ASK HERALD

In an effort to keep the public informed about matters that effect our area, the Herald encourages readers to submit questions via e-mail, U.S. mail or written questions can be dropped off at the office. E-mail your questions to askherald@bellsouth.net or mail them to P.O. Box 648. Each week, questions will be published in the newspaper and will also be posted online at www.yalnews.com.

The first question for this week:

I wonder if the benches and picnic tables that are at the back of Oak Hill Cemetery will ever go back to the City Park? We don’t need to use the benches and picnic tables only at the Watermelon Carnival. The benches and picnic tables needs to be in the city park all year.

Look at the benches and tables in the down town park.

Mayor Bill Norris said that the wooden picnic tables were removed from the park because some park visitors were tearing them up. He said that one group even built a fire on top of a table. They were also being used to damage other public property in the park. This is another example of a very small group causing the majority to suffer.

The Mayor added that it would be nice to have new metal tables, benches and trash receptacles like those in the downtown Railroad Park. He wondered if any local organization would be interested in working toward that goal.

Question two:

Would it be possible to post a list of vacant and available store space for rent in Water Valley, along with the name of the person who owns the building? I have been looking for a possible place to open a small business. There are buildings in town that look vacant, but have building supplies or other things stored in them. One has a roof that is caving in? There is one that say’s “coming soon” but has not “come” in several months – any info on that one?

The Water Valley Main Street Association is working on an available building inventory and will post it on-line when finished. In the meantime, contact Jessie Gurner, MSA manager, at 473-3796 or (cell) 473-6767. She will be able to help.

Question three:

What do we need a city flag for?  We do not even fly the State of Mississippi flag anywhere in town. It is not flown at the parks, the cannon, the court house, the post office, the housing authority, the depot, the legion hut, etc.

The question was posed to both Water Valley City Clerk Vivian Snider and Yalobusha County Chancery Clerk Amy McMinn. Both agree that there is no problem flying them except that neither the city nor county have purchased flags.

The city and county fly the US flag at two places. The city has both city hall and the Crawford Sports Complex and the county has the two court houses.

Two US flags are needed each year for each flag pole because of wear and tear. Purchasing the state flags would be an additional expense to the taxpayers. A quick search revealed these prices; 3′ x 5′ Nylon Flag – $30.00, 4′ x 6′ Nylon Flag – $54.00, and 5′ x 8′ Nylon Flag – $81.00. Perhaps an interested individual or group could purchase and donate state flags to the city and county.