The Caledonia Board of Aldermen approved upgrades to ballpark field lights and law enforcement arsenals Tuesday.
Caledonia marshal Ben Kilgore passed a memo to all board members requesting he and his officers have permission to carry their personal AR-15 rifles while on patrol. AR-15’s are customizable service rifles, which are generally semi-automatic.
Kilgore also requested the city provide funding for ammunition. The alderman and mayor approved the request, with Alderman Quinn Parham opposed. The town will pay for startup ammunition in the amount of $360 for 1,000 rounds.
Mayor Bill Lawrence, after the meeting, told The Dispatch there have been no incidents where deputies have come under fire. Lawrence cited a potential active shooter situation at Caledonia schools as a potential reason the heavier arms might be needed.
“It’s too late for training when something happens,” Lawrence said.
The board of alderman also approved $2,428 for new stadium lights on Caledonia’s baseball fields. Little league opening day is Saturday in Caledonia, where this year’s little league has 404 players signed up. That’s more than Oxford, according to Lisa Mims, the director of Parks and Recreation. The board also moved to accept bids on a new tractor to maintain the park’s fields.
New town website, roads discussed
Alderman Mitchell Wiggins said he is nearing completion of the town’s website. He hopes to have the site up and running by early summer and said it will be helpful for residents and visitors.
A motion was made by Alderman Bill Darnell to hold a work session, where the board can discuss how to address what he sees as an issue with local roads. The 10.5 miles of road in town are not up to par, Darnell said.
“We’ve got some spots where the road is falling off into a ditch,” Darnell said.
Lowndes County road manager Ronnie Burns was present at the meeting. He said Caledonia roads are not as bad as the board perceives them to be. He said any changes made to the road must begin with sidewalks.
District One supervisor Harry Sanders, also present, said the town should wait until local construction projects finish before addressing their roads. A work session date was not determined, but Lawrence said one should be held to discuss roads, sidewalks and local parks in the near future.
Water should be flowing in Caledonia after the implementation of turtle traps by Light and Water director Barrett Baggett. The traps have captured 88 turtles calling the town’s water system home, according to Baggett.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 45 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
