Between the Headlines: Columbus
Between the Headlines dives deep into the stories shaping Columbus and Lowndes County, Mississippi. Hosted by The Commercial Dispatch managing editor Zack Plair and local businessman and commentator David Chism, this show goes beyond the front page to bring you the real conversations behind local politics, policies and people. Zack’s journalistic expertise and David’s insight deliver in-depth analysis, spirited debate, and behind-the-scenes context you won’t get anywhere else. It's honest discussion on what matters.
Between the Headlines: Columbus
Main Street Changes, Amphitheater Moves Forward PLUS City Building Official Discusses Violations
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Got a question or a tip? Send us a text
Big moves finally meet clear plans. We break down how Columbus locked in $3 million to finish the amphitheater—$1M from the CVB, $1M from the city, and $1M from the state—so gates, concessions, bathrooms, and seats move from wish list to construction list. With multiple contractors ready to bid now that funding is real, the price should stay competitive and the path to opening gets much shorter. We also tackle resident skepticism head-on: capacity targets around 3,500, the likely role of a national promoter, and why fees you already pay in other cities shouldn’t be a dealbreaker when the shows are finally here at home.
Downtown safety gets a serious tune-up. Temporary materials and vertical lane separators will reshape traffic on Main between 4th and 7th, converting an aggressive right-turn lane and removing ambiguity at Main and 5th. Slower approaches, clearer paths, and fewer last‑second lane changes add up to fewer close calls and a calmer core.
Then we sit down with Building Department Director Nathan Katona to open the black box of permits, inspections, and code enforcement. Nathan explains why permits protect buyers and neighbors, how his team prioritizes education before tickets, and what the department’s digitization means for faster, clearer service—without leaving behind anyone who prefers to walk in. We also unpack the city’s new short‑term rental rules: neighbor notification, basic life‑safety checks like working smoke detectors and egress windows, a visible placard with a local manager’s phone number, and alignment with the state’s 2% hotel‑motel tax for a fair playing field.
We close with Three Things to Know.
Opening And Sponsor Messages
SPEAKER_01From the opinion page of the commercial dispatch, this is Between the Headlines.
SPEAKER_00This is Peter Imes, publisher of The Dispatch. One of our hosts of Between the Headlines is the managing editor of our newsroom. Typically, we try to keep news and opinion separate, but reporters have a unique insight into the workings of local government, and their analysis can be helpful for readers and listeners. The Dispatch remains committed to journalistic integrity, and our reporting will always reflect that. And now between the headlines.
Amphitheater Funding Now Complete
SPEAKER_04This week on Between the Headlines, the CVB says, How's about a million bucks? And the City of Columbus by a four to nothing vote says, Yes, I do think so. Also, they are going to fiddle with Main Street. Kevin Stafford wants us to be safer. But how? We will tell you today. And our special guest is Mr. Nathan Catona, the building official for the city. But first. Retirement looks different for everyone, so your plan should be built around you. For over 40 years, Financial Concepts has helped people create retirement strategies that fit their lives. Our team in Columbus takes the time to understand your goals and build a plan that works for you. Wherever you are in your journey, we're ready to help. We plan retirement. Financial Concepts is a registered investment advisor. Benton's Maintenance Mechanical makes easy work out of plumbing, electrical, heating, and air conditioner problems. You can book an appointment by phone or online, and rest assured they will show up at the appointed time. Call Bentons at 662-657-2583 or visit them online at BentonsInc.com. That is BentonsINC.com. This episode of Between the Headlines is brought to you by Bank First, the locally owned bank that makes decisions right here at home by people who understand the needs of our community. That means local decisions, local support, and folks who care if your kid made the team. At Bank First, we're not just bankers, we're neighbors and friends. Whether you're buying a home or starting a business, or just need someone to explain what APR actually means, we're here right down the street. Stop by your Bank First branch or visit BankfirstFS.com to learn more. Bankfirst is a member of FDIC and Equal Housing Linder Bank in MLS 454063. All right. Welcome to Catfish Alley Studio, where it is officially 26 days and counting until Mayor Jones finishes the appetite. What? Come on, man. Pursuant to his campaign promise.
SPEAKER_03Come on, man.
SPEAKER_04Come on, what? He's gonna make it happen. That's did I say something funny?
SPEAKER_03Man, you know it's not gonna be done in 26 days.
SPEAKER_04I you don't both it'll be done in a year. We're not gonna worry about a year. We're gonna worry about 26 days, December 30, foom, foom, foom. We're gonna have some fun out there. I promise you that. That said, um, the top headline today is a million bucks uh coming from the CVB. Now, now tell me this: is is that money that's on pledge or is that actual cash in hand?
SPEAKER_03Well, I I think you've kind of made that a little smaller than it is right now. The big headline is the three million dollars is in hand to finish the amphitheater. It's gone out to bids. Uh CVB gave a million uh to help toward that end. The city uh put in a million of its own, and the city already had a million from the state. That's the three million that they need to finish that thing, get it gated, get concessions, get bathrooms, get the seats in, uh, get it concert ready, and get it uh contracted out to a promoter to run the booking.
SPEAKER_04Good, good, good. So long story short, the money is now there. The money is there. Okay. And the CVB put in a million of it. What uh let me not get too far into this one little very important subtopic, but what do we do as a city to keep these bids from coming in saying, you know, I know this is what it's gonna cost, but it just can't be done for that. We're gonna have to tack on this, we're gonna have to acquire that. 3.5 million's not enough.
SPEAKER_03Well, I mean, they're they're I mean, that's a that's a Kevin Stafford question. Yeah. They've they've they've got the design or they're gonna have the design engineered uh to where it can go out with a three million dollar estimate. Uh he says that the bid market right now is good. Everybody feels fairly confident that that that it's gonna come in at or below. Okay.
SPEAKER_04Uh below sounds good. So Kevin Stafford's kind of our ghost man on first. He's like our imaginary guest when we come back on the show. But I'm glad the bid market is better because as I understand it last time, there was one bid.
SPEAKER_03There was one bid because there was one million dollars for a three to four million dollar to fill a three to four million dollar hole. Okay. So there was no competitive bidding. I mean, there was a competitive bidding process that was done legally, but there weren't any competitive bids. There's just the one.
SPEAKER_04So it was just one company that was saying we believe that the money will actually come in.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we'll take a flyer on this and tell you how much we'll do it for, even though the money isn't there. Uh, according to Kevin Stavery said this publicly, there are three or four other companies at least that are like, let us know when the money's there and we will bid. So that is going to drive the price of this down because people are going to try to be trying to get this job.
SPEAKER_04Good, good, good.
Bids, Market Confidence, And Timeline
SPEAKER_03Big smile on my face as I sit here. Because I I got a bone to pick with you, Dave. Oh boy. Um, first of all, um well, we'll start here. We run and and and we appreciate all engagement that we get from all of our readers, regardless of what the engagement is. And Facebook comments is is one of those ways that people engage with us. I'm certainly not uh going to be critical of any of that. But one thing that does happen sometimes, uh especially when we post a story about the amphitheater, um, is that there will be people who comment that that comment is very indicative of the fact they didn't click on the story and read it. And that just happens, and it's fine, except for in one case that I'm I'm pretty ticked off about actually, is somebody posts a comment on a story we wrote about the amphitheater getting, I think it was the CVB funding, uh, this one, and then we wrote another one later about the whole plan and all of the funding coming together. But on that story, we had a reader comment yeah, how many people is it gonna hold, or what's the capacity gonna be, or some such as that. And then none other than my co-host on this show replies to that comment. Good question. I believe it was a good question too, David. So good, in fact, that it was in the store. What are you doing?
SPEAKER_04But look, it uh 3,500 seats, that doesn't necessarily uh limit how many people you can actually pack in there.
SPEAKER_03Well, no, and it first of all, it's not 3,500 seats, it's uh uh half of that in hard seats, and then there's gonna be a uh upper deck. You look at the picture, you didn't have to click on the article to look at the picture. The picture was was there. Uh there'll be a grassy area on the upper bowl that people can bring their lawn chairs and things, but the hard seating will be in the lower deck and be about half of that. I think 1750 is half of 3,500, right? Something like that.
SPEAKER_04So when the big concert comes in, though, right, and like it's overflow seating only, you've got people standing on the other side of the river trying to get a glimpse of it. What are we talking about then? 7,000?
SPEAKER_03I well, I mean, you're gonna have to ask the fire marshal about that. I think the official number is 3,500.
SPEAKER_04He'll be standing on the roof watching as well, right?
SPEAKER_03Well, depending on who's playing, I guess. But I I do want to go back to some other things here, too. Those Facebook comments being in an indicator here, your countdown being an indicator here. Yes, Stephen Jones said when he was running for office that the amphitheater would be built by the end of the year. That wasn't gonna happen when he said it, right? And I think that everybody knew that. Right. Why would he say it then? Pray tell. Well, okay, so is it not good enough that he established that this was gonna be a priority of his administration, and within six months, within five months of him taking office, he's gotten the three million dollars together to finish the thing that hasn't had any work done on it since what? Uh the several years I think. The better part of a decade. Yeah, 2019 or something like that. Um, it's been sitting there as an idea and a half-done structure since 2015, 2017, 2019. And we're criticizing uh I guess on technicality.
SPEAKER_04Oh no, there's no criticism.
Capacity, Design, And Community Skepticism
SPEAKER_03Look, hey an administration that said we're gonna make this a priority. Did he overpromise and underdeliver on getting it constructed by New Year's Eve this year? If you want to say that, fine. Did he overpromise and underdeliver on getting the funding, getting the bids out, and having an actual plan put together to prioritize getting that amphitheater open and opened, finished and opened? No, he did not. It's there. He worked with the CVB. CVB coughs up a million dollars. They didn't do that in any other administration. And I'm not giving Stephen all of the credit for this. There's a lot of credit to go around here. Kevin Stafford has done yeoman's work on this. The CVB believes in the vision. There's a lot of credit to be given to that board for doing that. There's a lot of credit to be given to the state legislature for continuing to invest in this, even though it was a boondoggle, a quagmire, or whatever anybody else called it. But the fact remains countdown, no countdown, whatever. He said it was going to be a priority to get this thing finished, and I don't think that you can credibly argue that it wasn't.
SPEAKER_04So he he has stated on the record that we're gonna see what happens uh when these bids come in. Okay. He gets to be the mayor with a big smile on his face that cuts the ribbon. Right. Congratulations. Right. He got the money acquired. Um, so we think, so we believe, so we hope. The money is there. Great. Okay. Credit given where credit is due. All right. And it'll happen within 24 days from now.
SPEAKER_03Oh, good God. Uh another thing that uh I that I want to touch on is uh there is so much negativity uh surrounding this amphitheater. I I haven't talked to the people that I talked to for the story, like obviously city officials, talking to Francis Glenn, talking to a few other folks that are really excited about this, really excited to see this get done. But so many other people, and here comes the uh here comes kind of the the the unfortunate side of how Columbus rhetoric can be sometimes. For whatever reason, the amphitheater is a poison thing to them. It's almost like they don't want it to succeed, and it could be for different reasons, maybe yeah, like amphitheater derangement syndrome or something. Something like that. There is almost an amphitheater derangement syndrome, and you can look on our our Facebook comments on any story that's written about it and see it. This is going to be a nice amenity. We talked two weeks ago, uh, the last show that we had, we talked about Plymouth Bluff and the fact that that was a jewel in this area, and so many different people, including me, will drive to Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, different places, uh to stay in a place that is equitable to what's right here. What having an amenity like this amphitheater where these shows are going to come in, people you ain't gonna get any good shows. Well, the Sweetland Amphitheater, which is the uh which is sort of the comparison piece that we've talked about. Lagrange. Yeah. If I lived in LaGrange, Georgia, I'd have gone to five or six of the shows that he was uh that Kevin was listing out at that meeting that they've had there in the last few years. Uh, we're talking about 10 to 12 shows it can absolutely make if the community will get behind it. Frankly, I'm excited about adding that to the date night repertoire if if there's somebody there that I want to see. People are worried about parking. They have an answer for that. People are worried about security, and it's gonna be there. If we were talking about anybody in the city who's like, we're gonna do this ourselves, I would agree. This isn't gonna work. But we're talking about Live Nation in all likelihood being the the promoter and and booking agent and and running this amphitheater. These are professionals who do this all the time all over the country. And I've seen comments where they're like, well, Live Nation, they run up the prices and they do this and that and the other. These people, okay, they do. But the same people probably spent hundreds of dollars with Live Nation already within the last year or two to go a hundred miles, two hundred miles, five hundred miles away to do the same thing that they are soon gonna be able to do right here in River City.
SPEAKER_04There you go.
SPEAKER_03This is a good thing.
SPEAKER_04They can't be any worse than Seat Geek, okay?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, I mean, it's all like that. And and it's not gonna be, I guess that argument, I guess, for me is so weird because, yeah, all right, well, they're gonna pop up those fees and they're gonna do all the things that they do everywhere else. That's not gonna be a specific problem for Columbus. That's that's everywhere. And if you do it in Chicago or if you do it at Sweetland, or you go to uh uh Tuscaloosa or Birmingham or whatever, and gladly pay those fees to see what may be the same damn show. Why not here? It doesn't make any sense. The negativity and the amphitheater derangement syndrome, I'm using that from now on, doesn't make any sense to me. This is a good thing for the community.
Why This Venue Matters For Columbus
SPEAKER_04There's little tidbits out of it that matter, okay? Yeah. You mentioned Plymouth Bluff. Plymouth Bluff has an amphitheater, okay? The Lochendam has an amphitheater. And I think in a lot of people's minds, what do we need? Another amphitheater. Well, this is something that's on a whole nother level. And for the doubting Thomases that are out there seeing is believing. Now, what did we see? We saw something that was constructed, a lot of bricks, a lot of mortar, and then water came. Okay, and there was that was a bad day. It was but let me tell you something. Straight talk, no chaser here, right? That particular flood, um, as I understand it, did not do as much damage as a lot of people said that it did.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_04It made a mess, it was muddy, a few they washed it off, right. A few lights got burned out. And they moved them up to where that wouldn't happen again. There you go. So that's just kind of a something that people are going to continue to say until we have our first really big party here and it's off the chain, and we love it.
SPEAKER_03So who's the fur who's the first uh act? If you got to pick, uh you're picking sticks, aren't you? You're a sticks guy, aren't you?
SPEAKER_04I I'm a fan of Sixpence None the Richer. What? Like I'm just any major 90s band would be okay with me. And this is exactly the reason that they have not put me on that board, nor has Live Nation given me a call, right?
SPEAKER_03Um Sixpence None the Richer. I know I I know that band. I do.
SPEAKER_04Good stuff. Um, but hey, uh times will get better. The naysayers are gonna naysay. It's just the way things are. The countdown will count down. Well, and I I will continue to count down. Um ye of little faith.
SPEAKER_03Anything else on that today? I uh, you know, I I th I'm really I'm really excited about it as a citizen of this region, as a strong advocate for Columbus, as someone who is always hearing the there's nothing to do, and is always looking for something to do, something like this to do that is gonna bring people in, is gonna entertain people, and is gonna drive up uh tourism tax revenue. Bring it on.
SPEAKER_04I am excited. Absolutely, as I've said many times on this program, speak good things into existence about your hometown. Unless you're David Chisholm, in which case you are sometimes part of the problem notwithstanding. So after the break, we're gonna talk about the safety upgrades to downtown.
SPEAKER_01But first, the Good for Business Podcast features interviews, tips, and tricks from owners, operators, and innovators. Here are the inspiring stories of growth and life lessons from guests in Mississippi and around the world. Hosted by entrepreneur, fundraiser, and real estate broker Colin Krieger, the podcast is based right here in the Golden Triangle community.
SPEAKER_04So, Zach, for this next segment, we're looking at downtown Columbus. And as I understand it, it is due for a facelift. And preliminary to this facelift is gonna be, I guess, an affixation of duct tape, if you will. We've got a temporary safety plan that precedes the long-term safety plan. What do we have to look forward to?
SPEAKER_03Well, um we're gonna have uh uh uh temporary material go up that is going to change the traffic flow. Uh downtown temporary material. Yeah, between 4th and 7th Street. Uh it's going to start forcing right turns uh starting at 6th. Uh it's gonna eliminate the existing right turn lane uh on fifth that goes on to, or sorry, on main that goes on to 5th, where you can turn off of main on a fifth.
SPEAKER_04It's gonna eliminate that. Pause right there. Is that the one where the car got up under the 18th wheeler? That's correct. And Mayor Stephen Jones sent a picture to Kevin Stafford, like uh look at this here.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_04Okay. That's correct.
SPEAKER_03Go ahead. That is that turn lane. I have other stories about that turn lane.
SPEAKER_04Oh man.
SPEAKER_03But uh so the existing turn lane there is going to be uh removed, right turn lane. It's gonna be shifted over to where there's a the the straight lane now that goes through there is gonna become. A right turn lane instead.
SPEAKER_04So straight or right.
SPEAKER_03No. Can't turn right? No, can't go straight there. Can't go straight. Right. So right now there's three lanes there, David. There's You mean I can I There's coming straight lanes and a right lane. Now there's going to be one straight lane and a right turn lane, and then the right turn lane that's there now is going to be turned into parking spaces.
SPEAKER_04All right. I'm confused. So I can turn right, straight, or left. I just have to use different lanes to do it. Yes. Okay. You had me worried. It sounded for a second like if I'm coming from Harvey's, I can't go to First Methodist, but I still can, right? Yes, yes. All right. And so I'm looking at the map here. There's going to be new parking. There's going to be some handicapped places. And then I'm I'm looking at these little red dots.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
Parking, Security, And Live Nation Partnership
SPEAKER_04And in the legend, it refers to these red dots as um vertical lane separators. Is Kevin at it again? Is it is it I don't want to say the word shike, but is is this going to be some bob some bollard or physical object? That's uh it's gonna be a physical object. Well, he's got a little symbol there. I th it it it's bigger than a reflector, whatever it is. Yes. So it's not just a that you hear. Like your car is gonna talk to you if you get too far to the right.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, your car is gonna talk to you because these things are gonna be sort of those big reflectors. You can drive over them, but you're gonna know you did it. And it's sort of to train people to know where to be, where not to be, uh, separate the pedestrians from the traffic a little bit better. And let me tell you, it couldn't come a moment too soon for that main and fifth intersection. Uh-huh. That is uh for my money, that's got to be one of the three most dangerous intersections in town for pedestrian. One, you've got that short signal, which I don't know why that hasn't been fixed. That seems like something that we could just do. But um you you don't have very long to walk across that, but that's not the only problem. The problem is that right turn lane right there where people are zipping in that right turn lane and getting ready to turn. Edward Jones. Uh no, no, no. I'm talking about the one in front of the rack.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So you're you're coming on Main Street, you're coming on front in front of the rack. You're if you haven't been caught by a red light so far, you're going 30 to 35 miles an hour right there. You're zipping into that right turn lane, and God help you if you're a pedestrian on on either side of that turn. Because, you know, the erosion of the social contract, you know, being part of this as well, people aren't paying attention. The social contract has eroded, and everybody thinks they have the right-of-way. It is it is a wonder that we haven't had more pedestrian problems there than have already existed. Because I mean, I nearly get hit at that intersection twice a week.
SPEAKER_04And and and oh yeah, your eyes were this big when you came into the studio one day. You almost got run the heck over.
SPEAKER_03But really, where the danger is for the pedestrians, yeah, that that big wide crossing across Maine, that that's a that's a dangerous intersection. But that right turn lane that comes onto fifth, if you're coming from the old uh from that old bank building and you're crossing 5th Street between there and the rack, yeah. Well, the people turning think they have the right of way, but if you're a pedestrian in there, it's actually you. And I have seen standoffs right there where the pedestrian is like, oh crap, are they gonna stop? And the car is like, oh crap, are they gonna yield to me? And there's been near misses there too. Well, that's this is supposed to fix that, and I think it's gonna do a lot because it's gonna choke down the traffic, it's gonna slow it down, it's gonna provide more separation between the cars and the pedestrians. It's just gonna make that an easier, uh it's just gonna make that an easier intersection to cross.
SPEAKER_04I hope so. The absolute two most dangerous things in traffic, number one is ambiguity, as you just said. The other one is polite people, okay? People that are like, yeah, come on out. Well, no, don't tell them to come out because they're not supposed to come out right there. Soapbox notwithstanding. Um I guarantee you Bill Strauss is gonna be happy because that right there where you're talking about. Mm-hmm. What was that? Was that a Hummer that came through there?
SPEAKER_03Just crashed into the back of three vehicles.
SPEAKER_04Oh, took out two bumpers on his way to the dispatcher or whatever.
SPEAKER_03No, he wasn't coming to see us, but uh but yeah, I mean just that sort of thing. And unfortunately, you can't depend on people to always make good decisions for the others around them. And what you have to do sometimes is create conditions to where they don't have a choice.
SPEAKER_04You know, and in some of the cities that have a a very tight downtown presence with a lot of people shopping, you'll still you'll see people walk across the street on like a um uh a speed table. They'll have like it's like a raised sidewalk of sorts that you drive over. And you don't want to go too fast across one of them. No, it's gonna tear the front of that car to Schmidt.
SPEAKER_03My big story is uh I was I was driving, it was on Northside, it was that uh road that goes into the back of Propes Park, and um I was in a hurry, and I had forgotten that there were there were speed humps there, and those speed humps are no joke, buddy. Uh it's a wonder I didn't have to go to a mechanic after.
SPEAKER_04You're talking about that road on the way to the VFW from waterworks.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, dude. And I I didn't, I did I had either didn't know about them or I had forgotten about them, and I was just singing my song, thinking about where I was going, and all of a sudden I was airborne. It's like, oh yeah, speech.
Flood Fears, Myths, And First Act Daydreams
SPEAKER_04We we need to have a sponsor for this segment for front wheel alignment. Well, I did the same thing there. Um, a couple of streets over, um, they had cut down a tree and and I was supposed to turn left and and I didn't. And my passenger looked out the window and said, tire came off.
unknownOh no.
SPEAKER_04But it wasn't just the tire, it was also the rack and pinions.
SPEAKER_03So no.
SPEAKER_04Anyway, thanks to our uh city planners for making us safer, and also thanks for uh not putting concrete bollards. We just got little uh high reflectors, shall we call them? There you go. And uh, but we'll see what the long-term plan brings.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_04Y'all stay safe out there. All right, so that's that. Let's bring in our guests, shall we? Absolutely. All right, at this time we are pleased to welcome into the studio our special guest, the Columbus Building Department Director. Did I get it right?
SPEAKER_02Yes, sir.
SPEAKER_04Mr. Nathan Catona. Welcome, sir.
SPEAKER_02Thank you.
SPEAKER_04All right, today we're gonna talk about a lot of things like zoning and safety and and and people jumping out of windows because the exit wasn't placed properly. Where do we begin today?
SPEAKER_03Okay, well, first of all, has that ever happened?
SPEAKER_02Uh, not to my knowledge. Uh, you know, I wouldn't I wouldn't put it past just the way buildings are, but not in Columbus, I'd say.
SPEAKER_03Well, uh uh talk to us a little bit uh you're fairly new to this job, and we'll talk a little bit about who you replaced uh later, but uh you're fairly new to this job. Uh how has it changed since you have uh have have taken over? Um I mean I I know that there's a new org chart with the city, and I think that maybe this department has maybe a few more responsibilities or a few more direct responsibilities than maybe it did before.
SPEAKER_02Yes, sir. Yeah, they uh they I I'm not exactly sure when it took place. I know there's some talk back and forth, and they wanted to get all the details right, but they did merge code enforcement and uh the building inspection department. And then um they also, you know, uh Kenny had been assisting and helping with a lot of the different um projects or uh repairs that were around town. And so I offered to continue that as well. And so they they brought the care and maintenance of the buildings underneath as well. Because we have licensed, uh, you know, our inspectors are licensed electricians, licensed builders, licensed plumbers. So it just makes sense that we would be involved in that that process.
SPEAKER_03So let's back up a second. What the what does the a building department director or building official, what what do you do?
SPEAKER_02Uh well, so what I do specifically, and of course, this would vary town to town. Every town does a little differently from as I've gathered knowledge and what on it. What I do is I'm responsible for just basically ensuring and checking, signing off on every permit, every inspection, uh, zoning, addressing, um, all of those different aspects that go into what you can build and where. Um, we coordinate for the historic commission, the planning commission, the zoning board, all that. Cindy helps me a lot with all of those.
SPEAKER_03And y'all had some letters go out here uh uh earlier this year to the uh historic district, I think, kind of reminding folks that they're in it and things of that nature.
SPEAKER_02The historic commission, they were just looking to get word out because I think a lot of people I didn't know living here for until I took this job. I I didn't really know what you hear about the historic district, but you know, I mean, what are you talking about? And so they kind of wanted to get the word out to people that live here and and live in the historic district of what they're trying to do and why they exist. And so they asked us to start with the letter. Our recommendation was a letter and then also a continued just campaign to keep it before people to let them know that, hey, you live in a historic district.
SPEAKER_03And if you live in a historic district, you want to paint your mailbox, you've got to have a picture of Tennessee Williams also painting that same mailbox, that same color.
Downtown Safety Plan Explained
SPEAKER_02Oh, you know, 100%. No. Uh I think they're they with that, and I don't want to put words in their mouth, but they're just trying to make it uh preserve the overall idea and feel of what it is that Columbus has designated in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as a historic district. And so they try to apply common sense, you know, homes from the 1960s, 70s that are painted uh pepto-bismol pink. You know, while they're in the historic district, they're gonna let you paint those maybe in a more uh appropriate color for the thing, you know. But that that's what they're trying to do, and just make it and and honestly, from the research I've done, they're far less restrictive than some of the I know your guys' newspaper was one talked about the guys from New Orleans. You had to get approval to change a doorknob, you know. So they they I think they do a pretty good job of common sense while still trying to preserve it for everybody.
SPEAKER_04So what would actually constitute a violation? I mean, obviously, maybe putting in a a metal modular garage with an electric door and neon lights. I mean, where do people cross the line?
SPEAKER_02Well, it's just a matter of coming before the commission for permission. So that way they, you know, we have architects on there, they have different things to ask them. Hey, what would be appropriate for this area? Exterior changes.
SPEAKER_04Okay, and obviously that is a lot stricter in the historic district. When you move outside of the historic district, you've just got regular zoning to contend with. Correct. What is like your most common violation that you have to deal with?
SPEAKER_02Um, so a lot of times right now, violations, getting the code enforcement is overgrown grass, dilapidated buildings, trash, things like that. On the inspection side, a lot of it is uh unpermitted work. People didn't think they needed a permit. Sometimes there's some ambiguity around like they're selling chickens or something. No, just more of like, you know, hey, I'm adding a small addition onto my house. I didn't did I really need a permit for that? Or, you know, I'm re-roofing my house. Did I need a permit for that? So it's just kind of making awareness, which is why I'm so grateful to be here today, is that just getting awareness. We're not trying to have problems.
SPEAKER_04Do I need a permit to reroof my house? You do. You do. You do need a permit. You live in New Hope, don't you? Yeah, if you well, this is notwithstanding. Uh Steen's particular. So let me ask you this. Uh, there's a lot of people out there, I'm not one of them, but they probably think that your job ought not exist. All right. They're they're very libertarian-minded and they basically say it's my property, I'm gonna do what I want. Why are you coming in here telling me what to do?
SPEAKER_02And that's a great question. We get that a fair amount of time. And what it comes back to me is what's the point of a community? You know, if everybody followed the rules and had the same opinion on what's acceptable and what's not, no, my job would not be needed at all. Unfortunately, it's not the world we live in. So uh let's say you want to re-roof your house and you've never done roofing before, but it's your house and you have the right to do it. Okay, well, you do that then, and then what happens when you sell that to somebody? It's got a roof. There's a lot of things that we didn't inspect that they couldn't see. And now they're thinking they're getting a baseline standard of what's acceptable. But since we never had a permit, never had inspection because my job, quote unquote, shouldn't exist, well, now you've just done a disservice to that person. Now, you know, and that can go on and on and on as far as just looking for the bare minimum standards that we've all agreed that this should be the type of community we live in.
SPEAKER_03And I guess you do have disservice to your neighbors too, even while you're there, because if your property isn't kept, whether it's the facility itself, the electrical, the plumbing, the roof, whatever, or it's you're not lowing your grass or or those sorts of more aesthetic things, it it does affect the property value of the people around you.
SPEAKER_02You know, 100%. Even one thing's things we're doing at the building department now, we're applying uh right now we're applying for a community rating system with FEMA that will help to drop floodplain insurance for everyone in the floodplain. That just of course, yeah, more that's more paperwork on our end. We got to get audited, we got to do this stuff, but it'll help everybody. But to your point as far as your neighbors, we're also looking to apply to the building code effectiveness, something of Mississippi. It's this long title. And what that'll do is it'll bring insurance rates across the board down for everybody because we are now proving that we have this standard for everybody. So it really comes to rather than individual libertarian, listen, if that's them, that's great. There's lots of communities out there we can move and live on an island all by yourself. But in a community, you know, we're build working together to make it a good community. And sometimes there's things you may not like, but there's other things you do like. Lots of people call me on their neighbors, but then if it's turned around and the same code applied to them, they may not be as happy. So it's just it's a community aspect.
SPEAKER_04And so is it the overgone overgrown grass or is it the uh miscellaneous livestock that someone may invest in and bring it into the city? I mean, what what kind of calls do you deal with?
SPEAKER_02We get calls, yeah. Overgrown grass, dilapidated houses, uh the trash, things like that. Those are the primary things. We haven't had a call much about livestock, you know, animal control may get some of those, uh, but we haven't had that as much.
SPEAKER_03It's been more the building and now in Columbus, you can have chickens but no rooster, right?
SPEAKER_02That would be a great question. I'll be honest, I'm not familiar with the specific code on that. Uh, you know, that'd be something I'd have to check, and it might go into animal control, but I'm I'm not gonna speak to that without checking it. But one thing I've tried to do, speaking to as far as taking over from Kenny and things like that, is I just say I don't have a very good memory. So I try to find out what's the code, what what are we doing with it, and then that way that applies to everybody. Yeah. So I don't have to remember what I said to one person versus another. It's this is what it is.
SPEAKER_03Your predecessor, Kenny Weagle, sort of a legend in the community, phenomenal guy, uh, was at that office forever. He is a walking, living vault of every zone, every building in this town. Like you can call him while he's fishing on the bank and say, How many properties in this zone got exceptions for X? And he think about it for a second and say four and then list them while he's fishing on the bank.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03Um you apprenticed under him before taking this job.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
Fixing Main And Fifth: Lanes And Pedestrian Risk
SPEAKER_03And then you filled his shoes. So I'm asking this question two different ways. What was it like apprenticing under him? And what has filling those shoes been like for you, especially where interaction with the community that you was used to Kenny is concerned?
SPEAKER_02Uh well, I always put it this way when people say, Oh, you took uh Kenny's place, or you know, no, no one can take Kenny's place. Right. I took his job. Yes, I have his job. But Kenny really was a legend. He really was a great guy, and uh no one can take his place. So, with that though, taking his job and getting to learn from him, it was extremely valuable because how do you handle the things that aren't in the book? How do you handle those situations that are right in between? How do you navigate it? Who do you need to talk to? Where can you get sources of information? Those were the things I really focused on. And then afterwards, um, I'm not Kenny. Uh, I try to carry that same heart and that same mission of we're here to serve the community. Um, but as far as recall and the knowledge, I rely heavily on technology. Uh, that's something I now have that I can pull up codes on my phone. I can search, you know, I can pull up the zoning thanks to the technology the city council's given us and get those answers if I have my phone while I'm fishing. Uh and so basically I replaced skill and knowledge with technology. It works great every time.
SPEAKER_03Well, talking about that technology, I mean, digitizing their your office has been uh kind of a priority of yours since you've how far has that gone? Like uh how much has that progressed? And if uh what can Joe Citizen find online now uh that they couldn't maybe six months or a year ago?
SPEAKER_02Sure. So huge thing we're working on, um, and they've been working on it to give credit to Kenny, and then they had started this before I came. Uh, and so right now, not just yet, we're in the beta testing where they'll be able to receive payments online. Well, they'll be able to look up their zoning online, they'll be able to pull permits online, file applications for the zoning uh board online. Uh now, the thing that I want to keep in spirit with Ken, what Kenny did is we will never, as long as I have this job, ever be where you have to go online. We have a lot of contractors, a lot of citizens who don't like technology, who don't know how to use it. So you will always be able to come into the building department and pull a permit with us doing it for you. Now, it's still we're putting it into the system for you, but that's kind of the hybrid that we're doing.
SPEAKER_04I think the most exciting part of that is as you may know, we people of Columbus are nosy. Nosy. When we see a construction fence come up, we're like, oh, what are we getting? Is it another cache in a flash? What do we got? We like that.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02We we want that because so one of the biggest things that I always try to advocate for, especially with these rules, you have so many people that are doing things the right way. You have great builders, great plumbers, great electricians, and they're they're licensed, they're insured, they're bonded, they're they're doing the things the way they're supposed to be doing. So the reason we like it when citizens call and ask is because if someone's doing it that's not that's not fair to that guy that's been doing this for years and doing it the right way. And we want to inform that person who's doing it the wrong way or without licensing or whatnot that you you can't be doing that. Here's how you can get legal.
SPEAKER_03And well, and that's a good question, too. So you get a complaint, um, or you do an inspection and something's not right. Um is there you get onto the scene and you're like, okay, here's how to remediate that, here's what you need to do, or is it here's a fine, get off this property.
SPEAKER_02No, absolutely. So Jackie and Daniel are phenomenal inspectors. Jackie's a licensed builder, experienced With building, uh, Daniel's licensed electrician, HVAC experience. They've been doing this a long time. So when they come onto a job set or if there's issues or whatnot, they always uh you know tell you how to redress that, work with you. And worst case, you have to get an engineer involved to stamp it and say, you know, hey, but they're always gonna work that way. Tickets come into place when you're non-responsive, belligerent, refusing, you're not gonna make those, and you're just like, no. Well, you gotta change it. We can't just let it go.
SPEAKER_03So I'm working without a permit. You show up and I say, Oh God, I didn't realize I needed a permit. What do I do? I can then get that permit and then continue that work.
SPEAKER_02If you have the right licensing or if you're the property owner and live there, uh, yes, uh, potentially. Right now they do double the permit fee if you did it before. And what we're going to roll out eventually, because I think a lot of people know that, and so they just kind of go, ah, if they catch me, it's no big deal. It's just a double permit. Their permits are not that expensive for a lot of the smaller stuff. So what we are rolling out is we will probably eventually track repeat offenders. And if you're doing this repeatedly, you're gonna get a ticket because that's just not fair. You know, you're just playing the system and taking advantage of where we're trying to help people and not just, you know, come down on everybody.
SPEAKER_03So the overgrown yards and the the code enforcement aspect being brought under your umbr under your umbrella, has that how big of a hassle has that been to take that on?
SPEAKER_02Well, uh, I wouldn't call it a hassle at all. I mean, they got a great team. Uh, they've been working, they've been doing it. There's a change of systems.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, Sasha is still.
Slowing Traffic And Designing For Safety
SPEAKER_02Oh, still there and doing great. Yeah, she's phenomenal. She's handled this really, really well. Sasha James. Yes, she's been a big help. Um, and so, and it's really she's still the code enforcement officer. Now, I'm I'm the director, so I handle paperwork, handle complaints, handle issues, moving direction, but she's still doing the day-to-day code enforcement, talking with people, handling all of that. She does a lot of that. So, what we've been allowed here lately, uh, and and I don't know why it wasn't before, is before there was only the abatement process, overgrown lawn. Right. You go before the city council, that there's a 30-day notice, and then there's another 15-day notice.
SPEAKER_03And then you get a 45-day extension.
SPEAKER_02It just and and you know, and to be fair, that's not it's not fair to the council to put them in that situation because, you know, I mean, there are a lot of legitimate reasons of why you didn't mow your grass or why your house is falling in. So instead, what we've done is there is a municipal court ticket we've always had on the books. We just hadn't been going that way. And so now we are. And we work the city attorney, we uh fill out an affidavit, summons to appear, and a ticket. We'll work with you, but we'll give you a 10-day notice.
SPEAKER_03Gotcha.
SPEAKER_02Say, hey, or and talk to us. If there's something going on, like, for example, a dilapidated structure, we're not expecting you to tear that down in 10 days, but we do expect you to talk with us and have a written plan or something on the city.
SPEAKER_03Not just ignore it.
SPEAKER_02Right. Right. You need to tell us what's going to happen to this, and then we're gonna follow up with you. And if you don't, then yeah, we're gonna proceed with a municipal court ticket, and you're gonna have to explain to a judge why you just ignored us trying to work with you. You know, because again, we're not out there to just make tickets or to just catch people. I really believe our job is to serve the community and make it a better community. Uh, it's a great community. I love here. I chose to move here, and uh, I appreciate this community, and that's my attitude that I think everyone in the department carries is we're here to help. And we need the community's help to work with us to do that.
SPEAKER_03Well, but that abatement process still exists, which essentially is it's it's been condemned, and we're and the city is gonna come tear it down at a certain in a certain time frame, and then put a lien on your property tax on the property taxes for the cost of that work.
SPEAKER_02Um that that's that's the 100% because we still have so many air properties, uh deceased people that own it. And you know, we had one the other day. The the gentleman passed away, no other heirs. We we got a hold of one relative that lives out of town, and he said the guy had no will. There's I want nothing to do with it. So that's a perfect case where we either got to go to the Blight program and see if there's something they can do with that, or we just gotta otherwise it just sits there. There you can't ticket dead people.
SPEAKER_03Well, realistically, how the pro a property owner still exists for a property, even if there's airship, even if there's weird airship, somebody's still getting that tax bill. But realistically, when you when the city comes down and tears down a property or mows a property or whatever and then puts a lien on the taxes, realistically, how often does the city recoup uh the cost of their work from that tax lien?
SPEAKER_02You know, I'm not sure that'd be a good metric to track as far as that. I do know I think the reason we wanted to move away from it as much as possible is the amount of time it takes. I if I'm not mistaken, it's three years that it has to sit with unpaid taxes before it goes to the tax sale. We don't want houses sitting there or overgrown lots in there for three years. So as far as recouping the cost, if we do, if we don't, you know, I always go to what's the alternative? Do we just not pay the money and just let this house just fall in on itself?
SPEAKER_03And then that gets around to what it does to the neighbors.
Introducing Building Director Nathan Catona
SPEAKER_02Exactly. And so it's kind of one of those things. I'm not sure how much they collect. I would, it's not my decision, but I would advocate that it would be a necessary expense regardless, if we've done everything else on code enforcement and bill inspection, that we can to work with the property owner first. Uh it's a lot of machines and a lot of lawyers to pay for, it sounds like. Well, I think the city did a really good job bringing Jeff Turnage on staff for like he's able, he's helped me navigate so many of these things that I don't even want to know what my bill would be if he had, you know, if he wasn't on staff and I'd actually been billed hours. Yeah, I don't even I couldn't even imagine. So they've done stuff like that to try to get these things in place.
SPEAKER_03Now, one of the newer things that have uh newer project crusades, if you will, that that you've you've been on since becoming director and very recently got an ordinance passed to this regard. Tell tell us about how uh the city is handling short-term rentals now, maybe compared to before you got there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I did some research. We first had our cases back in 2022, was the first time somebody came and was asking permission for a short-term rental.
SPEAKER_03And so there's always been, or there has long, longer than just recently been a permitting process for that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yes. And that was part of the issue was what is it? It wasn't defined, it was just you need to get permission. But what really triggered this is we had a batch of like four rental uh pro for short-term rentals that came before the planning commission, and several of them, I just taken the job, looked at me and goes, What do we evaluate this on? How do we make this? Because it's gone up to the city council. City council said yes, it's with permission through the planning commission. But then the planning commission's kind of going, so do we just say yes if no one's opposed? Do we say no? What's our guidance? And that spurred the conversation of let's see what's going on, let's find out what's going on nationally, other cities, what's some common sense reforms and requirements we can do that don't squash the ability to have a short-term rental. I personally love short-term rentals. We use them every time I travel, just about.
SPEAKER_03Yearly vacation. We're staying in an Airbnb or a VRB. Absolutely. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02But we're also getting calls of parties, of people, you know, traffic in and out all the time. And we don't want that as a community. So what's the common sense middle ground? And that's what we attempted to do with this.
SPEAKER_03Well, so walk us through what you've done and if you uh want to have a short-term rental property, uh, what you got to do.
What The Building Department Actually Does
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So if you want to have a short-term rental, you need to come in and just fill out an application to go before the planning commission. And uh, what that triggers is it allows us to notify all your neighbors within that's Mississippi law for rezoning, and we've adopted it for permitted uses as well. And it notifies them, say, hey, this is what this person wants to do. If you're for it, against it, you have the opportunity to write us a letter, show up to the meeting, let us know your opinion as neighbors, because again, community. And uh then once you do that, you present your case to the planning commission. They make a recommendation to the city council. Um, and then once that's approved, then we ask for just some common sense life and safety stuff. Uh, post your emergency exits, post an emergency number. We're gonna come in and we're gonna check. Do you have smoke detectors? Do your windows in the bedrooms? You talked about somebody jumping out, you know, doing force of fire. Like, well, does that window open? I mean, I know no one in Columbus would want like a tragedy where somebody came in from out of town, they're sleeping in a bedroom, fire happened, and they couldn't get out the window. Right. Like, that's just that would be terrible for everybody. And so we just we check things like that, make sure there's proper egress, ingress. And then uh we want you to post um, should have brought it. It's a five by seven. It's a very small, it's it's at the the city, uh, it's at my office, um a very small placard uh that will tell you uh who's responsible for this property, what's their number, and what's their permit number. It's literally it's a little bit bigger than a car, but it needs to be visible from the street. So if we have those parties or something going on that you're a neighbor, you don't want this going on, who do you call? You don't know the owner because maybe it's you know, they live out of county or something like that. And so we have a little placard they need to put up that just lets them know who can they call. And they have to have a manager that could respond. You know, we said Lowndes County. Um, I feel pretty confident saying we can make exceptions as far as like if you're right across the border in Clay County or something like that. The the idea is you need someone in a nearby area that can actually respond and be responsible for this problem. Sure.
SPEAKER_04So I'm curious if someone wants to set up an Airbnb and they go through the process and you send out the the notices to the neighbors. How much of a legit complaint do you have to receive before you say, you know what, this is not just some crabby old lady that doesn't want traffic on the street, right?
SPEAKER_02That's a great question, and that's what people that are much more qualified than me decide. The Planning Commission, that's why it goes before them. We we don't I don't have an opinion when it comes before the Planning Commission. I simply present what's what's been given either, hey, we received five, six complaints from neighbors that don't want this, or we've received nothing, or people are there, they get to speak directly to the commission.
SPEAKER_03Well, I mean, uh, and I think to piggyback off of his point, Airbnb is established, it's there, it's it's permitted, whatever. Um, how many times do the cops have to go to that house before the permit gets pulled?
SPEAKER_02Uh, that would be a great question. I wouldn't say a hard and fast one, but because it could what we would want to know if if I got that call, because it's happened before, before we had these licensing and things in place. But let's say we have a licensed property, it's permitted, doing everything right. There's a party, the cops get called. Um and they tell Bill Strauss to put up his electric banjo. Yeah, whatever the case would be. Uh, I I didn't know he could play the electric banjo. Um but uh if that happened, I would immediately the next day I'd probably be on the phone with whoever that manager is because we'd have the number and we could call somebody and kind of go, what's going on? You had this complaint, we're now like, you know, and if we have the option to make them go back before the planning commission and basically say why they should still be allowed to operate, depending on what happened. Now, let's give you the best case scenario. There was a party, the uh property manager immediately notified. He notified Airbnb, kicked them out, charged the extra rental, you know, the extra fee for parties, et cetera, et cetera. That's no fault of the person who's running the property. They're doing what they should do. They wouldn't be penalized for that. You know, the opposite case, they're the one that planned the party. They invite a bunch of people over and charge tickets. Yeah. That's a whole different case. So it's like you you can't be doing that. And you would probably be, you know, you might get your license revoked. And we have a partnership with Airbnb. They have a municipal portal where we would get to blast out these requirements and things like that, and we can actually ask them and report that listing as a problem listing and ask them to take it down off the site until they correct these issues.
SPEAKER_03Okay. When when y'all tightened this permitting process better to find it, at the time, I want to say that you said that there were very few that were actually permitted versus what was listed on maybe Airbnb. Correct. Uh talk about that a little bit.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Uh when you type in Airbnb, Columbus, Mississippi, there I think are over 200 Airbnbs. That doesn't count Verbo and and all the other, I don't know, all the other areas that you can list a short-term rental. Um, but there was over 200. Some of those may be in the county. We didn't define. And uh we're working on that as well to have Airbnb define what's in our jurisdiction. And so, and we had, I think we have in our file a half a dozen, maybe, that went through the process, a dozen, um, you know, at most. And so that's what we were looking at, going, you know, it's not a problem, but this could be a problem if we don't address it.
SPEAKER_03But I mean, since this ordinance has been uh approved, I believe what was it in oct? Was it oct.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, a couple months ago, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um what that six number that has a permit, how has that grown?
SPEAKER_02So it's grown by a couple. And here's why is because I'm we had to work, we had to wait till the ordinance was passed before Airbnb would start the process of getting us qualified and set up. So we're working with them to put out a blast that they'll put it out to all the members to know. And at that point, I would probably start a 30-day timer. Once Airbnb has sent out the notice to everybody that's operating, it would kind of be like, hey, in the next 30 days, you need to at least call me and tell me what's your plan to get in compliance. Um, but right now we're working on that. We just we're waiting on the county to see if the county was going to do the 2% as well. I think they still have questions for their jurisdiction.
SPEAKER_03And talk about that 2% a little bit.
Historic District Basics And Common Sense
SPEAKER_02So while we were developing this ordinance, we found that there was the Mississippi law that actually slated it as qualifying as a hotel if you're not occupying the home. It's not about you wanting to have your friend over in another, it's about you are truly just renting this out like a mini hotel. Well, Mississippi law already states that is a hotel and it's subject to the 2% hotel motel tax. And uh people weren't paying it because probably they just didn't know. And so that's what we did. And just as convenience, uh, it was we also notified the county, made them aware, and I think they're still working through it in questions, and that's fine. We were waiting to see what they're gonna do before we sent it off, just for ease of uh the Department of Treasury, do the city, then do the county. They can just do them both at once. Right. I think they still have more questions. That's fine. So we're we already went ahead and sent ours. Right. So we're also waiting on that piece before we roll out implementation because I don't want to tell you you're responsible for a two percent tax, but I don't even have the information of how you can pay it or where.
SPEAKER_03Right. But I mean, in a lot of cases, that's just gonna get passed on to the rent.
SPEAKER_02It 100%, it already like if you go to a hotel, I don't even know if anybody really notices. You know, there's Louisiana. I notice. I notice a 2% different things.
SPEAKER_04Hot wire says this, but by the time I run that card, Lordy Mercy. Right. And you still win. Yeah, you still win.
SPEAKER_02Uh and it wasn't to the person that owned the property, it was the person coming into town spending money, and you're on vacation or you're doing something like yes, it's an added inconvenience, but it's also something that's negligible if you're going on vacation with your family. So that's what we do.
SPEAKER_04200 units, though. That just doesn't sound legit. I mean, what are these places, really?
SPEAKER_02I mean single-family homes. I mean, you can pull up Airbnb and check it. I mean, you just type in Columbus, Mississippi, and it's it's there. And so that's one of the things, the reason why we started looking at it was wow, there's a lot of, you know, I'm not here to defend the hotel industry, but I do think there should be a level playing field. And if you're taking money directly away from another business, you should probably have to operate by at least some of the same requirements. Uh, and that's one of the other things we looked at. Well, is there anything you want to add? I do, the people. Uh, I gotta say, this job could not be possible without the wonderful people that were already there and continue to do their stuff every day. Kenny, uh, he obviously was one of them, but he built such a great team uh that every single one of them, Cindy, Yolanda, Jackie, Daniel, Sasha, Veronica has moved to City Hall, but all of them, there's no way I could do this job without them. And so I would definitely want to highly emphasize that.
SPEAKER_04All right. So no alligators just outside the bedroom window because that window must double as an egress. Yeah. Friendly reminder.
SPEAKER_02We would have other questions about a pet alligator, but yeah.
SPEAKER_04Our special guest today has been Mr. Nathan Cotona. He is the building department director. If you see him coming with a clipboard, don't run away because that will only make things more expensive. All right, so good to have him on the program. Before we close out today, Zach, what are three things we need to know?
SPEAKER_03All right, number one, the City of Columbus is shifting$269,000 in ARPA funds to drainage projects on Highway 45 and Summerhaven Drive, the latter of which is in East Columbus. The money was originally earmarked for the professional services related to that big drainage project, that$6 million drainage project that's underway all over town. Uh, but a mistake in the bid advertising for those services forced the city to reallocate that money. Uh number two, the Golden Triangle Homeless Coalition is trying to raise$160,000 to finish the tiny home village it is building on Airline Road. The money will cover the interior work in the 10 tiny homes as well as roads, sidewalks, and landscaping work. The village hopes to provide shelter for three to six month stretches for people looking to pull themselves out of homelessness, and hopefully the first folks will move in by the spring. Uh number three, and this is one for you, David, uh Lowndes County Humane Society has launched a kitty reading program where children can read to cats at the shelter. The program aims to help reluctant readers feel more comfortable while socializing cats uh where they can more easily be adopted.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, um I'll you know I don't want to say anything negative about that. So like um like I'm in favor of reading and I'm in favor of animals, and the juxtaposition of the two is a little strange, but I'm all in favor. Oh, I think it's a great program. Great program. For sure. All right. Well, thank you for joining us today. Be sure to follow and share the show and help get the word out. Indeed, make our hometown a better place. As always, send us your comments. Tips at cdispatch.com. You can also follow me on Facebook or X at D Chisholm Double Zero. We love public comments. Signing off until next week from Catfish Alley Studio here in historic downtown Columbus. Your host has been Zach Player. My name is David Chisholm. I'll keep it friendly. We'll keep it real.
SPEAKER_00Opinions expressed on this show are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the commercial dispatch.
