A debate on whether to name Oktibbeha County’s new safe room after former County Administrator Don Posey or former Emergency Management Director Jim Britt split supervisors during Monday’s board meeting.
During the meeting, supervisors unanimously voted to approve the construction plaque, which includes the names of the board, county administrator, architect and construction company. However, after that, discussion turned to whether to give the building a name. Supervisors have touched on the issue a couple of times since the county started construction on the $2 million storm shelter last fall, but Monday marked the first prolonged debate about the name.
Oktibbeha County had been working toward building the storm shelter, which is under construction at the intersection of Lynn Lane and Industrial Park Road, for about five years, and early planning for the project began under Posey and Britt. Posey retired from his post as county administrator in 2013 and died earlier this year. Britt retired from the emergency management director position in 2015 and died last year.
District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery said he felt the shelter should be named after Posey.
“I think he did enough to be recognized on that building,” Montgomery said. “… He was the first person I ever had come to me and explain a little bit of what’s to be expected.”
County Engineer Clyde Pritchard said he remembered Posey bringing the project up while work was underway for a shelter in Smithville.
“Mr. Don asked about that, asked about how it got funded and how it came to be,” Pritchard said. “We put him in contact with the contractor and the FEMA people and, to my knowledge, that’s how the whole thing actually started.”
However, District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams said he felt the room should be named after Britt. He said he approached Britt about the safe room, and Britt started the process, including searching for funding sources, from there.
“I know the process because, to be honest with you, I started it,” Williams said. “Mr. Britt stood right up there — and he’s gone up to heaven now. … You all should thank him for the initiation of the safe room in Oktibbeha County.”
District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard joined Williams in supporting honoring Britt, while District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller also voiced support for naming it after Posey.
As discussion bogged down, County Administrator Emily Garrard suggested using plaques to honor both men.
“I think you might consider doing a plaque or something in memory of Jim Britt, the first emergency manager, and Don Posey, the first county administrator,” Garrard said.
Supervisors ultimately voted, unanimously, to go without naming the building for now and will revisit ideas later — possibly at the next board meeting — on what to do.
But even attempts at compromise, when Montgomery suggested putting both names on the building, showed some fractures remained after the vote.
“Let’s honor both of them,” he said. “Put their names on the building. I mean, Posey-Britt? Don Posey did a large part to get that building in. I don’t want to have that reduced in conversation.”
“Why not Britt-Posey?” Williams responded.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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