The Star-Herald from Kosciusko, Mississippi • 1

I The tarhekald i ri 0 11 til r-O Of Kosciusko, Mississippi January 21, 1988 44 Pages City will close Northside swimming pool ri Kosciusko officials Tuesday night voted to close one of two municipally operated swimming pools, blaming low revenues and increasing liability insurance rates. They also voted to exercise an option on North Jackson St. property that has been earmarked as the future home of the fire and police departments, set a hearing on proposed rezoning of Hwy. 35 North property and handled a list of routine business. City recreation director Cletone Pope recommended to the mayor and board of aldermen that the said.

He Baid the recreation department went to the extent of offering free swimming lessons at North-side last year in an effort to improve attendance, but received little response. "Based on the fact that they haven't used Northside in the past two years, I don't see it. I don't see how we can keep going," Pope told the mayor and board. Mayor Freddie George said the cost factors became more dismal recently when the city received a letter from its liability insurance group that said insurance for swimming pool at Northside Park be closed and that the city operate only its Hugh P. Ellard Memorial Park pool in the future.

He said that suggestion was based on losses during the past two seasons brought on by declining use of the Northside facility. Last summer the pool cost the city $3,500 over the revenues it took in because it drew an average of only eight to 10 customers per week who paid 50 cents per visit. By contrast, Pope said the Hugh Ellard pool attracted from 55 to 60 swimmers per day paying $1 each. That facility broke even, Pope swimming pools is increasing by $5,000 a year per pool. Based on Pope's proposal, Alderman H.

L. Myricks made a motion to close the Northside pool and instructed Pope to take the necessary steps to secure the facility to prevent accidenta Alderman Thomas Craft seconded the motion and it passed with favorable votes from them and Aldermen James Bayne and Jack Jordan. Alderman Billy Tolleson was absent. Officials voted to exercise an option they took several weeks ago on a former auto dealership and adjacent lots on Jackson paying the $45,000 price tag from a $63,000 reimbursement to the city from the federal government for traffic lights on Hwy. 12.

Plans call for moving the fire department to the building, possibly by the end of this year, with the police department to follow later. Aldermen said they will conduct a rezoning hearing on March 1 on a request by C. L. Manderson II and Pam Neaves that zoning of property they own on Hwy. 35 North be changed from single fa Storm hits 21 sites mily residential to general com-' mercial.

The Planning Commission recommended the change, noting that all adjoining property is already zoned commercial. Aldermen also accepted low bids for a list of regular supplies and said they will receive bids on March 1 for recreational supplies and two trucks for the sanitation department. They also agreed to review specifications written by Pope for summer grass cutting before asking for bida usable. The storm roared across the Natchez Trace Parkway twisting big trees apart and dumping them in the roadway. It skipped again and dipped to earth at the James Allen home east of Berea, blowing shingles from the roof and demolishing three sheds.

Only injury was to Reynolds. He suffered cuts on the head, face and hand and bruises. He was treated at a Kosciusko medical clinic and returned to the rubble which had been home to help clean up the debris. The storm hit the area first along Highway 14 near a mobile home owned by Mr. and Mrs.

Barry Lawshe. They were not home and there were no injuries. It overturned a shed owned by Bubba Lawshe 40 yards from the home of Levi Abies. His home was Continued on page 20 Tornado's touchdowns House trailer belonging to Mr. and Mrs.

Barry Lawshe near Goodman destroyed. Farm equipment shed belonging to Bubba Lawshe near Goodman damaged. Unoccupied East Homes Academy school bus overturned near Goodman. Roof blown off residence of Mr. and Mrs.

Major Flowers near Goodman. Tree damage south of Newport. Two unoccupied house trailers belonging to Ray Palmertree overturned at Marvin Chapel community. Roof damaged and shed destroyed at the residence of Mr. and Mra Junior Kemp at Marvin Chapel.

Tin torn from side of home and antenna damaged at residence of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Beal at Marvin Chapel. Roof damaged, tool shed flattened and oak tree uprooted at the residence of Jimmy Weaver at Marvin Chapel. Continued on page 20 lomaao cleanup oegins at Mayward Walters home living room (foreground) was obliterated The destruction in select areas of the Liberty Chapel community was awesome.

It came from a tornado, born of a strong thunderstorm front, which hop-skotched across Attala County Tuesday. The storm struck in at least 21 places between the Big Black River at Goodman and the Berea community in eastern Attala. Five homes were destroyed, but only one minor injury was reported. Several other homes and buildings were damaged. Gov.

Ray Mabus late Wednesday was preparing to declare a state of emergency in Attala County, opening the door to a wide range of aid for storm victims, including giving local governments the authority to clear private property and other help. The storm started across Attala at Goodman about 11 a.m. Just before noon it ended its swing near Berea. An estimated 500 families were without electricity but all but one had been restored by 10:30 p.m. Neighbors took in the homeless and helped them pick up their remaining belongings.

Area officials and volunteers flocked to the stricken homes to offer help. Worst damage came as the storm dipped to the earth several miles apart in the Liberty Chapel area. It leveled a house, now vacant, which was the home of the late Mrs. Alice Turner. Nearby the home of Hayward and Wendy Walters was ripped in half, the new cedar panelling of its living room lying on the concrete slab guarded by the snagged remainder of the home.

Several hundred yards southeast the storm plucked a section of roof from the home of Mrs. Ruby Sue Thompson, Mrs. Walters' mother. The home of Toy Reynolds near the Natchez Trace was left in little more than splinters. Across the road the homes of Kathy Crossley and her parents, Corrine and Clarence Crossley, was left with bits of wall standing.

Ironically, the home of their neighbor Mrs. Horace Veasey was less damaged. Trees fell around it, part of the roof was ripped away and the porch floor buckled, but the telephone was Student swap plan okayed wards recommendation of the sign in, sign out procedure. However, they did not agree with the five day suspension policy. Members of the board voted that all teachers who sign in or out for other teachers be brought before the board for disciplinary action.

Teachers who do not sign in or out will also be brought before the board. Iva Hodges was approved by board members to coordinate the district's five-year-plan. The plan is mandated by the State Department of Education for all school districts and will include information on personnel, curriculum, school facilities and school climate. Board member Jackie Flannagin was approved to assist Mrs. Hodges with the plan.

Board members approved application for an emergency certificate for Janet Black Alashti, librarian at Greenlee. by Pam Garner of The Star-Herald staff A mix-up in county and city school district boundary lines prompted Attala County School board members to pass a motion to accept approximately 42 students from the Kosciusko school system into the county system Tuesday. Attala Superintendent of Education Jim Edwards said he discovered last week that several children living inside the city district lines were being picked up by county school buses and taken to Greenlee Elementary and Ethel High School. He said the students had been attending the county schools for several years and weren't aware that they actually live inside of the city school district. "The county bus runs through the Center community to pick up county students and has been picking up city students, too," said Edwards.

"I called A.D. McBeath, Kosciusko Superintendent of Edu cation, and he said those students have been attending our schools for many years and he is willing to release them if we would accept them," he said. Edwards said the county will receive state funding for the children with the legal transfer. "From now on we will pick up all of the students in the Center area at one stop, which will be at the Little Hill Church. The only other legitimate stop in the city lines is at the old Coleman's Restaurant off of Highway 35 Bypass," said Edwards.

"Outside of the Coleman's stop, our drivers shall not load or unload students inside the city district lines," he said. Edwards recommended that the board members take the students "as long as they are not a discipline problem. If they become a problem, we will send them back to Kosciusko." "I don't think we can take a child as long as he is good and then if they turn bad, send them back," and feasible" to assist the victima Dale said citizens can contact the agency at telephone number 352-9100 if they have questiona Those with problems or questions concerning insurance settlements are invited to telephone the insurance commissioner's office at 359-3569. Dale said Kosciusko Mayor Freddie George has been in contact with the Emergency Management Agency and is helping secure data officials of the organization have requested in their effort to assess the extent of the storm damage on both public and private property. The commissioner said he is particularly interested when disasters strike rural areas in determining how many homes were without insurance because of high rural ratea When destruction does occur, Dale said victims should follow set said board member Charles Fancher.

"I think we have to take them and give them full attendance rights, just like any other child," he said. Board members agreed with Fancher and said all of the transferred students will be given full attendance rights. "If they become a disciplinary problem, they will be punished like other children," said Fancher. -'In other business Edwards recommended that a sign in, sign out procedure be enforced for employees at each Attala County School work place. "We have had a problem with a few teachers leaving school without signing out.

People have assigned times to be at school and they should be there during those times," said Edwards. He recommended that teachers who sign in or out for other teachers be suspended from work for five days without pay. Board members affirmed Ed procedures. First, he said, they need to protect themselves from further harm, then take steps to protect their property from further damage They then should contact their insurance agent, provide all necessary information on losses and review a settlement offer carefully to make sure it is satisfactory. Dale said he is proposing a bill to the legislature to license insurance adjusters in Mississippi, contending that is particularly needed in sweeping disasters such as hurricanes that hit the coast.

In such cases, Dale said insurance companies are faced with a shortage of qualified adjusters and often send in marketing people to help perform the task. Their inexperience with adjusting claims generally causes more problems, than it solves, Dale contended. Aid for storm victims sought State Insurance Commissioner George Dale was in Attala County Wednesday morning surveying Tuesday's tornado damage in what he said was his standard policy in cases of natural disasters. He also said the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has been contacted and is gathering data on the extent of losses. That agency, said Dale, has the authority to investigate disasters and make recommendations to the federal government for official disaster designation and assistance State Rep.

H. S. "Butch" McMillan said he also has been in touch with the Agency and was informed that they possibly can offer mobile homes for temporary housing of those whose homes were destroyed. McMillan also said he contacted the governor's office and was told by a spokesman that Gov. Ray Mabus pledges to do all that is "legal Stars mark tornado damage points across Attala County.