MDOT District 5 motor grader winners, from left: District 5 maintenance engineer Roy May; 3rd place - Wayne Evans; 2nd place - Ron Gibbs; 1st place - James Richardson; and District 5 engineer Brian Ratliff.

Gregory Construction, which is managing the City of Meridian Fifth Street and 25th Avenue Enhancement Project, presented a safety award to five-year employee Roger Lucious, of Starkville, Tuesday at the work site.

Gregory Construction will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on May 4. It provides civil concrete construction in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas. Gregory has around 100 employees, including interns from both Mississippi State University and East Mississippi Community College. 

At the beginning of each shift, supervisors hold a safety meeting on every job site based on the tasks to be performed that day. The Safety Incentive Award Program was introduced in 2014 and includes quarterly and annual drawings.  Employees earn chances to win based on issues such as attendance record, being accident free and safety improvement suggestions.  They also can lose those chances for safety violations or loss time accidents. 

To be eligible for the annual drawing, employees must be accident-free for the calendar year with no safety violations.  

Habitat frying for funds

Habitat for Humanity is asking the community’s help to support its programs and will host the second annual Earth Day Fish Fry – Hooked on Habitat, Frying Up Funds from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 21 at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Highway 19 North.

Tickets are $10 per plate, which includes fried fish, fries, bread, slaw and dessert, and may be purchased the day of the event or at the office on 29th Avenue. Those unable to leave attend, may order 10 plates or more and delivery is available within the city limits.

Lauderdale County Habitat for Humanity provides housing through mortgages, home repair through loan programs and weatherization through grants to low-income families, the disabled and veterans. Since 1989, they have placed 75 families in safe and affordable housing, completed 14 critical repairs and weatherized more than 20 homes. The Women Build Home is still in need of completion along with rehabbing four more homes for families that are waiting to become home buyers.

MDOT “Roadeo” winners

The District 5 Roadeo held in Newton this month was among the 2017 Mississippi Department of Transportation Equipment Operators Roadeos are being held across Mississippi. This competition and training event is an opportunity to demonstrate how MDOT employees maintain and enhance their daily operating skills while ensuring their duties are being performed safely.

Winners from each District competition will move on to the State Roadeo June 5-7 in Jackson. District 5 winners are:

Bushhog: 1st, Wayne Perkins; 2nd, Nathan Perkins; 3rd, Trevor Graham. 

Backhoe: 1st, Gilmer Edwards; 2nd, Matthew Thorne; 3rd, David Rutledge. 

Lowboy: 1st, Matthew Thorne; 2nd, Billy Coward; 3rd, Terry Buckley. 

Tandem Axle: 1st, Matthew Thorne; 2nd, Scott Horton; 3rd place, Jeffery May.

Single Axle: 1st, Matthew Thorne; 2nd, Billy Coward; 3rd, John Hodge.

Motor Grader: 1st, James Richardson; 2nd, Ron Gibbs; 3rd, Wayne Evans.

For more information about MDOT, visit GoMDOT.com.