On Tuesday, Poplarville’s Board of Aldermen held a busy public hearing that included a dirty local swimming pool that is alleged to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Guy Holston, code enforcer for the city of Poplarville, suggested the Board take action to fix the problem with the pool, located at 1410 Shivers Street in Poplarville.

“With numerous complaints from people that live near that street, we must get something done with it,” Holston said. “I suggest we act on this now. It has been a menace for too long.”

He suggested to fill the pool in with dirt or drain it to prevent the public from being exposed to the stagnant water.

Before any action can take place to fix the problem, the Board must agree and approve that it is a menace to the city.

The Board first discussed the problem with the pool on May 10.

The property is owned by Dakota Assets who was allegedly going to start repairing the property on June 1, after receiving a bid for $8,000 to put a fence around the pool. Another $1,000 was required to fill and cover the pool. They asked for a bid to do electrical work to properly repair the pool’s pump.

“I might not be an electrician, but $1,400 is a little bit of money for what this property needs,” Holston said. “You can’t have a working pool without electricity. There’s nothing to start the pumps.”

Few corrections have been attempted by Dakota Assets to correct the issues with the pool, leaving it in a hazardous state.

“It is black and green. There is no sign of them treating the water with chemicals or treating the property with any type of mosquito repellants. It is a hazard to the local people’s health and it needs to get fixed as soon as possible,” Holston said.

After hearing Holston’s concerns, the Board approved a motion to declare the property as a public menace. However, the Board needs to discuss the matter further before taking action.

“We need time to make sure we take the proper steps to ensure there is no legal issues and also that we make the right decision for the city of Poplarville,” Poplarville Mayor Brad Necaise said.

In about two weeks, work is expected to take place on the property to remove the mosquitoes from the pool.

For coverage of the other topics discussed during the Board of Aldermen meeting, see Thursday’s edition of the Picayune Item.