Purvis, Miss. (Pine Belt News) – The City of Purvis broke ground for construction of a new city hall. The new building, which will be located at the intersection of Shelby Speights Drive and Allen Street, will provide much needed space for city officials and city service offices. The Purvis Police Department will take over use of the old city hall location once construction is complete.
“A new city hall is needed because our old one was built in 1968,” said Purvis Mayor Roger Herrin. “It’s going to be a blessing for the city of Purvis. I don’t think you could have picked a better spot for City Hall.”
Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann, State Senator John Polk (District 44) and State Senator Ken Morgan (District 100) attended the ceremony in recognition of their efforts to help fund the project.
“A city hall is the center of your community,” Hosemann said. “It is a step forward … It is another sign of growth here (in Purvis). I came down because I believe it’s very important. It’s an investment in a community that’s investing in itself.”
The total cost of the new location and building is budgeted at around $1 million. A $700,000 state grant will cover most of that cost.
“Purvis is a growing city; Lamar County is a growing county,” Polk said. “We have the second fastest growing county in the state, and Purvis, being the county seat, is growing right along with it.
“When (the city) approached me about helping to find funds to assist in this project, I immediately went to our Lieutenant Governor to see what he would say. He said, ‘Yes, I think you need to help them.’ He immediately gave support for that project. Through that Ken and I were able to secure the $700,000 to assist them in the project, and for that we are thankful. We look forward to seeing what the finished project will look like.”
Tall Architects, an Ocean Springs-based company, will oversee construction and estimate that the new building will be completed in three months as long as weather conditions do not delay things.
Following the groundbreaking, Hosemann spoke with reporters about other city projects that the state government is helping to fund around the city.
“(Purvis) has very smartly decided to keep all of their American Rescue Plan Act money, over $500,000,” Hosemann said. “The state is agreeing to match that money for water and sewer. They have a sewer lagoon here they want; all of that money will be matched. . . . That will give them $1 million for water and sewer.”
He said that he believes these projects and the new city hall will help Purvis continue to grow.
“We made Senator Polk in charge of the committee of the American Rescue Plan, and as part of that we made a fund of $50 million to be applied for by small cities,” Hosemann said. “Small cities in Mississippi really create a lot of our culture as a state. To me they need to be vibrant and effective so that hopefully young people will want to stay, like they are (in Purvis), to help them continue to grow.”