Lauderdale County supervisors are looking to finish construction of a second fire station in Meehan, ending a project more than seven years in the making.

The Board of Supervisors on Aug. 7 awarded the project to Markey E. Joiner Construction for a total of $72,919.14, and on Monday authorized county officials to pay up to 40% of the total cost to cover materials needed to complete the work. The remaining 60% will be paid upon completion.

The station is one of two approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2015 as part of a plan to address fire coverage in rural areas of the county. In addition to the Meehan station, the board authorized a fire station to be built in the Kewanee area.

District 5 Supervisor Kyle Rutledge, whose district includes Meehan, said the county road department came in and put up the building several years ago, and now it is time to have a contractor come in and finish the work.

“The county came in and roughed it in, and now, it already has trucks and all that in it,” he said. “It’s just finishing work, carpentry work.”

Finishing the station is expected to save local residents on what they pay for insurance coverage. The Mississippi State Rating Bureau gives fire protection ratings as classifications from 1-10, with one being the best. Meehan is considered a Class 10 area.

Insurance companies provide a 5% fire insurance premium credit for residents in Class 10 areas who live within five miles of a fire station. Adding a second station, Rutledge said, increases the number of residents who will see the benefit on their insurance bill.

“Adding that other station, a lot of people who weren’t covered are covered now,” he said.

In addition to more residents qualifying for the credit, Rutledge said the county hopes to see the rating bureau update the fire rating to Class 8. The better rating will save residents even more on their fire insurance as well as reflect the effort local volunteer firefighters put in to helping their community.