Tuesday, Poplarville Board of Aldermen honored the memory of longtime city attorney Martin Smith with a special prayer and a remembrance presentation by the Rev. Dr. Eric Pridmore.
The board also heard once again from concerned residents about the noises coming from a business located on East North Street.
Smith passed away on Thursday. From 1968 to 1988, Martin served in the Mississippi Senate. For 30 years, he served as the attorney for the Pearl River Community College Board of Trustees and as Poplarville city attorney for the past 24 years.
“To listen to all that Martin did, any one of us could choose to say well I’m just from a small town and I can’t do that much,” Pridmore said. “He did not. He possessed institutional knowledge and experience that simply cannot be replaced. We will certainly miss him and miss him as a gift to this community and to this board.”
Two Poplarville residents attended Tuesday’s meeting to inform the board about complaints they have received about a business on East North Street.
The first resident owns a rental property near the business and said that the renter complained of loud noises coming from the street between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. The renter is also concerned about the business patrons running down the street without the use of reflective gear, the first resident said.
The second resident said he was about a block away from the business when he heard what sounded like a “foghorn” and someone giving directions, also between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Necaise said the board needs to study the city’s ordinances before taking any action.

In other action the board:
–– Approved a controlled burn at 616 Hwy. 26 East.
–– Approved the addition of volunteer firefighter Joe Seal to the Poplarville Fire Department.
–– Approved paying the registrations and meal fees for six firefighters to attend firefighter strategies, tactics and techniques training.
–– Poplarville Police Chief Charlie Fazende informed the board that Poplarville police officer Joe Bowman is offering safety training to local churches. Any church interested in receiving church safety training can contact Bowman at 601-795-4447 or 601-798-2766.
The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 17 at 5 p.m. in the boardroom at city hall.