After a month of around-the-clock work, the new Oktibbeha County School District building should be move-in ready by the end of the month.
During the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday, project architect Roger Pryor gave the board a positive update on the project.
The board had submitted 13-page deficiency report to contractor Anco on June 30, a day after what was supposed to be the building”s final inspection.
“They have made substantial progress of working through it,” Pryor said. “I think it”ll be ready by the end of this month.”
The deficiency report called for mainly cosmetic changes like refinishing sheetrock in specific rooms, readjusting doors to fit frames and replacing damaged tile. The report also included notes of a broken window frame, a damaged stair door and inoperable light fixtures.
The board and the city decided not to authorize the occupancy of the building, located on Main Street, until they corrected the deficiencies.
According to County Administrator Don Posey, life safety issues drew more concern than cosmetic issues.
“They didn”t have hand rails up, the elevator wasn”t working, and the fire alarm system was not working,” Posey said of the June 29 walk-through. “The fire marshal wasn”t ready to accept it, either.”
Pryor”s positive report Monday was enough for the board to pass a motion to pay Anco $180,857.27, a payment that was held by the board after inspection in June.
The payment leaves a balance of $220,000, which will be paid after final inspection at the end of the month, Pryor said.
The two-story and more than 8,000-square-foot building cost about $1.6 million.
The district”s central office has been located on Louisville Street across from Starkville High School since 2005. The old building was rendered useless by Hurricane Katrina.
Caution signs
The board also approved a plan to install signs alerting motor vehicle drivers of cyclists along county roads.
The signs will direct motor vehicle operators to give cyclists 3 feet of space along the side of the road, which is stated in the John Paul Frerer Bicycle Safety Act of 2010.
Posey said signs will likely be placed 100 feet from the beginning and end of each road.
No exact timetable was given for completion, but Posey said he expects the process to begin immediately.
Several supporters and cycling enthusiasts showed up to support the proposal, led by Dr. Jim Brown, Meg Henderson and Melody Moody, all of whom are members of either Bike Walk in Mississippi, Starkville in Motion or Bulldog Cycling.
The awareness for the area”s cyclers continues to grow following the injuries suffered by Starkville cyclist Jan Morgan, who was struck by a car while biking along Highway 50 in Clay County on May 22.
Morgan is recovering at an Atlanta rehabilitation facility after spending a month in intensive care in Tupelo.
Brown, who cited the 20 fatal cyclist-automobile accidents in Mississippi since 2008, said the city has signs ordered and is ready to put them up.
Brown targeted Highway 389 and Self Creek Road as high-traffic areas for county cyclists.
“Until widening roads happens, we”re looking to get the signs up,” Brown said. “As the board seeks to bring people in from outside communities, if they see that this community embraces that it”s a positive sign for growth.”
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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 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
