At their August 16 recessed meeting, the Simpson County Board of Supervisors met with Tonya Brewer of the Latham Company to discuss the ongoing problem of repairs to the courthouse roof.
The Latham Company was the original contractor hired to complete the roofing project that cost approximately $401,000. After the work was completed, there were still leaks in the roof and the problem became worse in other areas, specifically in the District Attorney’s office.
In a previous meeting on March 4, Brewer appeared before the board and provided pictures stating that her company completed everything that was within their scope of work. She asked the board to close out the contract so Latham can take on other projects. Brewer said her team had done the repairs twice and that the original leak must have been above their work.
She explained that they put caps on all the stands, and the original hole is above the restoration that they have done to the roof, meaning it falls outside of their scope of work. Brewer said they discovered 93 pinholes where water can penetrate the courthouse and fixed them and that her company would still help with finding and repairing the leak.
The board agreed via majority vote to close out the contract and continue to work with Latham to discover the leaks with an amount not to exceed $5,000 in additional repairs. Supervisor Mitchell Chatman was opposed.
IT Director Charlie Welch kept the board informed of his conversations with Brewer as they worked to fix the remaining leaks. He explained that there were few to no responses from Brewer following the release of the contract.
While appearing before the board on August 16, Brewer said, “Unfortunately I have to come before you all again and I hate this is happening the way that it is.”
She said, “It got back to me that you all felt that our company abandoned the county and we still had leaks in the courthouse.”
Chatman stopped her and said this needed to be an agenda item because the county is going through litigation concerning this issue. Supervisor Wayne Womack said it should be dealt with in executive session especially since legal action is pending.
Brewer said, “You all are going to have leaks… I guarantee you 1000 percent that you all are going to have leaks. You all can put it on whatever agenda, but we did not abandon you. I told Charlie that we were coming back and I have been coordinating with Charlie and he told me not to come back.”
Supervisor Donny Welch explained that this was a board decision and that the issue had ben ongoing for four months. Brewer continued by saying her she was in contact with Charlie Welch to coordinate a time for her crew to return. She said for them to return there had to be good weather, no court, and her crew had to be available. Brewer said she was told not to come back. The board has moved forward with a different company to repair the leaks.
Chancery Clerk Tim Gray provided proof of publication for sealed bids for two new garbage trucks with specifications, warranties, and guaranteed buyback bids. Gray also presented FD. Dewayne Middleton, President of Copiah Lincoln Community College.
Dr. Middleton thanked the board for their continued support of Co-Lin and everything they do for the Simpson County Campus. He spoke on the opportunities available to students at the college and the recent success of their athletic teams. Dr. Middleton urged students to be cost effective in their education and explore what Co-Lin can provide at a reduced cost.
County Engineer Greg Bonds updated the board on ERBR projects and was authorized to add structural concrete at a cost of approximately $2,000 to SAP-6464 on Star Brandon Road. Bonds said the Star Brandon Road project is still approximately$20,000 under the estimate.
Road Manager Ben Warren praised the county workers for their efforts in extreme temperatures.
Warren said, “I just want to shout out our men for working in this 115-degree heat index. It takes a lot working in this heat and we appreciate them.”
Warren informed the board that their 5065 John Deer tractor was having clutch and transmission issues, and the repairs would cost approximately $8,375. He said there was an offer to purchase the tractor by another company. The authorized Warren to move forward with selling the tractor.
Sheriff Paul Mullins was approved to move Billy Seghini and Eric Still from deputies to investigators. Matthew Stewart was hired as a full-time deputy. Michael Payne and Eddie Thompson were hired as part-time deputies, and Randall Lee was hired to the MDOT trash detail.
County Administrator Eric Bowen presented his agenda. The board considered the bids from the revese auction for the purchase of two Western Star Garbage Trucks and authorized Bowen to obtain lease purchase financing quotes for the trucks. The board acknowledged and recorded the Simpson County School District Budget Certification and Funding Request for fiscal year 2025.
The solid waste schedule for the Labor Day holiday was announced. Garbage will not be collected on Monday and Monday’s route will begin on Tuesday September 3. All routes will be finished by Thursday September 5.
Attorney Danny Welch discussed insurance on the truck used by Covington County ambulance service and had the State Auditor letter of engagement recorded in the minutes. Welch also discussed a situation with a house flooding on Ruby Lockhart Road that could lead to a $30,000 claim. The homeowner’s house is built near a creek. Emergency management coordinator John Kilpatrick explained that the county added two culverts on their right of way several years ago. One of the culverts was installed at an angle and when the creek backed up the water went in the ditch and into the culvert. The misaligned culvert directed the water to the homeowner’s yard leading to her house flooding. Kilpatrick said this situation happened almost 8 years ago.
The situation was resolved 8 years ago and there has been major flooding since then with no issues. The homeowner recently put the county’s insurance company on alert that her home almost flooded recently.
Kilpatrick said, “What happened recently is the ditch is washing into her yard. It’s not our ditch and not our creek, and somehow or another she got the road guys to go and shore it up. They added concrete and stuff. Now we’ve touched the ditch again.”
Warren said the work was done without his authority. Kilpatrick said there has been seven years with no problem and now the county has opened themselves up for liability if it floods again.
Supervisor Mitchell Chatman verified that the home has not flooded. Chatman said the property is in District One and spoke on the need for effective communication. Things became heated between Chatman and Warren on proper procedure. Warren said Chatman sent the crew to the home. Chatman said he told the crew to investigate the situation, and said Warren needed to have a dialogue with everyone. Tempers cooled and the board moved to have County Engineer Greg Bonds investigate the property and report back.
The board entered executive session to discuss litigation before adjourning the meeting.
