Board of Supervisors honor Arp for work with national event

Published 9:44 am Tuesday, September 20, 2016

The Warren County Board of Supervisors honored Doug Arp, a retired, longtime Vicksburg Police Department officer, who organizes the community’s National Night Out event each year.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace introduced Arp at the supervisors’ meeting Monday morning, telling them about Arp’s efforts in making the event special each year.

“Doug Arp, who spent many years with the Vicksburg Police Department, comes up with a new and zany way to attract attention to this event, the purpose of which is to raise awareness of crime prevention,” Pace said. “He has done this on his own for years and he does it on his own dime for no other reason than he loves this community.”

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Arp invited supervisors and other county staffers to the event, which is Oct. 4 on the grounds behind the Old Court House Museum beginning at noon. He said the theme for the event is “Who Do You Call — Crimebusters,” a play on the Ghostbusters movie theme.

Arp wouldn’t let on about any surprises he has planned for the event, but said the city’s fire chief and the Mad Baker, a bakery and restaurant in downtown Vicksburg, will play a large part.

“We are going to have a special sweet surprise, I am sure you will find interesting,” Arp said. Those participating will line up at 11:45 a.m. in the back of museum for a very short motorcade to the Old Court House Museum site.

Arp said this year’s program is interesting and will include as special guest Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice William Waller Jr.

The supervisors presented Arp with a proclamation honoring him and his efforts and proclaiming Oct. 4 as National Night Out in Warren County.

In other business, supervisors:

• reappointed Bill Nichols to the library board.

• authorized board president Richard George to sign the county’s application for certification of the 2016 land roll for real and personal property.

• authorized advertisement of the notice required for Election Poll Worker Training.

• authorized checks to cover titles and tags for road department vehicles.

• approved advertising for bids 2017 herbicide application and grass cutting on county properties and flood lots.

• approved renewing contracts at existing prices for those who hold contracts for grass cutting at Eagle Lake, LeTourneau, the county building and waste-hire pickup.

• approved a request from county engineer John McKee to allow Anderson Contract LLC to subcontract with Road Pro Safety on Fisher Ferry Road for its channel stabilization project.

• approved a change order in the amount of $46,500 for work on the Old Highway 27 bridge project.

• tabled until its Oct. 3 meeting a petition from Ronald D. Taylor for issuance of a permt to construct residential housing on a portion of Lot 59 and Lot 11 in Littlewood Subdivision. Supervisors said they would like to hear the thoughts of the subdivision’s homeowners association prior to making a decision.

• declared a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe from the sheriff’s department, which was totaled in a collision, as surplus property to allow it to be removed from the county’s inventory.

• removed a lost or stolen chainsaw from the Fisher Ferry Fire Department’s from the county’s inventory.

• issued a check in the amount of $30,000 to the Warren County Parks and Recreation Commission, to allow it to play its obligations for the remainer of the fiscal year. County Administrator John Smith said the money is an advance from money due the Parks and Recreation Commission in the next fiscal year. Smith said the county will recoup the funds from the commission by taking $15,000 each from its April and July 2017 payments, which will allow the commission better cash flow because of money coming in during its peak golf season next year.

• authorized the board president to sign a lease contract between the Vicksburg Warren School District and the Open Door Bible Church.

• authorized the county administrator to attend a training workshop in October in Ridgeland.

• approved a cost of living adjustment request from Waste Management. Residential services will increase of 0.068 of 1 percent — from $53.37 to $53.70 or 33 cents — per household per quarter.

• Voted down a motion by District 3 supervisor William Banks Jr., seconded by District 3 supervisor Charles Selmon, in a three to two vote that would have allowed Alcorn State University’s extension office to share space with Mississippi State University’s Extension program in a county-owned building. District 1 supervisor John Arnold, District 4 supervisor John Carlisle and District 5 supervisor and board president Richard George voted against the motion, saying they wanted to hear from officials at the Mississippi State Extension about its plans for the space before making the decision. Banks and Selmon said officials at the Mississippi State Extension have had two years to come up with a plan.

“It seems they didn’t have a plan until Alcorn was interested in the space,” Banks Jr. said.

• approved the chancery clerk’s claims docket for Sept. 19, approved the Vicksburg Bridge Commission claims docket for the month of August 2016 and accepted the Vicksburg Bridge Commission’s meeting minutes for Aug. 10.

• approved a pauper’s burial affidavit not to exceed $500 to Jackson Mortuary.

• approved a report that detailed striking 16 properties to the state of Mississippi. “That is only 16 properties. That’s the lowest number I am aware of,” said Donna Hardy, Warren County chancery clerk.