After years of fundraising, planning and wondering when it was going to come to fruition, the members of the Lodi-Minerva Road Volunteer Fire Department Board of Directors and the residents of Lodi and Minerva are starting to see the fruits of their labor.
In April, Supervisor Willie Earl Townsend posted a letter on his Facebook page from Representative Karl Oliver (R-Winona) congratulating the Board of Directors on being awarded $100,000 from the state to go toward building the volunteer fire department.
Oliver’s letter read: “Prior to the 2019 Legislative Session convening, District 3 Supervisor Willie Earl Townsend, Jr. and myself began working on and laying out a plan to see the construction and completion of the Lodi-Minerva VFD through. In an effort to meet the needs of this rural section of Montgomery County’s citizens and provide them with adequate protection, we made this a priority.”
In his letter, Oliver thanked Townsend for his work in acquiring the funding.
Now, plans are getting underway and what was once ideas in the conception process are now concrete plans they will see come to life.
“I’m just glad that we’re making some kind of progress,” Board President Henry Townsend, Jr. said.
A few meetings back, members selected Belinda Stewart Architects of Eupora as the architect for the project. The board has since requested bids to do the work for the project.
“The bids are for a one-person job and the building,” Tee Golding told members Thursday night at Spring Hill M.B. Church. “But, we are taking bids separately on the building, electrical, and concrete, and then we’re going to compare to see which one is better -- subbing it out or letting one person do everything.”
Golding said the bids will be opened at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 18 at the Montgomery County Courthouse.
“If you know someone that can do the work, tell them to put in a bid,” Golding said, adding they have to be licensed and bonded to put in a bid.
Golding said after opening the bids, they will take the best one and present it to the board at their next board meeting at Kilmichael Baptist Church.
“That’ll give us to time to get our money in from the legislature and go from there,” Golding said. “And if you know someone that pours concrete, does wiring, whatever, tell them to put in a bid. The more bids we have, the better the bids we get.”
