| |
Posted Oct 6, 2024, 10:04 PM
|
 |
Registered User
|
|
Join Date: May 2023
Location: JXN Mississippi
Posts: 1,231
|
|
Check out preplan designs for the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center renovations
Willie Morris Library again temporarily closes
Quote:
The Willie Morris Library was closed for about two and a half weeks in September because the air conditioner did not work.
The library at 4912 Old Canton Road was scheduled to be closed the first week in October but for a different reason.
The library shut down so that computer carrels and the computers in them and other furniture could be moved, and new carpet could finally be installed, said Floyd Council, executive director of the Jackson-Hinds Library System.
“The work should go pretty fast,” he said. “It’s going to be beautiful.”
More than a year and a half after a pipe burst and flooded about two-thirds of the Willie Morris Library, the Jackson City Council authorized repairs.
The Orchard 240920
The council on Aug. 13 approved an order ratifying emergency procurement of repairs to the library at 4912 Old Canton Road.
The council OK’d repairs by J & J Associates at a cost of $86,362. Dixon Interiors provided a bid that was higher than the bid from J & J Associates, according to information provided to the council.
The contractor is expected to complete the job in 90 days, according to the information given to the council.
The project includes rebuilding the men’s restroom with insulation, drywall, new lighting, a laminate countertop and four round lavatories and then painting all the walls, re-installing mirrors above the vanity and repairing the existing suspended ceiling tile grid.
The work in the community room includes installing drywall, re-adhering a loose chair rail on the walls and loose wallcovering, installing some new carpet tiles and a rubber cover base to match the existing one.
The project also includes installing drywall in part of the community room storage area and then painting. In the main library, the major work is putting in carpet tiles and rubber cover base like what is already there.
The work on the men’s restroom and the community room can be done without disrupting the use of the library after the new carpet is in place and the furniture is back in place, Council said.
The library is scheduled to be used as a polling place during the Nov. 5 election.
The trouble at the branch began when a water service line broke in the men’s restroom at the library on Jan. 28, 2023, and the men’s restroom, the meeting room and a small kitchen were damaged.
After the pipe burst, the city contracted with ServPro, using the emergency procurement process, to remove water damaged materials to prevent the growth of mold and mildew at the library.
MAG Lakeland Y & G 10/24
The library reopened in April 2023 after the damaged flooring was taken up and the adhesive that held it in place was removed so the surface would be safe to walk on. Since then, much of the facility has lacked flooring and the meeting room has been unavailable for use.
The air conditioning system at the branch still needs repairs, Council said.
For months, both the heat and air conditioning have been used at the same time in order to achieve a tolerable temperature. “If you ran just the AC it was too cool,” Council said.
Somehow the AC began working on its own, he said., even though it has not been repaired.
In September, the city council set aside $1.5 million from the Zurich American insurance settlement to create an endowment for the library system to use for repairs.
Meridian Council for the Arts 24920
That’s a major step for the city and the library system, especially after the Eudora Welty Library downtown had AC problems that led to it being closed and other issues that eventually made it unusable. The city deeded the building to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which plans to demolish it, and turn the site into a park.
By state law, the buildings that house libraries are owned by either a municipality or county and must be maintained by that entity. The library system is not involved in that but charged with administration of the system.
https://www.northsidesun.com/willie-...foyWK5YZwLS1ZA
|
Jackson to hire contractor to clean Thalia Mara Hall
Quote:
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The City of Jackson expects to hire a contractor to clean Thalia Mara Hall by October 14.
In early August, the city was forced to close Thalia Mara Hall after “early microbial activity” was discovered following a recent malfunction with the HVAC controller in the facility.
According to the report by the State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO), mold was found in the facility, and human waste was found on the balcony. The report also found that some fire extinguishers were not up to date. The city submitted an action plan to fix the issues found in the report.
Jackson leaders said their action plan includes replacing extension cords, repairing the fire alarm system, updating the fire extinguishers, and replacing missing ceiling tiles. They said mold remediation services are being scheduled, and sanitation staff has been assigned to clean the area were human waste was found.
Jackson officials said they will continue to coordinate with the necessary contractors and internal staff to ensure the issues are addressed.
https://www.wjtv.com/news/local-news...lia-mara-hall/
|
Zoo now accepts credit cards; cash only system presents security issues for businesses
Quote:
Should you happen to visit the Jackson Zoo, you can now pay the admission fee using a credit card. Visitors can use all of the major credit cards except American Express to make a payment as of Oct. 2, said Melissa Faith Payne, director of communications for the city of Jackson. The zoo had been accepting only cash as payment for admission, but that’s no longer the case now…
https://www.northsidesun.com/zoo-now...pM6-QGP-3MkqEQ
|
Jackson State eying downtown Marriott as solution to student housing shortage
Quote:
View of the Marriott Hotel, located in downtown Jackson, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024.
Jackson State University has been eying an empty hotel in downtown Jackson as a potential solution to its shortage of student housing.
President Marcus Thompson pitched the project — a $5 million purchase of the Jackson Marriott at 200 E. Amite St. — to the university’s governing board last month, calling it a forward-thinking win-win for the historically Black university and the capital city.
“As Jackson grows, Jackson State grows, and vice versa, similar to what I believe and I’ve seen over the years at an Oxford or a Starkville,” Thompson told the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees at its retreat at Mississippi State University’s Riley Center in Meridian.
The effort comes as the state’s largest HBCU recently received roughly 800 more housing applications than it had room to accommodate, Thompson told trustees. The campus has about 2,000 available beds. In fall 2022, Jackson State had about 4,900 undergraduate students, according to federal data.
Enter the Marriott, a 15-story, 303-bed hotel that has been unused since the pandemic. It has had a number of owners over the years but is currently owned by a limited liability company affiliated with a Florida-based developer named Charles Everhardt. Everhardt could not be reached before press time.
Thompson told trustees some of them likely saw the hotel years ago. The IHL board has a policy that universities are required to seek approval for real estate purchases above $100,000. Jackson State did not respond to inquiries by press time.
Marcus Thompson addressed reporters in his first press conference as Jackson State University’s 13th president on Nov. 30, 2023.
“Housing has been a topic and an issue for our university for a number of years,” Thompson said. “We’re really excited about the possibility to bring forward a solution to the issue of housing through this Marriott project.”
Jackson State hopes to purchase the hotel for $5.25 million, about $2 million below its assessed value, Thompson told trustees. It would provide housing to roughly 500 students, as well as meeting and parking space and leasing revenue.
The university has already obtained $7 million from the Legislature and conducted several key reports and assessments, Thompson said, adding that Jackson State anticipated the Marriott could be available to students in one to two years if the plan goes forward.
Originally, Thompson sought to get $68 million in funding to construct a new residence hall, but earlier this year, he asked Al Rankins, the IHL commissioner, for permission to pivot to purchasing an existing space that could be available sooner.
In January, the administration had to relocate students after discovering mold in its University Pointe apartment complex, which was purchased in 2015. Another dorm for female students, McAllister Whiteside, has been offline since 2021 due to mechanical, electrical and utility failures and broken equipment.
The housing shortage is a particular issue for out-of-state students who make up about a quarter of the university’s enrollment, Thompson said. During his presidential tour, he talked with parents in cities like Memphis and Chicago who told him it was a struggle to find off-campus housing. And, Thompson added that students with federal student loans may also not be able to afford off-campus housing.
“Our students come from a population who, perhaps, mostly aren’t able to go out and secure leases on their own,” he said. About 65% of the student population comes from a low-income family that receives federal tuition assistance, according to the College Scorecard.
The Marriott also fulfills one of Thompson’s goals to see Jackson State further expand into downtown, where the university already has a satellite campus and a number of apartment leases for student housing.
It’s unclear how much it will cost to renovate the Marriott or what that would entail. Thompson said that figures in a comprehensive assessment conducted over the summer reflected a “complete gut renovation” that wouldn’t be necessary, and the university can use certain federal funds to renovate academic spaces.
“Many of those things are cosmetic things that don’t necessarily have to be replaced, and we can speak to those things later,” he said.
After Thompson finished his presentation, he asked the board for questions. Trustees immediately voted to go into executive session, citing a section of the Open Meetings Act that permits closing a meeting to discuss the “transaction of business and discussion regarding the prospective purchase, sale or leasing of lands.”
Trustees deliberated for about an hour before calling Thompson and his administration into the room, where they spoke for about another hour.
https://mississippitoday.org/2024/10...sing-shortage/
|
|
|
|
Prev
Linear Mode
