McComb selectmen agreed last week to develop a plan for a multi-use facility on the site of the Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Mississippi.
The club operates in city-owned property and would remain there if a new structure is built.
Selectman Albert Eubanks introduced the idea after the city board decided earlier this year not to rebuild the gym at the Martin Luther King Center.
He initially envisioned a recreation facility that could also be rented out for concerts, weddings and other private events, giving the city what he described as “more bang for our buck.”
But he expanded the scope of his proposal to create a structure large enough to serve as a shelter during natural disasters.
“We have the Pike County evacuation center,” Eubanks said this morning, referring to the Community Safe Room in Magnolia, “but if there’s another hurricane it will be packed with people from Louisiana.”
About the proposed new facility, he added, “We hope we’d never need it but we want to think ahead.”
The board voted to spend up to $5,000 for Neel-Schaffer engineering consultants to put together a concept for the new building, after which city officials will decide whether to proceed with construction.
Selectmen also voted to advertise a Request for Proposal for engineering work on major improvements to McComb’s sewer system.
The so-called Northwest Interceptor receives waste water from the entire western side of the city, from Delaware Avenue across Interstate 55, and officials describe it as insufficient in size to handle development taking place in that part of town.
Interim city administrator Joseph Parker said the existing main sewer line is also over a half-century old, and damaged from tree roots and general decay of the pipes.
The entire two-mile sewer main has already had an internal camera inspection and a flow-monitoring assessment, so public works officials have a clear idea of the scope of work that is necessary.
Selectman Tommy McKenzie asked if a cheaper solution could work, short of total replacement of the main.
Public works director Philip Russell said a lining could be inserted as a repair but a larger pipe was needed to accommodate current and expected development in the area.
City officials are applying for a State Revolving Fund loan through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to pay for the work, which is estimated to cost around $6.5 million.
The Request for Proposal is a required step in the loan process. It is being advertised through Nov. 10, when submissions will be opened at City Hall.
The board’s next meeting will be 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, instead of its usual Tuesday, because Nov. 8 is Election Day.
In other business, the board:
• Appointed Rob Belote, a Southwest Distributors executive, to the city Planning Commission on a term ending Feb. 28, 2017.
• Reappointed Neel Gibson to the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance for a term ending Sept. 30, 2019.
