Supervisors take up roof repair issue

The roof of the local Mississippi State University Extension Service office came up for discussion again at the Franklin County Board of Supervisors’ first meeting of November on Monday.

The building — which also houses the Franklin County Museum — has been leaking for some time. The roof is flat and has a metal lip around the edge, which doesn’t allow water to run off completely.

At one corner of the roof, rainwater tends to pool and remains there for a long time, eventually causing leaks.

The situation is causing the walls inside the building to buckle, floor tiles to pop up and there is a concern that mold could result in health problems for workers inside the structure.

Earlier in the year, the board asked county engineer Mike McKenzie to look at the situation and advise them on the best course of action.

At the beginning of May, he and District 2 Supervisor Henry “Eddie” Stebbins met with Waycaster & Associates Architects to go over design plans.

The panel signed a contract with the architectural firm on July 19 to develop a plan of action to address the needed repairs.

Johnny Waycaster of Waycaster & Associates Architects addressed the board Monday with a request to formally advertise for bids on the roofing project, which was approved unanimously by the panel.

The project will include replacing the existing roofing system, repairing the wooden deck and installing new insulation and a new thermoplastic polyolefin roofing system.

In earlier discussions, the plan included having an 18-inch tapered roof built, but Waycaster representatives said to do so would involve rebuilding the parapet wall as it is too short to allow the roof to have a larger slope.

The new roof will have the same slope it currently has, but the piece of metal causing the roof to hold water will be removed and capped properly to allow water to naturally flow off.

Contractors will also be asked to bid separately to replace the building’s existing gutters, as Waycaster said these structures are still considered to be in good shape and would not necessarily need replacing at the same time as the roof.

The estimated cost for the work is between $125,000 and $150,000. The new roof would also have a 20-year, no-dollar-limit, leak-free warranty, with the first two years covered by the installer and the remaining 18 years covered by the manufacturer.

In other action on Monday, supervisors took up the following pieces of business:

• Approved paying Walter Beesley $586.68 for the collection of $1,863.50 in outstanding Justice Court fines in October. Included in that amount was $120.80 for postage fees.

• Approved payment of $4,000 to Waycaster & Associates Architects for 40 percent of the construction documents on the Extension Service office roof design project.

• Learned that the annual State Aid road maintenance inspection would take place on Wednesday, Nov. 3.

• Received an approval letter from the Office of State Aid Roads noting change No. 1 to Project-19(14)S — a reseal project — was accepted. The change will increase the project funds by $50,000.

• Reappointed Gwen Dickey to the Franklin County Memorial Hospital’s Board of Trustees as District 4 representative, as her five-year term had expired.

• Approved payments to Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance for the following bonds: $175 for a $50,000 bond on Gladys Wilcher; $263 for a $75,000 bond on Tonya Blackwell: and $175 for a $50,000 bond on Gordon Dover.

• Approved and signed a subcontract with Lane Line, LLC, for striping and perforated markers on project EFL-0019(13)B.

• Approved travel for Gladys Wilcher to attend mandatory Justice Court clerk training in Oxford, with all expenses to be paid by the Mississippi Judicial College.

• Accepted as presented the aged analysis for the Circuit Clerk through September 30, 2021.

• Approved payments to The Franklin Advocate in the amounts of $187.32 and $444 for the publication of the cash disbursement and journal payments as well as the budget resolution and tax levy.

• Was informed of the opportunity for county employees, their spouses, children and grandchildren who are currently enrolled in college or are high school seniors – whether they attend public school, private school or are homeschooled – to apply for Mississippi Association of Supervisors scholarships.

The scholarships do not apply to elected officials or their families.

The deadline to apply is Feb. 1, 2022.

• Held an executive session at the request of board attorney Bill Halford to discuss right-of-way issues.

The next regular business meeting of the board will be held at 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 15 at the Franklin County Courthouse in Meadville.