A rose to Lowndes County Supervisor Leroy Brooks whose words during Monday’s special call meeting of the supervisors appears to have brought an amicable end to a petty dispute between the county and city of Columbus. After a couple weeks of back-and-forth between the county and city over the settlement of last year’s CLRA split, Brooks urged his fellow supervisors to knock off the rhetoric and drop demands for the city to reimburse $74,000 that the county claimed the city owed as part the split. The city had countered by claiming the county held $111,000 in equipment purchased with CLRA funds. Enough, Brooks said. “The angst with the city…we need to get it all out,” Brooks said. “We are all doing good stuff but it gets lost in the shuffle…I don’t want to get in a fight with the city, I won’t get in a fight with the city… We need to press on.” Soon after Brooks made his plea, the supervisors unanimously agreed to drop the matter. Brooks was right. It’s time to move on.
A rose to East Mississippi Community College, which held a ribbon cutting for its Early Childhood Academy at the Mayhew campus. The ECA provides free resources to parents and childcare providers. While the main focus of the program is ensure children up to 5 years of age are prepared to enter kindergarten, parents and caregivers of children of any age can make use of available services. Among other things, the ECA offers resources for parents, caregivers and childcare providers, as well as referral services and children’s toys and books that can be checked out. For more information, call 662-243-1999.
A rose to the Columbus Lowndes Chamber of Commerce for this week’s inaugural high school convocation service, which was held Thursday at MUW. More than 100 students, teachers and parents attended the event, which was a suggestion from new Columbus Municipal School District Superintendent Cheri Labat. The convocation is designed to bring students from all public and private high schools together while strengthening ties between the schools and the broader community. “It’s just an opportunity to recognize the class that’s graduating,” said Glenn Lautzenhiser, the head of the Chamber’s education committee. “Education is so important to this community and this state. The young people that are going to be graduating in May, they will be the doctors, lawyers, accountants, plumbers and professionals that we go to. That’s why we need to support them.”
A rose to the city of Starkville as it begins the installation process for a new events management feature. Last year, the aldermen approved installing 104 bollards (temporarily poles that can be installed on streets as traffic control devices during special events). The first stage of that process, boring holes in the streets for the bollard sleeves, was completed this week. By using the bollards, which can be used to block off streets for parades, festivals and other events, the city expects to save money by reducing the number of policemen and squad cars previously required to block off the streets. The bollards, which cost approximately $50,000, will be located in downtown locations where special events requiring traffic control are often needed. It’s a practical and affordable option for the city, one that will allow the city’s police department to use its time and resources more effectively.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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