Courthouse repair

The renovation of the old Reynolds Funeral Home building for occupation by Youth Court is near completion.

Youth Court referee Sarah Liddy thanked the Marshall County Board of Supervisors at the August 18 meeting for making a home for Youth Court, which currently operates out of the former justice court space at the old jail.

Her last ask was for a washer and dryer the court can use to clean up the clothes of children before they go to a foster home.

“Before the custody, they may be pretty nasty,” Liddy said. “They (coworkers) asked me (for the equipment) and I am passing it along.”

“We’ve spent so much money on that building,” said District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker.

“How much will the hookup cost?” asked District 5 supervisor Ronnie O’Neil Bennett.

Simpson Stroupe, in charge of buildings and repairs, said there is an outside wall off the mechanical room and it is not covered with sheet rock. A dryer vent can go there.

“We have spent a lot of money, but we have to do this for the children,” said District 1 supervisor Gaston Glover.

District 4 supervisor George Zinn III asked if the washer and drier is a true necessity. The court does not have a washer and drier in its current location at the old justice court facility at the old jail.

Liddy said it is needed in cases of emergency custody.

“We’re having to put these children in foster homes,” she said.

The county now has about 40 children in foster care, Liddy said.

Stroupe said installing the dryer vent and waterlines will take two or three days.

“Y’all just have to tell me to do it,” he said.

“These children have a hard time,” Bennett said. “We’ve got to provide the facilities for them. I was blessed with a nice home.”

“It looks great,” Liddy said. She said the state is coming in and removing the AOC (Administrative Office of Courts) MYCIDS computers. MYCIDS is a web-based case management system specifically designed to support the activities of Mississippi’s youth courts. The system assists in the intake of youth, scheduling of case management of dockets, and serves as a database for reporting. MYCIDS has been found to have some limitations since the Department of Human Services uses a separate system. “They said they are going county to county, taking them out,” Liddy said, because the computer provider is no longer in the equipment business.

Courthouse repair

Floor repair at the chancery clerk’s office and courthouse windows are in the works.

Stroupe said caulking the windows is something that can be done to eliminate rotting of the wood. The flooring inside the chancery clerk’s space has sunk due to deterioration of the floor joists.

Stroupe said a structural engineer looked in the crawl space and said deteriorated floor joist beams can be replaced but have to be installed from the inside floor.

Bennett said the courthouse caught fire in the 1800s and was rebuilt.

Stroupe said an estimate of the cost to raise the floor and replace beams is in the $200,000 range.

“It’s very obvious this needs to be fixed soon,” Walker said. “How are we going to prevent it from happening again? It gets wet under there.”

“It’s a very old courthouse with century-old subfloors and rough cut beams,” Bennett said. “Will the beams be treated?”

“Getting beams in is the hardest part,” Stroupe said.

“How low are the beams from the ground?” Bennett asked. “It’s got a basement and some of it is just crawl space.”

Chancery clerk Nicole Phelps said the records have to be in a climate-controlled place. Workers in the back (the east side) have to have access to the books.

Stroupe said the wing on the east side of the courthouse was added on where Phelps expressed concerns about public and employee access.

Stroupe said there was discussion of putting an entrance there creating a third entrance.

“The next step is what?” Bennett asked. “Are we waiting on a price? How long will the courthouse be shut down for Christmas.”

“Two days,” said county administrator Tim Powell.

“The (access to) files are the main thing,” Stroupe said.

Zinn asked how much moisture is getting inside the walls from the cracks in the windows.

Stroupe said he’s waiting until court is over before caulking the windows.

“You can get moisture coming through the panes,” he said.

Bennett cautioned about being prepared with spray for wasps while up on the lift.

Zinn asked if the courthouse steps have been stopped from shifting, on both north and south sides.

Phelps asked for signs saying Authorized Personnel Only to be placed in the hallway near the back steps up to the courtroom, prosecutors’ offices and judge’s chamber.

Stroupe said an air conditioner has to be replaced at the Department of Human Services and the handicapped ramp at the Youth Court building is under construction.