As Collins Mayor V.O. Smith nears the end of his term, many have gathered to honor his legacy with the city.
At the Mississippi Municipal League meeting held June 19, Smith was celebrated for his hard work and dedication to not only the City of Collins, but the Mississippi Municipal Service Company and the Mississippi Municipal League during the last three decades.
Officials with the City of Collins will host a dedication ceremony for the V.O. Smith Courtyard located on Main Street next door to City Hall. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m. with special acknowledgements to be given.
Light refreshments will be served.
Collins Mayor-elect Hope Magee Jones will take office on July 3, and she is ready to get to work. “I’m very excited about this new position,” Jones said. “Mayor Smith has done a great job, and we want to build on the foundation he has laid.” Jones said she wants to see Collins continue to grow and prosper. “We want to work to bring jobs to our city,” she said, “and we want to work on our city and county relationship especially with our schools.” Jones noted that making the city attractive to new businesses was a priority. “These are some early goals that I have set,” she said. “I’ll know more once I get in there and see where we are.” Jones and the new Board of Aldermen will meet on Wednesday, July 5 at 6 p.m.
Mayor Totals:
Tom Brooks 307
Hope Magee Jones 400
Alderman at Large:
Bobby Mooney 653
Ward One:
Tom Brooks 48
Hope Magee Jones 143
Bobby Mooney 179
For Ward One Alderman
Lester Magee 173
Ward Two:
Tom Brooks 50
Hope Magee Jones 192
Bobby Mooney 226
For Ward Two Alderman
Regina Daughdrill 46
Robert Thompson 191
Ward Three:
Tom Brooks 75
Hope Magee Jones 40
Bobby Mooney 103
For Ward Three Alderman:
Sally Buffington 104
V.O. Smith (write-in) 1
Ward Four:
Tom Brooks 134
Hope Magee Jones 25
Bobby Mooney 145
For Ward Four Alderman:
Ann Norris Lott 53
Debbie Lundy 106
Voters in Covington County will go to the polls on Tuesday, June 6 to decide municipal races in the 2017 General Election. Absentee voting is going on now at City Halls in the county during their regular business hours on weekdays. City Hall will be open on Saturday, June 3 for absentee voting. The Saturday hours are from 8 a.m. until 12 noon. The last day for absentee voting ins Saturday, June 3. All voters must show identification. On election day polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
The Covington County Library System is gearing up for another great year of its “Build a Better World” Summer Reading Program. This year, the system received two $3,000 grants through the Mississippi Library Commission, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, that allowed for the expansion of each library’s children and young adult collections. Hundreds of popular titles have been added to the branches, including a significant number of graphic novels. These new titles will be excellent choices for children looking to fill their reading logs during the upcoming Summer Reading Program. Beginning June 1, the libraries will be hosting a variety of events, culminating in a finale event at each branch on June 30 with Animal Tales, an educational presentation featuring live animals. Over the course of the month, participants will have the opportunity to attend any or all of these events, and will be able to add completed books to their reading log each week to earn prizes and free books. A complete list of events and a link to the registration form can be found on the library website’s summer reading page, http://www.ccls.lib.ms.us/summer-reading/. Registration begins May 22, but participants may sign up at any point during the program.
Collins Aldermen voted unanimously at their meeting on Tuesday, May 16 to name the park on Main Street in honor of Mayor V.O. Smith. “V.O. has done a lot for our town, and I think we ought to do this for him,” said Alderman-At-Large Bobby Mooney. The city purchased the property located nextdoor to City Hall last year. When it was purchased a dilapidated building was on the property, and crews went to work tearing down the building in preparation for a small green space. Mayor Smith took the project on to create a park where an eyesore once sat. “I’m all for it,” said Alderman Lester Magee. Smith, who has served as Mayor of Collins for nine terms was defeated in the primary election earlier this month. “The park will have a plaque at the entrance and an arched sign above it with his name on it,” said Mooney. The motion was made and it passed unanimously.
Collins Police Chief Joey Ponder announced that his department has received a “Click It or Ticket Day and Night” grant from the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety. “With the funds awarded to the City of Collins, officers with police department will be out day and night looking for unrestrained drivers and passengers,” said Ponder. The extra manpower will come at no additional expense to city taxpayers. The campaign will be going on from May 22-June 4. Ponder urged all drivers to buckle up not only themselves but children as well.
The Boys and Girls Club of Covington County will host its 20th Annual Steak and Steak Dinner & Silent Auction, Saturday, May 20, 2017. The event will be held at the Collins Civic Center. The Silent Auction will begin at 6:00pm with Dinner at 6:30pm. The special guest speaker will be Melanie Preston. Preston is a native of Collins. She graduated from Collins High School and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. She also attended William Carey University where she completed graduate studies in Counseling Psychology with a minor in School Counseling and received her first Master of Arts degree. In 2012, Mrs. Preston pursued and completed a second Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from Western Governors University, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Preston is a state and nationally board certified Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She is also a licensed school counselor, school psychologist, and administrator. She is married to Patrick Preston and they are the proud parents of three children, Nia, Nehemiah, and Nalivia. “The evening will be filled with food, fun and fellowship, but most important, we will be celebrating the commitment of our community to support the Boys & Girls Club of Covington County”, says Peggy Weary, Executive Director. The Theme for the evening will be “Going for the Goal: Academic Success.” Tickets are $100 per plate or $500 per table and seating is limited. They can be purchased from any Boys and Girls Club Board Member, Unit Director or at the Main Office. Donations to the Club and for our Silent Auction are always greatly appreciated, with all monies being used locally. For more information on how you can join this celebration of our young people and make a difference for the future by supporting the Boys & Girls Club of Covington County, please call 601-765-6300.
The City of Collins donated two vehicles from its fleet with the Collins Police Department to the Covington County Sheriff’s Department. The vehicles, according to Police Chief Joey Ponder, have approximately 200,000 miles on them and are in good working order. “They still have about 100,000 miles worth of use left in them,” said Sheriff Stann Smith. “We have a lot of ground to cover and we appreciate these vehicles.” The cars were given at a cost of $100 per vehicle as required by law. “We are happy to help the Sheriff’s Department,” said Collins Mayor V.O. Smith. “We like to help any way we can, and we are glad that the Sheriff’s Department will get some use out of them.” The Collins Police Department has just purchased two new vehicles that are being outfitted for service.