New Jail close to finish

The builders of the new Marshall County Jail were in the board of supervisors meeting May 6 trying to turn over the keys to the jail and check off all remaining items so they can close out the project.

The one remaining thing left to do is replace the water heater, said Kenny Oubre, principal with Dean Architecture.

The water heater replacement has been a sticking point since a freeze in February damaged the commercial water heater and also the room where it was installed.

The new water heater will cost about $38,000, he said. The water heater issue no longer exists because the utility room is now climate controlled. The pipe burst during the freeze and sprayed water on the wall. The leak was not discovered for a few days. There was some vandalism of toilets that took place also as the jail was not occupied.

The board of supervisors agreed to sign a release.

The construction company, Barnes and Brower, asked for about 5 percent of the money remaining in the contract so the company can pay its subcontractors.

Oubre said there is about $40,000 left in work to finish the project and will reduce the retainage to about $80,000.

This is the second visit to the board of supervisors where the architect and contractor are trying to complete its check-off list and close out the project.

The board approved payment for the water heater replacement.

Bill Westerfield, with Dean Architecture, asked the board to take possession of the keys, a second time the contractor asked to turn over the keys both to the building and cells. Clean-up orders

Several parties asked for extensions on their clean-up time to complete the required orders for property cleanup.

One property owner requested additional time to remove vehicles stored on his property or get the vehicles tagged. The property is located in Ridgefield Acres Subdivision and the owner has been given extra time to remove old cars that don’t run or to tag them.

District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker asked the board to give the owner two more months to finish the job.

An order to cut grass on a lot 158 at Collierville Farms, was submitted for a cleanup order by David Johnson, new zoning administrator.

They passed a motion to order owners of a property at 1158 Highway 309 South to remove trash from the property.

A motion to remove trash from a property at 13873 Strickland Road was approved. Other business.

Ken Jones presented a final plat for the first townhouse subdivision to go in the county to the board. He said zoning has no regulations for townhouses.

“We gotta get some regulations. We gotta look at this,” said District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker.

The board approved a motion to table any action on the plat.

Phase 5 development at Kirkwood was approved. The phase will add lots to an existing road in the subdivision.

In other business, District 4 supervisor George Zinn III asked for advice about a person who was sleeping in a ditch across from the Watson Fire Department, that the person should be seen about.

Neighbors had given the person a tent and Zinn was concerned the homeless person had pitched on county property.

“I don’t know if we can let him stay in the tent indefinitely,” Zinn said.

District 3 supervisor Keith Taylor said the Byhalia United Methodist Church has money to sponsor a person.

“Sounds like he needs a hospital,” Taylor said.

County attorney Amanda Whaley Smith weighed in on the issue.

“You can’t live in a tent,” she said. “Did you say he is on county property?”

Deputy Royce Pegues said the person had strewn clothes and other trash down the road and has been in the area five days.

“Either way, you are going to get a call on him,” Pegues said.

“He’s not a threat to anybody. He drifts,” Zinn said.

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry said the county “is on a slippery slope” and could set a precedent if the person is allowed to stay on county property.

“If there was a chance he could stay behind a church temporarily, we’re skating on a very slippery slope,” Terry said.