register with the state. The process would alert pest control companies and governmental entities to areas of honeybee hives because the mosquito killing chemicals are also toxic to the bees.
In other matters, the Board discussed the progress on bridge replacement projects, including those on Oak Grove, Springhill, Rock Ranch, Otis Jones, Harry Sones and Progress roads.
County Engineer Les Dungan said work on Springhill Road is nearly complete and the bridges should reopen any day. Construction on Oak Grove Road is expected to begin later this week. Work on a bridge on Rock Ranch Road is awaiting final inspection but the bridge is open to traffic. Harry Sones and Sones Chapel roads are in the right-of-way acquisition phase. State aid funds for Progress Road have been expedited and currently being reviewed by the state. Part of McNeill Steephollow Road is closed for repairs to the bridge but is expected to reopen early next week, Dungan said.
The Board will hold a budget workshop Monday, Aug. 28 at 9 a.m. in the county administration office.