Architect B.B. Archer, a member of the Meridian City Hall design team, gave a fitting description of the decay that was hidden in the walls of the historic building before its renovation began.

“It was kind of like an open wound,” he said during a presentation at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Intricately molded terra cotta tiles had been painted over, trapping destructive moisture inside, wooden insulation had rotted, and iron supports had “disappeared” after decades of exposure to air and water.

The building, which was constructed in 1915, has been subject to numerous changes, many of them for the worse.

“City governments in the past thought they were improving this structure and really did terrible, terrible things to it,” said Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith. Among those terrible things: Columns, made of a form of faux marble that is today worth more than real marble because it is no longer made, were painted a lurid blue. Ground floor windows were filled with concrete in the 1950’s, thanks to the red scare. A grand staircase was replaced with an elevator. And the list goes on.

But now the city is working with architects, engineers, and others, to bring the historic building back to its original splendor, and, while they’re at it, make it more energy efficient.

On the exterior, terra cotta tiles are being replaced with new tiles that have been molded from the originals, and what Smith described as a “Rube-Goldberg of pipes” will disappear, hopefully making way for a “pretty park.” On the interior, there will be a new elevator and new central stairs. 1950’s aluminum windows will be replaced with mahogany ones. Unattractive flourescent lights and aluminum doorways will be removed. Plywood wall paneling and vinyl floors will be torn out to expose the oak and marble surfaces beneath. In short, City Hall is in the middle of one heck of a makeover.

And with that makeover, City Hall will become green. Automatic lighting controls, well-insulated glass, efficient heating and air conditioning, and shades that automatically lower themselves to keep out bright, AC-sucking sunlight are just a few of the new “green” additions to what will be a happily anachronistic City Hall.

The building, which Archer described as the “anchor” of downtown for people wanting to do business with our local leadership, will now give a much better impression to its visitors and have a better carbon footprint to boot.

The historical significance of the soon-to-be renovated building is not going unnoticed either, as a representative of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History arrived to praise the project, saying he believes it could be an even better effort, historically speaking, than the Jefferson Davis home in Biloxi or the Old Capitol in Jackson.

“Jefferson Davis’ home will never be a home again, it’s a museum,” he said, “The Old Capitol will never be the capitol again, it’s a museum. City Hall will still be be City Hall.”





Meeting: Meridian City Council. June 17, 2008. The next regular scheduled meeting of the Meridian City Council will be held Tuesday, July 1 at the Meridian Police Department.



What Happened:



• Ward 2 Councilwoman Mary A.B. Perry was elected president of the 2008-2009 city council. Ward 5 Councilman John Harris was elected vice-president.

• Ward 1 Councilman Dr. George Thomas complained, while considering a motion to contract with Waste Management for the transport of leachate from Pine Ridge Landfill to the city sanitary sewer system, that Waste Management went six weeks without picking up his trash, and wondered whether they would hold to their end of the leachate contract. Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith said he had had a similar problem. A representative of Waste Management was present, who said that the trash pick-up problem was largely due to recent personnel and scheduling changes. The leachate motion was passed.

• Bill Marcy, a Meridian resident who recently ran in the 3rd District Republican Congressional primary, said during comments to the council that he is preparing to run for mayor in 2009. If he indeed runs, he said, he will run as a “conservative independent.”

• The mayor reminded the public that the opening ceremonies of the state games will be held downtown Friday evening, and that he expects a fantastic fireworks display there.