Representatives of the Eupora cleanup and beautification committees presented updates and requests to the Eupora Board of Aldermen last week.
Bruce Walters and Cathy Embry, who chair the respective committees, addressed the board at its Oct. 7 meeting. Walters gave City Attorney Jacqueline Meek additional addresses of properties he said are in violation of the city’s blight prevention ordinance.
Meek said she also needs the property owner’s home address if different. Notifications are first sent as regular letters and if the property owner doesn’t reply by the deadline given, they are then sent certified letters, she explained. Some property owners who have recently received blight notification letters are supposed to reply by Monday.
Additionally, Meek said Jake Rich of Louisville told her he would have the Jake’s Recycling lot cleaned up by the following Sunday (Oct. 13). Aldermen declared the lot a public health menace in June. Rich was originally given until June 21 to clean the property or make satisfactory assurances to the city of his arrangements to do so. Otherwise, the city was to clean it and assess the amount to the property taxes.
Walters again requested that the burned-out buildings left standing after the downtown fire that occurred five years ago be cleaned up; some open sections have been boarded up in recent weeks, including since the meeting. Embry said bricks salvaged from the fire that have remained piled up on the south-side sidewalk along West Fox Avenue between North Dunn and Marie Lane need to be moved.
Meek also said she would see if city property maintenance codes overlap with a newly proposed ordinance previously presented by Ashtyn Krusee.
Police Chief Gregg Hunter said officers have been making notifications and issuing citations for abandoned vehicles, with some response already and some cases coming up in court Tuesday.
Embry noted that the Beautification Committee has placed fall decorations around town and is working on getting prices for more decorative trash receptacles for Main Street (North Dunn). She also said the committee wants to “start over” with new downtown planters, and would like to put some on Fox and Roane avenues also.
Embry asked Mayor Lamar Dumas to request that North Dunn businesses not leave their trash cans on the “low-side” sidewalk all the time, but instead bring them inside after trash pickup or set them out back in the alley for trash pickup.
New Fire Chief
During department head reports, Mitch Jackson announced he had moved to Starkville for his job and was resigning as fire chief. He will continue to serve the city of Eupora as a reserve firefighter and as a part-time officer for the Eupora Police Department.
The board accepted Jackson’s resignation and his recommendation to promote and hire certified Firefighter Tyler Bierdeman as the Eupora Fire Department’s new chief. He was hired at the current rate of pay effective immediately on a 30-day probationary period.
Jackson said his recommendation was supported by the Fire Department’s assistant chief, captains and members. Bierdeman is a full-time city police officer (see related article in this issue).
EES Burglary
In his Police Department report, Hunter said someone broke into Eupora Elementary School in the early morning hours of Sept. 28. This occurred during the second night of an announced power outage for maintenance work on the local transmission system.
Hunter said the burglar caused some damage and stole a small amount of change. Because the power was out, he said security cameras weren’t working and therefore did not yield any video footage.
‘Healthy Hometown’
grant overview
Joyce Yates of Eupora, who serves on the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation board of directors, gave an overview of grant opportunities available to communities that desire to be healthier. The city can apply to the foundation for a “Healthy Hometown” grant for up to $50,000 if it adopts a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance prohibiting tobacco smoking in the workplace and in public places.
Projects that could possibly be funded, Yates said, include putting something at the unused Spud Stennett Park that would promote exercise, programs for schoolchildren and a farmers’ market.
“It’s a golden opportunity,” she said.
Kathryn Allman, Mississippi Tobacco-Free Coalition project director for Choctaw, Montgomery and Webster Counties, appeared before the board in May and August requesting that the city adopt such an ordinance.
2020 Census
The agenda was amended to allow a representative of the U.S. Census Bureau from Tupelo to address the board about the 2020 census.
She said Eupora had a Low Response Score of 24.7 in the 2010 census, which means the bureau estimates that nearly 25% of households here did not self-respond to the census. The representative asked the city to form a Complete Count Committee; no action was taken.
Other Action
Other action taken by the board Oct. 7:
• Tabled the Toby Brantley property timber bid opening because no bids were received.
• Accepted the Certificate of Attendance for Court Clerk Milinda Norwood from the September training session and approved the court fine list, which has no changes.
• Approved Luna Bros. Circus coming to Spud Stennett Park last Saturday, with 10% of the proceeds from both shows going to the city.
• Accepted the Municipal Compliance Questionnaire as presented by the clerk.
• Declared old Christmas decorations surplus and authorized their disposal. The wreaths have been stored in the Doss Building, which has been sold, and new decorations have been purchased since last year.
• Declared three police vehicles surplus and authorized advertisement for bids. They are a 2007 Charger and a 2008 Crown Victoria, both inoperable, and a 2004 Crown Victoria that is in running condition.
• Approved the payroll claims docket and fiscal year-end payroll budget adjustments as presented.
• Approved quarterly reimbursement of $2,107.50 to the Eupora Fire Department for fire calls and drills.
• Voted to add Jarren Holmes to the volunteer firefighter roster. Howard Rumore (Ward 2) requested that he become certified as soon as possible.
• Accepted a low bid of $18,266 from Ratliff Water Well Service of Holcomb to replace a failed turbine pump on Well No. 3 (located on U.S. 82) with a submersible pump; electrical work will be billed separately.
• Authorized the city clerk to advertise for the survey of at least four lots where houses will be demolished as part of the HOME Grant project. The board did so at the request of George Crawford of the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District.
The meeting was held in the Community Center because of the large number in attendance, including many there for the beautification/cleanup discussion and a group of Mississippi State social work students attending as a class requirement.
