Sheriff’s Department Plans Spring Fling For Youth In County

Yalobusha County Sheriff Mark D. Fulco and deputy Ralph Horton shared details during Monday’s supervisor meeting about an event scheduled for youth in the county.

COFFEEVILLE – Yalobusha County Sheriff Mark D. Fulco and deputy Ralph Horton reported a free event is scheduled for youth in the county on May 8.
The Spring Fling is scheduled at the Multi-purpose Building in Coffeeville and includes games and activities.
“Everything is going to be free that day. We just want everyone in the county to come together in one place and have a good time,” Horton told supervisors during Monday’s recessed meeting at the Coffeeville courthouse. Horton, who is coordinating the event, said that multiple agencies are participating including the county’s EMS crews, Air Evac, the mounted patrol from Oxford Police Department and others.
Parents can also have their children fingerprinted and photographed, information that will be stored at the sheriff’s department in case there is ever an emergency. The event will start at 10 a.m.
Items on the agenda at the meeting also included:
• Board President Cayce Washington reported that the Mississippi Department of Transportation will have a ground breaking ceremony for the bridge replacement project at Gum’s Crossing. The bridge is the longest in the county and has been closed for over two years. Construction on the $16 million project could begin as early as April.
“I don’t have a date yet,” Washington explained about the ground breaking. “But I wanted to make sure you guys are knowledgeable of that. And let the people know we are finally getting the dirt turned.”
• EMA Director Dalton Coleman received board approval to apply for $4,500 grants from the Mississippi Forestry Commission for Sylva Rena, Skuna Valley, Pine Valley, Clear Springs, O’Tuckolofa and Tillatoba fire departments in the county.
“I can put in for each department for up to $4,500,” Coleman told supervisors. He also noted that last year there were 70-plus applicants and over 40 were awarded the grants.
“There are a couple of departments that really need some poly tanks in their brush trucks. A lot of them have old, metal tanks that have rust in them,” Coleman explained about potential use for the money. “I have two departments that have a new pump, but they don’t want to install them on the old tanks.”
• Coleman reported that at least 10 volunteer firefighters have signed up for an two-month EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) course that will be instructed by Northwest Mississippi Community College EMT Instructor David Kuchta.
“He will teach the EMR class for free, all it will cost the students is for the textbooks and the test,” Coleman explained. “It will be beneficial on a fire scene, because we can’t roll an ambulance every time we have a structure fire.” He said the trained medical responders will already be on the fire scene if a fireman has a medical emergency.
Coleman said a long-term goal could be to start an EMR program in the county to assist with emergency medical calls. The EMRs would back up the county’s ambulances. The EMA director noted there are frequent occurrences when both ambulances are tied up and an emergency medical responder is needed for another call.
Coleman also noted that starting an EMR program would be contingent upon an agreement with Yalobusha General Hospital and the county that would provide liability coverage for the volunteers.
“I think the program is very needed in the county,” he added.
• Awarded a bid to Mechanics Bank to finance the lease purchase of a new 2021 4×4 Ram pickup for District 2 Supervisor Ken Rogers. Mechanics was the low bidder with 2.4 percent interest.
• Awarded a bid to Clayton Horton to cut the grass on county property in 2021. Horton was the low bidder at $700 per month from April until October, a total of $4,900. The bid specifications including mowing the grass, trimming the hedges and shrubs, edging along sidewalks and walkways, blowing the grass off sideways and removing limbs and debris on the properties. The properties include the courthouses, libraries and other locations.
“He went down some from last year,” District 4 Supervisor Eddie Harris noted.