Street overlay or MLK gym? That is the question.
The answer, though, has sparked a debate among McComb’s elected officials.
The city recently received $292,000 from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement, and selectmen chose to put this money into street overlay based on the idea that an improved infrastructure draws more businesses and therefore more revenue. That in turn produces more money for things like recreation and parks.
On Aug. 25, Selectman Ronnie Brock made a motion to split the BP proceeds in half, with 50 percent going to street overlay and 50 percent going to refurbish the Martin Luther King Center gym in Burglund.
The motion failed on a 2-3 vote. Selectmen Donovan Hill and Brock voted for the 50-50 split while selectmen Tommy McKenzie, Michael Cameron and Ted Tullos voted against it. Selectwoman Tammy Witherspoon was not at the meeting.
The board then passed a motion to spend all of the BP money on street overlay. The vote was 4-1 with Hill voting to support the motion while Brock opposed.
Brock was not available for further comment. But his position has been clear all along: The city should invest in the restoration of the MLK gym.
Hill said that he voted for street repairs after the substitute motion for a 50-50 split failed because he does support making the streets better. On the other hand, he is also pushing to have positive places for youth.
“The city had an opportunity to serve all of the citizens with the substitute motion,” Hill said. “I’ve talked with a lot of people in my ward and they want a gym, but they also want to see the streets improved. And, truth be told, $292,000 won’t do a whole lot for street overlay, but it may have gone a long way to bring back the gym.”
Mayor Whitney Rawlings stood by his recommendation to spend all of the BP money on street overlay. He and recreation director Joseph Parker have been looking at open-air gym plans for the Martin Luther King Center, because he says he does believe there is a need for a gym in Burglund.
“We are trying to find dollars wherever we can to use on street improvements,” he said. “With the hotel-motel tax, I presented the board with a total of $1.2 million and we borrowed $600,000 of the total for the Parks Improvement Project. The original plan was to use $60,000 of that money to tear the gym down. Then we amended the plan to use that money to strip it down to the concrete floor and steel beams. The plan now is to go back and add a steel roof and re-establish the courts.”
The gym has also been vandalized over the years, though it has been abandoned since 2007. Witherspoon said vandalism wouldn’t be a problem if the gym were in use.
“I believe it was vandalized because it wasn’t being used,” she said. “I remember when it wasn’t vandalized. When it was being used, people took pride in it. It was vandalized after it was abandoned.”
Witherspoon admits she is torn over which project the BP money should have been spent on — street overlay or the gym.
“We definitely need to repair our streets, there is no doubt in that,” she said. “But I also think the gym is important and it’s something the city should want. So, I guess I am torn over this issue. Honestly, I think that if the right program is in place, the gym will be worth the city investing in.”
That notion is what Tullos and McKenzie say they believe will make the difference.
Tullos pointed out the expense of having a consistent staff and program.
“I wonder if they realize how expensive it would be to do the MLK gym right? You have to have a staff and a program, equipment, utilities. You’re talking about a major expense, and right now we desperately need street repairs.
“The BP money is being spent where it should be. The hotel-motel tax can’t be spent on street overlay, but the BP money can and will be,” Tullos said.
McKenzie, who is the selectman at-large, said he has doubts about the open-air gym idea. And he says the streets need to come first.
“The critical needs of the city are still the subject of the matter,” he said. “And before we spend money on a gym, we have to repair our streets. The BP money will pave Third Street.
“As for the open-air gym, I originally floated that idea, but I’d like to hear from the McComb Housing Authority on why they are getting rid of their open-air courts,” McKenzie said. He has said repeatedly that the MLK gym would need a program in place to be viable.
“Until there is a plan in place that will make the gym a success, I think money is wasted there. This to me, is the first and most important thing to consider,” he added.
McKenzie then brought up an idea which he plans to bring to the board’s next work session.
“I would like to see the city partner with the historic Higgins (Middle School) gym, which is a historic Burglund site. They have an extremely successful program and the school has a need to do some renovations to that gym. So, you have an established school and organization, and I would like to see us spend money on that.
“I think people have gotten attached to the idea of the gym and the name, but I think the MLK gym should be torn down and replaced with something that will serve the community,” McKenzie said.
