The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors met Monday to sign over the wastewater treatment plant near the county jail to the Pearl River County Utility Authority.

“We’ve done some upgrades to the plant and now we’re turning it over to the Utility Authority so they can operate it,” County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin said.

The Item previously reported that a contract was drafted between the board and the Utility Authority. The contract states that the Utility Authority will operate and eventually own the wastewater treatment plant while the county would contribute $3.90 per 1,000 gallons to fund operation of the facility.

The county is constructing the plant, which will be smaller than the ultraviolet light plants installed in Picayune and Poplarville. The plant is expected to be operational this week, according to previous Item coverage.

The board approved a motion to sign the contract.

The Utility Authority has yet to sign the contract. At their meeting last month, the majority of the Utility Authority board decided to postpone signing the contract until the board of supervisors did. The Utility Authority plans to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the plant’s future, the Item previously reported.

Also at Monday’s meeting, Pearl River County Engineer Les Dungan said the Pearl River Paving Company submitted a bid to repair the bridge on Old Kiln Road, which was damaged by a rainstorm two weeks ago. The project, using county funds, will cost $68,850 and will take six to eight weeks to complete, Dungan said.

The board agreed to award the job to Pearl River Paving Company.

The county is currently working on other bridge-related projects, including the E.T. Poole Road and Barth Road bridge replacement projects, which Dungan said should be completed in the near future. He expects the roads in those areas will open in the next three to four weeks.

In other business, the board:

–Approved travel for the tax assessor/collector to attend continuing education training in Ridgeland, Miss. on June 10, 2015.

–Approved and signed lease purchase documents for two Kubota tractors, Diamond boom mowers and one new RoadHog for the Pearl River County Road Department.

–During the meeting, the new Community Resource Development 4H Agent Monet Clover was introduced to the board. Clover will work strictly in Pearl River County.

The next board meeting will be on Monday, June 22 at 9 a.m.