By By Steve Swogetinsky/The Meridian Star
April 11, 2001
PHILADELPHIA The Neshoba County Courthouse is about to get a much needed facelift.
Supervisors have planned a long list of improvements. When the work is completed, the building will be handicapped accessible with the addition of ramps and an elevator. A new heating and cooling system will be installed, along with new windows, insulation and a new roof. The front walks will be bricked, and the brick on the exterior walls will be cleaned and repainted.
Funding for the project will come from a $3.6 million bond issue the supervisors plan to issue later this year. Currently, the county's bonded indebtedness is $7 million, including bonds recently sold to pay for renovation at the Neshoba County General Hospital nursing home.
Also, supervisors plan to move Justice Court offices across the street to the old Pannetas-Busby Jewelry building, which the county owns. A small part of the bond issue will be used to prepare that building for the Justice Court's use.
The center part of the courthouse was built in 1928. The wings were added in 1958, and repairs and renovations have come over the years.
Coats said the project should start later this year, and would take about a year to complete.
Steve Swogetinsky is regional editor of The Meridian Star. E-mail him at sswogetinsky@themeridianstar.com.