By John Howell Sr.

Panola County supervisors will provide a place for holding vicious dogs at the city’s dog pound after aldermen agreed last week to allow for a construction of a slab on the site.

Supervisors Bubba Waldrup and Gary Thompson visited the April 19 meeting of Batesville’s mayor and aldermen to seek permission to construct a slab which will be used to place portable holding pens. Their April 19 request was in addition to the April 13 visit to the Batesville city board meeting when city aldermen voted to sell a piece of jointly owned property on Highway 51. Proceeds from that sale would be used to help construct an animal shelter.

Last week’s visit addressed a more immediate concern.

“The only thing we’re asking for is permission to put a slab there and put these pens on it to put these vicious dogs in,” Thompson said. Construction of the slab on property the city rents for its dog pound near Highway 6 will allow placement of the portable pens the county plans to purchase. The portable pens can then be moved to another location if the landlord decides not to renew the lease, Waldrup said.

In other business during the April 19 meeting:

Stoplight bid

Aldermen voted unanimously to accept the bid of Shelby Electric Company of Memphis for the construction of new traffic signals at Highway 6/278 intersections with Bates Street and Eureka Street.

The new stoplights will be pedestal arm signals similar to three installed in late 2010-early 2011 at Highway 6/278 intersections with Highway 51, Woodland/Keating and Power Drive. The $321,000 signal upgrade replaced stoplights hung by wire over intersections and was paid for by the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT).

Shelby’s bid of $208,918.90 was lowest among five bids which ranged to $256,131. It is also 100 percent funded by MDOT.

City Engineer Blake Mendrop said that the work on the new signals should begin within two months. The contract requires completion within six months, he said.

Fourth of July fireworks

The city’s 2011 Fourth of July fireworks display will be held at the Batesville Civic Center (BCC) Saturday, July 2. Aldermen unanimously approved the date following a motion by Alderman Bill Dugger. Music will begin at 4 p.m. and fireworks will begin at 10 p.m., BCC Director Roy Hyde said.

Hyde told the mayor and aldermen that the Civic Center had only had two open weekends since 2011 began. Among BCC events scheduled for the next month were a prom for Tunica’s M. S. Palmer High School held April 23, Mr. Brown and Cora presented by Priority One April 30, the North Mississippi Church Conference May 3-5, the Convoy of Hope May 7, South Panola High School’s graduation May 14, the Deshea Townsend Car Show May 21, Batesville Police Department training May 24-26, plus other private functions, Hyde stated. BCC’s next open weekend will be August 20, Hyde added.

At Hyde’s request, aldermen voted to buy an edger for use on BCC grounds as well as in other areas of the city.

Drainage problems

City Street Superintendent Teddy Austin discussed with the mayor and aldermen drainage problems created by runoff following heavy rains. Austin said that problems occurred at three houses near the south end of Woodland Road and on Eureka Road at TNT Appliances. Austin said that partial solutions might include installation of new culverts under each roadway.

“That might be one of the streets we want to pave this year,” Mayor Jerry Autrey said, “… Woodland and this street. Could you get it done and let it settle in time to get it paved?”

The mayor asked Austin to look at both sites with the city engineer and bring back recommendations.

“Let’s get something done, I don’t want to pave it and then it sink down,” the mayor said.

Alderman Bill Dugger asked his fellow city officials to “put this back on the list … to keep them from building where we have these wash problems and then we have to come up and deal with it.”

City Code Administrator Pam Comer said that building requirements in a document prepared by former assistant City Engineer Billy Grantham described policy that would avoid similar problems in the future. She said that she would again distribute copies of the document for the mayor and aldermen to consider.

Alderman Ted Stewart asked Austin to clean out the ditch along Martin Luther King Street near Armstrong to allow standing water to drain.

“I think I need to go down through there and tear some of those driveways out and redo that,” Austin told Stewart. “Some of them just won’t drain. Some of them need a culvert and some of them need the culvert taken out,” the street superintendent said.

Alderman Eddie Nabors asked Austin to have his crews to trim bushes along the Lester Street sidewalk near its intersection with Panola Avenue.

Gas gate station

Batesville Gas Department Superintendent William Wilson described changes needed at the city’s natural gas gate station to coordinate with equipment changes planned by TGT. The city’s gate station is located near the TGT pumping station on Highway 6 West and regulates the natural gas flowing into the city system.

TGT’s plan to install a turbine meter will require the city to install a check meter at its gate station, Wilson told city officials. The check meter will help regulate the addition of odorant into the odorless gas and will “help us with our unaccounted gas also,” Wilson said.

Aldermen voted unanimously to spend the $20,000 required for the equipment upgrade.

Police vehicles

City officials approved Police Chief Tony Jones request to purchase a four-wheel-drive vehicle using federal funds available to the department. Aldermen voted unanimously to buy the vehicle at the state contract price.

“Are we going to be going out in fields and stuff? Dugger asked.

“When you’re dealing with dope houses and meth labs and stuff like that they’re not always on blacktop roads,” Jones replied.

They also approved Jones’ request to allow the mayor to attend a government vehicle auction “to buy a government vehicle for special ops using drug-seized money that we have in the bank.”

“These people, how have they been getting around?” Dugger asked.

“We’ve got old cars; they’re wearing out on us,” the police chief replied.

“You’re going to replace one?” Dugger asked.

“Yessir… I’m not adding another one to it,” Jones said.

Funny money

The city’s bank account will likely increase by about $3,500 after a cash recovery from a suspicious envelope, assistant City Attorney Colmon Mitchell  said.

Mitchell told the mayor and aldermen that the cash was in an envelope turned over for delivery by an overnight carrier.

“The overnight carrier was told that it was Girl Scout cookies,” the attorney said during a report on city legal business. “They knew the package didn’t feel right for Girl Scout cookies and they opened it up.”

Efforts to contact the addressee have been unsuccessful, the attorney said.

Aldermen adopted a resolution that allows the owner to claim the money. After 120 days, if no claim has been made the money will be declared “abandoned” and deposited in the general fund, according to Mitchell.

“I think that was … a down payment on a car; it was sent to me and got sent to the wrong man,” quipped Mayor Jerry Autrey, who is in the vehicle sales business. “It was a BMW purchase, a down payment on it,” Autrey added, triggering laughter throughout the room.

“Well, you can file a claim, mayor,” the attorney shot back.

Tornado siren malfunctions

Batesville Fire Chief Tim Taylor said that a warning siren located on Highway 51 South by the Bull Market is out of service while repairs are underway.

“The radio receiver has been pulled out and sent off for repairs,” Taylor told the mayor and aldermen.

The police chief said that the siren is triggered by a radio tone activated by the fire department or police department.

During his report, Taylor also presented a tentative plan for fire personnel training. The policy would allow a fire department to seek reimbursement from a fire fighter who receives city-paid training and then leaves the department shortly after its completion.

Volunteer Jordon Ethridge started a six-week course at the state fire academy last week. Ethridge indicated that he is willing to pay the $900 course fee plus travel out of his pocket, Taylor said.

The fire academy has postponed collection of Ethridge’s fees until the city decides whether to pay the amount, Taylor told the elected officials.

“He’s a good kid, and we’ve gotten a lot of good service out of this young man,” Taylor added.

“It sounds like he’s got it as bad for the fire department as I’ve got it for trains,” said Alderman Stan Harrison, a lifelong railroad aficionado.

“I don’t mind doing it (paying the volunteer’s fees); if y’all want to wait and look at this (Taylor’s proposed policy) and do this at the next (meeting),” Alderman Teddy Morrow said.

“I don’t mind doing it,” Dugger said, but he said that he did not want for the Batesville Fire Department to train volunteers who would go to work as full-time fire fighters for another municipality after training.

“If we make them stick with this plan, they’ve got to be on the Batesville Fire Department as a volunteer a minimum of two years … before they even get the opportunity to go,” Taylor said. After the training, the volunteer would be responsible for two more years’ service to avoid paying for training, the fire chief continued.

Discussion of the policy continued for almost 20 minutes with aldermen asking questions of the fire chief and attorney.