Board hears update on housing assistance grant

Published 7:00 am Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The county has been able to spend $100,000 so far of a $200,000 Disaster Assistance Housing grant it received from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said Emergency Management Director Danny Manley.

Manley and Jameye Martin, administrator of the committee distributing the grant funds, updated the Board of Supervisors on the grant during a meeting held Monday.

The grant can be used to purchase construction materials to repair homes affected by the storm event that occurred in Pearl River County in early May.

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There are 16 families that will be able to have safe and secure housing because of the grant, Martin said.

The county was originally told they could expect $250,000 in funds, Manley said, but the grant program was changed to $200,000. However, MEMA has informed Manley they believe $50,000 in left over funds from other counties will be made available to Pearl River County.

In a separate matter, the Anchor Lake subdivision bridge on Lakeside Drive is near completion, said Les Dungan of Dungan Engineering, and should be finished within a few days of work. The last piling on the bridge was driven last week and the top of the bridge is being put down, Dungan said. The school bus will not cross the damn, which is being used as an alternate route, unless it is completely dry, Dungan said, but the emergency access route is holding up well.

In other business the Board:

—Approved the final $15,034 payment of a $201,000 contract with Universal Services LLC to replace two 55-ton air conditioning units at the Pearl River County Lenoir Rowell Correctional Facility. The units have been functioning well, said county engineer Les Dungan.

—Authorized the execution of an agreement with Jeff Martin Auctioneers Inc. to sell old computer items. The only other option is to dispose of the items as hazardous waste, said County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin. All hard drives have been or will be removed and destroyed before getting rid of old computers, Lumpkin said.

The next Board meeting will be Monday Nov. 18 at 9 a.m.