Five houses in the way of the planned soccer complex at Burns Bottom in downtown Columbus should be gone within three months.
Derrick Nash, code enforcement officer for Columbus, said Tuesday the houses will be burned by the Columbus Fire Department after an Alabama company removes asbestos from the structures.
The Columbus City Council voted Tuesday to contract with Specialty Contractors for the removal of asbestos from the five houses for $5,995. Nash said the Department of Environmental Quality must be given two weeks notice before the removal can take place. Then the CFD must also serve notice before performing controlled burns.
Nash estimated the houses will be gone within eight-10 weeks.
The only additional action taken by the council Tuesday was voting to terminate its uniform contract with Aramark, based in due to poor service and contract with UniFirst. The switch will raise the monthly amount the city pays for uniform services from an average of $1,250 to $1,900.
The council also heard from Sherrel Clark in reference to The Mourning After. The Monroe County organization counsels victims of violence and provides other counseling services to individuals from Lowndes County, Itawamba County and other areas.
Clark lost her 20-year-old daughter, Tory Cox Plunkett, who was pregnant with twins, to a drunk driver in 2006. Clark”s partner in The Mourning After, Debra Stegall Taylor, lost her daughter, Amanda Christine Suggs, to domestic violence in 2008.
The Mourning After is seeking non-profit status. Clark appeared before the council Tuesday to spread the word that violence counseling is available.
“We”re not asking for office space or money. Instead we”re just letting y”all know we”re coming,” she said.
Clark can be reached at 662-315-2526.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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