Hattiesburg American from Hattiesburg, Mississippi • 3

TATE LOCAL Saturday, November 2, 19B5 Hattiesburg AMERICAN 3 A City investigating firemen performing some police duties Coastal residents begin to assess Juan's damage A Av (s J' I (ML Tmm The mayor proposed putting one firefighter from each of the city's seven stations who are not engaged in other fire department work on patrol in an otherwise unused police car. The firefighters, who would have no arrest powers, would be asked to call in a position and situation when they came upon one demanding a police officer's attention. Wilson said the dispatcher would then send "a sworn officer" to the scene. Having firefighters on patrol would increase police visibility in the city, a deterret to crime, said Wilson. "It's purely a feasibility study," Wilson said.

Wilson said Williamson doesn't think putting firefighters on the street would deplete the department's ability to respond to calls, "The man in car could probably beat the fire truck to a fire," he said. City council members Charles Lawrence and Kathryn Cummings said the mayor discussed the proposal with the council. Lawrence said he would support the idea if "it can be done in such a way that it will not affect the effectiveness of fire coverage and won't give us a higher rating which, in turn, would cause homeowners' fire insurance to go up." Mrs. Cummings said the mayor told them "he was rather intrigued by that idea." "I told him I was certainly interested in examining that idea, she said. Hattiesburg Mayor G.D.

Williamson has asked police and fire officials to investigate allowing firefighters to eyeball the city from patrol cars during slack hours, a city spokesman said Friday. "He's not trying to put firemen in position of being police officers," said city spokesman David Wilson. "The purpose is to get eyeballs out on the road and vehicles out on the road." Wilson said Williamson came across the idea a few months ago when he attended a national conference in North Carolina for mayors of small towns. The mayors exchanged information on city programs and several mayors said they were using fire personnel in patrol cars, Wilson said. "Varying cities were using different methods." Williamson, on his return, "asked each of the chiefs and (Public Safety) Director (Buford) Odom to look at the possibility of increasing our patrol ability or number of patrol vehicles we could have out by having one fireman from each fire station patrolling in a police vehicle that normally would be idle." Odom, Fire Chief Wayne Lee and Police Chief Keith Oubre are studying the proposal if it would work and what would work in Hattiesburg, Wilson said.

"The mayor expressed an initial reluctance to use firemen as policemen," Wilson said. "That is not something that he seems to advocate." Conservation were capturing the live ones and returning them to their natural habitat, Necaise said. Meanwhile road crews were "rolling out there. It's a health hazard," Necaise said. "It's just a tremendous amount that has to be picked up." At the height of the five-day storm, about 200 to 300 people in Hancock County had to be evacuated from homes because of flooding.

Most returned, Necaise said. Runoff from the past week's incessant rain threatened more flooding in eastern Jackson County, the easternmost of the three counties, as rain-swollen rivers continued to rise. Beaches eroded and the seawall was damaged in Pascagoula. "The main damage we had was flooding," said Harrison County Civil Defense Deputy Director Linda Rouse. Officials counted 302 homes with water damage and estimated the loss at about $151,000.

Pass Christian was the hardest hit in Harrison County, she said. Some residents were unable to go home because of the water damage, Ms. Rouse said. Sand erosion along the beaches in Harrison County will cost about $500,000 to repair. Officials hope for federal disaster relief money to do some of the repairs.

Juan, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, reached hurricane strength on Sunday and was downgraded to a tropical storm on Tuesday. Mississippi's Gulf Coast communities, battered by three hurricanes this season, began Friday to assess the water damage wrought by Tropical Storm Juan. "We've had so many disasters, it's hard to pinpoint which one caused what," Jackson County District 5 Supervisor Doug Holden replied when asked about the damage. The Hancock County Board of Supervisors asked Gov. Bill Allain to declare the county a disaster area, said Greg Pfeiffer, board secretary.

Hancock, the westernmost of the three counties, appeared to be the hardest hit of the three, said Dusty Perkins, spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Four teams of experts headed to the coast Friday to begin damage assessments. MEMA Director Jim Maher was expected to be in the area Saturday to check damage, along with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials. They must determine whether any areas are eligible for federal relief. In Hancock County, most of the flooding had subsided by Friday, but Beach Boulevard that fronts the Gulf of Mexico was heavily damaged.

Along the 11-mile stretch of beach in the county, marsh grass was piled 1-4 feet deep, Chancery Clerk Mike Necaise said. Dead and live raccoons, marsh hens and other animals were caught in the grass, he said. Officers from the state Department of Wildlife AMERICAN photo by Robert Miller HATTIESBURG HIGH School gets in the University of Southern Mississippi homecoming spirit winning a first place cash prize of $400 with their window decoration at McMullan Motors. McMullan sponsored the contest in which four area high schools decorating windows of the business on Broadway Drive. Each school won a cash prize to use as the school sees fit.

NAACP sends reregistration message to U.S. Justice purging the rolls, as the NAACP requests, wouldn't correct many of the problems with removing names of unqualified voters from the poll books. "To be opposed to a reregistration of voters under the circumstances that exist in Forrest County is to be opposed to the law and the democratic system of government under which we operate," Barefield said. "A complete legal purge of the voter rolls of Forrest County, Mississippi, in place of a Forrest County Board of Supervisors will have an impact. "This would give them a chance to look at both sides of it," Jordan said.

And he said the NAACP sent the resolution to register opposition: "Without putting up a defense they'd say, you know, nobody's contesting it, so everybody's for it. Two city council members and one supervisor voting nay that's going to have an impact right there." Supervisors' attorney Stone Barefield said By NATHAN JOHNSON AMERICAN Staff Writer The Forrest County chapter of the NAACP has informed the U.S. Justice Department, which holds final approval for the county voter registration plan, that it recently passed a resolution opposing reregistration here. NAACP president Nathan Jordan said he believes opposition by the NAACP and black members of the Hattiesburg City Council and books. Blacks here encountered strong opposition and violence leading to the death of Vernon Dahmer during the early years of black registration efforts.

The NAACP believes that purging the registration books will correct many of the problems identified by elected officials and will minimize the risk of losing registered voters and diluting black voting strength. reregistration, would result in the unnecessary disinfranchisment of many otherwise qualified voters within this county. Barefield said purging would remove people from the rolls when they transfer from one beat or ward to another, but would not reregister them in their new ward. The NAACP, in the resolution, voted to oppose reregistration because: They think elected officials should seek an alternative to updating the registration Club opens for faculty-staff Turney files lawsuit to renegotiate leases visiting members (free up to two weeks, then prorated after two weeks). Following the Dec.

31 deadline for charter members, annual fees will increase to $75 for faculty and staff, $35 for graduate students and $100 for affiliate members. The club will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays; from 11 a.m.

to 2 p.m. and from 3 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and 5 to 11 p.m. on Saturdays except holidays and days on which home football games are scheduled. Club memberships will allow members to receive catering services at competitive prices, a 20 percent discount on beverages, complimentary snacks between 4 and 6 p.m.

on weekdays, use of the swimming pool from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, periodic wine and cheese parties or tasting and a 10 percent discount on member-booked motel rooms. But Molpus claimed that schools are not getting all the income they could from the property. Molpus said the schools now get about $6.8 million a year from 16th Section leases, but could easily be getting $21 million by 1988.

Turney charged that many residents have been forced off their rented property by the higher rental rates. Many local school have then then reclassified the land for forest use. Turney filed a similar lawsuit July 12 in Marion County Circuit Court. Judge R.I. Prichard III dismissed the lawsuit Oct.

3 and advised Turney to file in Hinds County where Molpus resides. In his new lawsuit, Turney charged that Molpus stands to make financial gains through the reclassification of land to forest use because the secretary of state has ties to the timber industry. The lawsuit charged that Molpus has publicly supported Senate bills to allow timber companies to lease forest classified 16th Section lands for up to 50 years for no specific amount. HATTIESBURG (AP) A Hattiesburg man filed suit in Jackson Friday asking Secretary of State Dick Molpus tq direct school districts to follow state law in renegotiating 16th Section land leases. Steve Turney of Hattiesburg claimed in his lawsuit that Moplus had told school officials to get 5 percent of market value for 16th Section farm-residential land leases rather than the fair market rental price prescribed by law.

Turney said he filed the suit in Hinds County Circuit Court in Jackson. "We orginally filed in Marion County," he said. "The judge there said it would be best in Hinds County." In most cases, the fair market rental price is lower than the rate that Turney alleges Molpus has ordered. Molpus could not be reached for comment Friday. More than 644,000 acres of state-owned 16th Section land were set aside in the early 19th century to raise funds for local schools.

CItcrte Roundup Named to represent USM on a board of advisors that will oversee club operations were Dr. Clyde Ginn, executive assistant to Dr. Lucas and Dr. William Taylor, professor of criminal justice and head of the USM Center for International Administration. Taylor agreed to serve as the first chair of the board.

The club will begin regular hours on Monday with charter memberships at a reduced price available until Dec. 31. Charter dues cover the period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1986.

Membership categories include: faculty or staff (all persons holding academic rank and all full-time staff members, including spouses), $50; graduate students (masters and doctoral), $25; affiliate members (alumni and other friends of the university nominated by two club members and friends contributing at least $500 to the university during the 12-month period preceding the date application is made), $75; and The University of Southern Mississippi is selling charter memberships for a new faculty-staff club that will operate in the old "Cheers" lounge location at the Southern Inn. "For some 20 years or more, there has been talk around the campus of the desire to establish a faculty or a faculty and staff club," said Dr. Aubrey K. Lucas, university president, in announcing the new venture. "We believe we now have the facilities for such a club.

The club will host an open house Saturday for potential members to visit the facility. From 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., a dutch-treat brunch will be served. Live entertainment will be featured from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and from 9 p.m.

until midnight. The Gold Room restaurant also will be open for dinner following the 6 p.m. homecoming clash with East Carolina. Lucas emphasized, however, the university will not own the lounge, nor does USM own any part of the Southernaire Motel and restaurant. m.

i II i -t mm r' 7 If, 1 ft TL. Asbestos removal to begin By LISA EASTERLING Special lo the AMERICAN Asbestos removal from three University of Southern Mississippi dormitories could begin by mid-December, a school engineer said Friday after opening bids on the project. American Insulation Products Co. of Columbus bid $42,278, while Asbestos Removal Services Inc. of Jackson bid $57,479, USM construction engineer David Anderson said.

"I think we got some good bids," he said, adding that a bid should be awarded in the next two weeks. The lowest and best bids are usually chosen for projects, he said. Asbestos removal should begin by Dec. 14,. about the time Christmas holidays begin, said Tom Compton, managing partner of Compton and Bolton Associates Architects and Planners of Biloxi.

Both bids were within the university's estimated cost of $70,000, he said. "When we deal with asbestos removal we want to have as few people around as possible," said Compton, architect of the dorm renovation project. The removal should be completed by the end of January, Compton said, adding that it is concentrated near hot water piping and heaters in the Hickman dorm basement and the mechanical room areas of Hattiesburg and Mississippi Halls. The asbestos removal is the first stage of a $2.25 million to $2.75 million dorm revitalization program, Compton said. "Before we can do our dorm rehabilitation we have to take the asbestos out completely," he said.

The dorms will be "completely internally rehabilitated" Compton said, and ready for residents again in the fall of 1987. He said the school will follow Environmental Protection Agency guidelines in the removal process. An industrial hygenist will measure asbestos particles in the air during removal, Compton said. ft f-i 4 arrested in Hattiesburg drug bust Narcotics officers arrested four people at about 11 a.m. Friday at Highland Square Apartments and siezed about 2.5 ounces of uncut cocaine in connection with a plan to mail the drug here.

"This was about pure cocaine," Metro Narcotics Commander Jim Ainsworth said. "It came straight from the source." Police arrested and are holding a woman and three men in the Forrest County jail. Ainsworth said three are from South America and one from Hattiesburg. "We found out that somebody in South America is mailing the cocaine here," Ainsworth said. The arrests were made in connection with that investigation, which continues.

"There might be further arrests on it," he said. Ainsworth said the cocaine might have a street value of more than $10,000. Christmas parade plans under way Hattiesburg Jaycees plan to hold the Hattiesburg Christmas Parade Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. and are asking prospective participants to sign up now.

People interested in participating should call Mary Ann Parrish at 264-7891 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday or on Fridays. Local merchants are sponsoring trophies for Best Float, Best Theme and Most Original Idea. State gets funding for wildlife WASHINGTON (AP) Mississippi will receive $1,148,250 in sport fish and wildlife restoration funds as part of 1984 legislation Congress enacted to expand the program, Sen.

Thad Cochran, said Friday. The Mississippi allocation was among fiscal year 1986 funding for states announced by the Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, Cochran said. ft AMERICAN photo by Stm Cofemm of the University of Southern Mississippi Arnold Air Society and Angel Flight attached 300 cards with each resident's name and address to the balloons. Residents hope people who find the balloons will respond. CAROLYN SHIMON, a resident of ConvaRest Retirement Community, releases balloons during a "Balloon Blast" at the home Friday.

Right, Angel Flight Cadet Susie Campbell helps Jimmy Lee Pallard get his balloons airborne. Members.