Dead and dying trees in Pearl River County are falling during wind storms blocking roads and causing a safety hazard.

The dying trees left from Hurricane Katrina are causing a problem when they fall during wind storms and cause road blockage.

“Anything that can reach the road needs to be cut,” Road Department Manager Mike Mitchell said. “The issue is… the safety of the citizens of the county.”

“If we know we have this problem we have to find a way to address it,” said District I Supervisor Anthony Hales.

A problem with right of way will need to be clarified and Les Dungan of Dungan Engineering said he will check to see if the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the county for the work before any begins.

Picayune Police Department sent a request to the board to receive funds from E-911 funds to purchase a new 911 communications system for the City of Picayune to the tune of about $80,000. The board was reluctant to approve the request because a county wide centralized 911 service has already been approved by county voters. District IV Supervisor Robert Thigpen said a centralized 911 service ran through the Millard Jail would be more efficient.

“I think it’s a smart way to go and we need to look at it,” Thigpen said. “It would save lives and it would save money.”

Assistant Chief Deputy Julie Flowers said Picayune Police Department currently receives calls that need to be sent to the Millard Jail. Hales said that volunteer fire men have told him that some emergency fire calls have been held up as they go through the Picayune emergency call system before reaching the proper channels. A central system would help alleviate these problems, Hales said.

Thigpen said he will talk to Picayune Police Chief Jim Luke and see what he thinks about a central 911 system.

The original layout of a private road has caused a dispute concerning the way it is laid out and named. The original plan for Mandi Lane, as it is now called, had it follow a more linear path, according to documents from the planning department.

However that full path was never used and within the last six months the used path of the road that is used in a curved manner was named Mandi Lane.

Now development in the area will utilize the remainder of the original road plan, the part that follows a straighter path. This new development forced the board to consider how the road should be laid out to ensure faster emergency services.

Thigpen said if a road follows a less traditional path confusion arises as emergency departments attempt to respond in the area. However the board decided to approve Courtney Lane, the remaining section of the road that branches off of Mandi Lane, as a private road.

The board considered adopting noise ordinances drawn up by the county prosecutor, Cheryl Johnson, and compared Johnson’s proposal to the noise ordinances in Harrison County. Before the board will adopt the ordinance they want to set a suitable decibel level for citizens and events to abide by. The board will research the matter further to come up with a set noise level.

The board went into executive session for personnel matters and later approved personnel changes in the Building Division.

In other business the board;

— Approved contacting Kelton Smith regarding asbestos inspection at Chimney Square.

— Authorized the purchase of chairs for the Circuit Court Courtroom.

— Approved personnel changes in Sheriff’s Department.

— Approved closing of streets in the Egersville plat on Mable St. between block 26 and 27 and on Fourth St. between blocks 20 and 26.

— Authorized board president to sign a request form for payment of flood mitigation assistance for reimbursement under FMA-EMA-2004-FM-E001.

— Authorized board president to sign a contract with Dungan Engineering for the Dam and Reservoir project.

— Approved inventory changes.

— Approved travel in the road department for Mike Mitchell to attend an auction in Tunica.

— Approved strikes from sales tax and homestead exemption corrections in the Tax Office.

— Approved cancellation of uncollected warrants in Tax Office to be issued back into the general funds.

— Approved cancellation of a warrant for Pearl River Community College to be reissued back to PRCC.

— Approved paying 28 percent of the salary for the Fifteenth Circuit Court District Law Clerk.

— Directed County Attorney Nova Carroll to write a letter to Lee Tractor requesting reimbursement or replacement of a tractor that has only worked 4 of the 24 months of county ownership.

— Approved rescinding an order for payment of non received light bulbs and an order of payment for software updates.

— Authorized county administrator to sign a letter of acknowledgment concerning the receipt of funds to be distributed to volunteer fire departments.

— Approved the continued holding of state prisoners until May 1, 2007.

— Approved National Resource Conservation Services amendment concerning cost on County Farm, Buck Stewart and Ervin Ladner Roads.

— Approved NRCS amendment concerning time extension on Gogo and McNeill Steephollow Road from Nov. 30 to Dec. 31.

— Acknowledged receipt of volunteer fire department inventory lists from Nicholson, Crossroads and North Central and approved sending funds to those departments.

— Approved advertising for bids for the demolition of Chimney Square with bids to arrive to the board by 9 a.m. Sept. 5.

— Approved all board members to sign a resolution and present a plaque to Sylvia Stewart for her years of service to the county.

Adjourn until Aug. 2, 9 a.m.