A concerned citizen presented documents from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to Lauderdale County Supervisors Monday stating that the old Village Fair Mall site on 22nd Avenue site is contaminated.

A July 18, 2016 report states results of a May 26, 2016 groundwater sampling and data collected that  it “appears as if additional operation of the remediation system will be required to remove soil vapors and to reduce concentrations of BTEX in soil and groundwater.”

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, BTEX is the abbreviation used for four components found in petroleum products. Components are benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes. Benzene, toluene and xylenes are found naturally in such petroleum products as crude oil, diesel fuel and gasoline.

A Firestone store was among the tenants at the Village Fair Mall.

Documents, which were provided to the supervisors by Lauderdale County resident Raymond Huffmaster, show the DEQ notified Firestone store owner Debra Hamlin as far back as May 2012 that soil and groundwater contamination existed in the underground storage tanks.

“I don’t want the taxpayers of Lauderdale County to buy that dump down there,” Huffmaster said. “This mall building we don’t need.”

Supervisors have worked for months to find a solution to the aging Lauderdale County Courthouse, which was built in 1905. Supervisors have discussed renovating the existing structure as well as moving the courthouse to difference locations, including the old Village Fair Mall; the old Sears building site; the federal courthouse, which is now the post office; the Peavey property; the Courthouse Annex across the street from the current courthouse; and the former Kate Griffin Middle School.

Architect Belinda Stewart was hired in May to study all courthouse options and presented a preliminary report last week.

Board of Supervisors President Joe Norwood, who said he was the only supervisor who didn’t receive a copy of the DEQ report, said the board is looking at all options.

“I’m glad we live in a democracy and everybody gets a chance to voice their concerns,” Norwood said of the DEQ report. “All sites are being looked at. There are a lot of things we’ve got to figure out.”

In other business, Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie was approved to hire three detention officers at $10.83 per hour and a deputy sheriff at $18.66 per hour.

Sollie was approved to apply for a $107,000 DUI Grant for 2017-2018 and a $40,000 Occupant Protection Grant for 2017-2018.

County Administrator Chris Lafferty’s request to Lauderdale County Tourism to conduct marketing for the Agri Center at a cost of $1,200 a year, was approved. Tourism will request a budget amendment to reduce the budgeted transfer from Tourism to the Agri Center by $1,200 to cover the cost.

Supervisors authorized Mississippi State University Extension Service to advertise for an extension agent.

Lafferty’s request to send five county road department employees to the Meridian Community College truck driving program. Classes are on Mondays and Tuesdays for 16 weeks. All costs will be paid by the county directly to MCC. The cost estimate is $2,500 per student and classes will be conducted during normal business hours while the employee is paid.

Supervisors and Lafferty will attend the Mid-Winter Conference in Jackson Jan. 3-5. Travel will include registration, hotel, per diem and travel in a county vehicle. Cheryl Polk and Linda Posey were approved to attend a Mississippi Association of County Administrators and Comptrollers Conference in Jackson on Jan. 4, 2017.

Lauderdale County Road Manager Greer Goldman was approved to pay a request from Kimes & Stone Construction Co. $303,402 for work for soil cement and scrub seal on various county roads.

Goldman was approved to pay $7,757 to J.R. Joyner for construction for Satellite A shop.