Several important financial and repair discussions were had during Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting, including steps that need to be taken for phase II of the new City Square Park and steps to fix the roof at old City Hall. Also, Mayor Rossie Creel contacted the Item to clarify the reason the Board went into executive session at the beginning of the meeting.

In relation to the executive session at the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Rossie Creel said that when Alderman Tony Smith made the motion to go into closed session, Smith stated that the reason was to discuss personnel conduct. However, the Item did not hear Smith state the reason, and when staff asked for clarification later in the meeting, miscommunication between city attorney Colette Oldmixon and the Item did not result in clarification.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Public Works Superintendent Sam Hale spoke to the Board about a pothole forming on Main Street beneath the railroad’s overpass. He said repairs to a previous problem conducted within the last two years, involving injection of foam underneath the concrete, did not create a sturdy seal. As a result, every time a car drove over that spot, water was pushed underneath the road, slowly eroding the concrete.

Hale said he got in touch with the company that conducted the repair and warranty work is now underway to fix the issue, so no further action is required.

In another matter, Jason Lamb with Walker and Associates presented bids from four construction companies for the construction of phase II of City Square Park. Lamb recommended moving forward with the bid by Stewart Development, LLC, which totaled $143,004. Lamb said he’s personally worked with Stewart Development in the past, and had a positive outcome. In addition to the review from Lamb, since the company’s bid was the lowest, Lamb said the additional grant money could put towards something else.

“I personally was extremely pleased with these numbers. I feel like we have some flexibility there,” Lamb said.

A motion was approved for Stewart Development to proceed.

Lamb also suggested the Board consider working with Stewart Development on the park’s lighting. Lamb said having the same development company work on both aspects of construction would prevent the need for two crews to work on two projects in the same area.

No immediate action was taken in regard to Lamb’s suggestion.

Hale then spoke to the Board again, this time to present his findings about the leak at old City Hall. Hale said the leak was coming from the shingles over the bathroom in the area of the vent pipe to the attic. He said the ½ inch oriented strand board in that area rotted, leading to water running towards the center beam and subsequently to other parts of the building.

Hale said the roof was shingled prior to hurricane Katrina, and the shingles used were cheap and brittle. Hale recommended hiring a professional to re-shingle the roof.

Code Enforcement Officer Kolby Davis reminded the Board that the shingles must be able to withstand winds of at least 120 mph. Hale said architectural shingles would need to be installed, which are rated at up to 130 mph. Hale said using architectural shingles would put the price of the project at about $4,700 or more.

A motion was passed to take the matter under advisement.

The Board also approved a motion to authorize the Poplarville Chamber of Commerce’s Trash to Treasure event on May 5. The event will be held on Main Street from Cumberland Street to Pearl Street from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Creel said the last time an event took place on Main Street, he received complaints due to the road closure. Since there was no written warning, Creel said several citizens pulling trailers or campers became stuck at the roadblock. To remedy the problem, the Board asked Hale to buy the necessary road signs to warn drivers about the road closure.