Magnolia Park an example 

of a democracy deferred

 

The historic Magnolia Park will undergo major changes in weeks to come. The park will lose a large portion of its precious green space . And will no longer be a beautiful spacious park that it always has been because some seek to destroy its beauty and disregard its heritage by putting new development , a community center, in an already established area, instead of trying to find an alternative location. The democratic principle in this case were not held in high regards because those who made the decision did not wish to hear the community’s input on the location, if so they would have reveal the propose or the exact locale of the center to the community at an early date. Once again I’m not against a new community center, just the location. Now, I am highly convinced that it’s not at all viable to construct a new facility which is going to have amenities that are already present in that area, such as a basketball court and computer access, and still keep the previous center in operation. This is ludicrous. Now the community should ask will this just be another project where taxpayers dollars will not be maximize to the fullest. 

Cedric Ruffin

 

Obama a closet Muslim

 

President Barack Hussein Obama has finally shown his true colors (no pun intended). He is now asking for a lot of money to provide jobs this summer for the Muslim refugees now in the USA. There was no mention of providing funds for any black or white people whatsoever. I personally believe that Obama is a closet Muslim and that his actions over the last seven and a half years bears this assumption out. In the future, I hope that everyone will take the time to make sure that they know as much as possible about anyone offering for any office. This is one man’s opinion.

 

Jim Knowles 

 

Return courthouse 

to original condition

 

I am a retired Mississippi Licensed Remodeling Contractor. I have talked to Kyle Rutledge, County Supervisor. And, I have offered my services to the County at no cost. I am of the old school type of carpenter. But, as a contractor, I was familiar with all phases of construction. I believe that I can offer solutions to problems in a way that will not be destructive to an older building. He was talking about the process of cleaning and painting the outside of the Courthouse. He mentioned that they had talked to possibly a contractor who was going to use a pressure washer to clean the outside. I would not use a pressure washer, regardless of the type of tip used to do the job. It would be faster, but it could also be damaging to the surface. My method would be a little slower, but it would not damage the surface. And, there are many other things that I could help with problems. I would offer suggestions, not direct orders. I would like to see the Courthouse be returned to its original condition. 

And, I am willing to work with the architects, the contractors and the County of Lauderdale. My Dad and I have done a lot of work in the City of Meridian, Lauderdale County and surrounding areas. I even once was involved in repairing the floors of one of the Victorian Homes in Meridian. We had to repair the floor under and around two of the magnificent fireplaces. The fireplace hearths had Italian Tile. I was able to take up, number each piece individually, clean  everything up and then replace the tile back in it’s original place, and regrout the hearth. The owner wanted to keep it original. And, I understood that. The inside of that house was awesome and beautiful, with custom handmade carpentry. The woodwork was astonishing. I think that house is in the area of 10th Street and 28th Avenue.

The  Lauderdale County Supervisors need to spend money wisely. And, the attitude of teardown and rebuild is the wrong position for an older building like the Lauderdale County Courthouse. Or, the attitude of find another property, sink millions of dollars into another Courthouse location is also the wrong direction. Look what happened to the Meridian City Hall Building, estimated total cost 3 -5 million dollars, and when it was over, much, much more than original estimate. Even the city and county Leaders need to hold contractors to the original quoted cost. 

 Thank you, 

 

Floyd T. Killebrew, Jr.