Lauderdale County supervisors on Monday moved forward with planned repairs to the Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency building by ensuring continuity of services while the building is under construction.
The building, located on 14th Street across from Meridian Fire Station 1, was damaged by rain last month during a storm. In addition to LEMA, the building also houses the county Permit Office, Volunteer Fire Service and E-911.
“We did find out that we had a roof leak in our LEMA building,” said Supervisor Josh Todd, who serves as board president. “With all that happening, we had several other entities in that building as well that had to be relocated.”
After some consideration, the Permit Office was moved to the old courthouse on Constitution Avenue, while LEMA relocated to the Meridian Lauderdale County Public Safety Training Facility and Volunteer Fire set up at the county Central Garage. Moving E-911 much more complicated, and county leaders decided it would be best for 911 dispatchers to stay where they are.
Supervisors on Monday approved the rental of a portable building for E-911 to use as a temporary space while work on their office space is underway. The building will be set up in the parking lot of the LEMA building, which will allow the department access to its radio towers and other communications infrastructure already in place.
While the county works to set up workspace for E-911, efforts to repair the LEMA building are also getting underway. The county has already begun advertising for proposals from architects to help design the project and develop a floor plan that meets each department’s needs.
For the Board of Supervisors, a key goal of the remodel is to make sure the county’s 911 dispatchers have the space they need, Todd said. Dispatching is a difficult job, and county leaders want to do right by those who provide the essential service to Lauderdale County’s residents.
“What we’re really wanting to do is really take care of our dispatchers,” he said. “You know, those men and women are in a tough place every day when they come in, so we really want their space to be theirs.”
With the project still in the beginning stages, it’s difficult to set a hard date when the work will be done. Todd said a rough estimate is about 12 months.
In other business, the Board of Supervisors signed an agreement to have the remaining Lauderdale County Archives relocated from the Raymond P. Davis Annex to the old courthouse. Once the records are removed, any remaining furniture and miscellaneous items will be cleared out as well as the county moves toward putting the historic building up for sale.