A proposal to rezone some neighborhoods in Eupora to allow for single-family residences only will be the subject of a public hearing next month.
The Board of Aldermen voted Feb. 4 for the city not to issue building permits for duplexes on Adams Avenue to Industrial Park, South Dunn, West Gould Avenue and Figgatt Avenue. Duplexes already located on those streets will be grandfathered in.
The same motion called for the rezoning of those streets from R-2, which allows for multifamily units, to R-1 for single-family residences only. A public hearing on the proposed rezoning is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. April 1 at City Hall.
Other Business
The hearing date and time were set during the regular monthly meeting of the mayor and board on March 4. Aldermen also set two other public hearings for April 1.
One will be at 5:45 p.m. regarding a rental inspection requirement ordinance that the board approved last week. Public Works Director Mike McCain first presented the proposed ordinance on Feb. 4 to the board, which tabled it after discussion.
The third hearing will be at 5:50 p.m. regarding an application for a USDA Rural Development grant (75 percent) for a backhoe/front-end loader for the Water Department.
Aldermen tabled setting a date for a blight hearing in the absence of City Attorney Jacqueline Meek. On Feb. 4, the board directed her to proceed with second letters to property owners with blighted properties and to request their attendance at the next meeting. No one was at the March 4 meeting regarding blight violations.
In other business March 4, the board:
• approved annual support of $1,000 for The Enterprise to be taken from the economic development fund. This is the same level of support provided last year.
• accepted a $25,932 quote from Shurden’s Roofing to reroof the City Hall/Community Center complex and waterproof the chimneys, and pay for the work out of reserves.
Shurden’s quote was the lower of two received. Mortar is cracking around approximately four chimneys and therefore causing leaks, according to discussion at a previous meeting.
• accepted a $6,250 quote from Parker Roberson Painting to pressure wash and paint the Walthall pumping station. It was the lower of two received.
• voted to add Jimmy and Bekki McLemore back to the volunteer firefighter roster upon the recommendation of Fire Chief Mitch Jackson.
City Clerk Gail Newton said no bids were received for the old bypass light fixtures after readvertisement in three newspapers. The item was again tabled.
Howard Rumore (Ward 2) informed the board that the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks plans to place fish habitat at Whites Creek Lake. He said the county has agreed to help provide cedar trees and cinder blocks to weigh them down.
Mayor Lamar Dumas recommended that the city have someone cruise the timber on city property by Brantley Park on Gifford Street. He said it needs to be cleared “so we’ll know what we have.” The possibility of building a community center there has been discussed in the past.
Special Meeting
The board had a special-called meeting the morning of March 1 to open proposals for engineering services. Those services will be for a proposed water and wastewater extension project in West Industrial Park.
The board voted Feb. 4 to rescind a motion made Jan. 18 approving Calvert-Spradling Engineers of West Point for the project because a proposal from Cook-Allen Engineers of Eupora was discovered at City Hall after the fact and it was submitted before the deadline. As part of the motion to rescind, the board voted to readvertise for engineering services for two weeks and open the proposals March 1.
Mayor Pro Tempore Jerry Gary presided at the special meeting in Dumas’ absence, with aldermen Rumore, Hugh Gibson and Junior Shaw also present. In addition to Calvert-Spradling and Cook-Allen, the city received proposals from Cook Coggin Engineers of Tupelo, Tice Engineering of Wiggins and Pritchard Engineering of Starkville. Pritchard was the only firm to submit a proposal after readvertising, with the others held over from the first submissions.
Each proposal was ranked according to qualifications, with Calvert-Spradling again ranking highest (with an average of 100 points) and approved 3-0 for the water project.
