City officials took steps Tuesday to replace the city’s only fire station located in east McComb.
The city board agreed to advertise for bids to build a new Fire Station No. 3.
Renovations at the station, which was condemned and abandoned this year, would be more costly than a new station, Fire Chief Stephen Adams said.
He said the location of a new fire station — where Elmwood Street makes a sharp bend onto East Michigan Avenue — is essential to the safety of residents in that part of town.
Adams said the lack of a fire station in the eastern half of the city makes responding to fires and other emergencies there harder.
“Trucks must pass the bridge to get into that side of town,” Adams said, referring to the downtown railroad overpass. “Imagine what would happen if we had another hard freeze like last year, and the bridge is closed. The amount of time it takes to respond to an incident could be the difference between life and death.”
A new station will be built behind the old one on city property.
In related news, grant funding to “harden” Fire Station No. 4 on Parklane Road to make it better withstand severe weather will be discussed next week, Mayor Whitney Rawlings said.
The city received a $256,926 state hazard mitigation grant to pay for the work. The funding required a 25 percent match from the city. Since Pike County also houses its civil defense and central dispatch operations at the station, county 911 officials agreed to pay for that part of the agreement, which comes to $64,000.
That leaves the city responsible for paying some $32,000 in engineering and other fees.
Rawlings expressed reservations last week about spending the money, stressing that city funds are tight.
Adams said not proceeding with the project could jeopardize future grant applications.
Selectmen asked the mayor to ask officials in Magnolia and Summit, whose police departments are dispatched through the center, to help cover the remaining $32,000.
In another matter, the long-awaited but delayed sewer work on Summit Street is expected to conclude next week, Public Works Director Philip Russell told selectmen Tuesday.
“We are very close, everything with the exception of a sewer line on Railroad Avenue, which was added after the original request,” Philips said.
The $3 million-plus project to replace and renovate city sewer infrastructure began in October 2013 and was initially expected to finish in May, but has encountered numerous delays since it began.
Some of those came from unforeseen side projects that go along with the original sewer line work. Crews expect to wrap up the brunt of the work by the end of next week.
At Tuesday’s city board meeting, selectmen approved three more payments for the work, including $459,402 to T.L. Wallace Construction, $11,401 to Neel-Schaffer Engineering and $5,900 to The Ferguson Group, which handled the Community Development Block Grant application to pay for the work.
In another matter, the board approved the payment of $4,009 to match a grant agreement between the city of McComb, Pike County and the Federal Aviation Administration. The grant is for construction of perimeter fencing and installation of new navigational aids for each end of runway at the airport. The total amount of funding is just short of $300,000. The city and county split a 5 percent match of that amount.
The board also:
• Heard from McComb School District Superintendent Dr. Cederick Ellis, who requested a “partnership” with the city council, citing the importance of a connection between education and city government.
“In all successful towns and cities, you see a partnership with the educational system and the city government. I would like to have that kind of relationship with you,” Ellis said.
• Recognized Norma Felton, who retired from the position of deputy clerk of court of the Department of Public Safety.
Last Friday marked her 20 years of service for the city.
“She hand-tabulated the FBI numbers sent to us, something the rest of the office was glad she did,” Police Chief Scott McKenzie joked. “She was a valuable part of the department. It’s tough to see her go.”
• Learned from McKenzie that an increasing budget line item on city inmate housing doesn’t match what the city is projecting in its budget.
McKenzie said he is doing what he can to minimize rising costs at the jail. Part of the problem, he noted, is a high juvenile crime rate that typically surges in the summer.
McKenzie also said he is encouraging his investigators to wrap up paperwork and send their reports to the district attorney in a timely manner.
• Authorized the city to demolish and remove an old voting precinct building at Community Parks.
• Announced a vacancy on the Architectural Review Committee for the Department of Zoning, Permits and Licenses.
• Authorized travel for Lynn McInnis as a chaperone to the Mayor’s Youth Council at the Mississippi Municipal League conference.
• Approved the travel of Selectman Ronnie Brock to Jackson to attend a court proceeding in Jackson earlier this month.
• Promoted Ron Butler to engineer in the fire department.
• Noted City Hall will be closed Monday for Labor Day.
