Indianola’s not Jericho, but some walls may be falling soon.
County supervisors on Monday agreed to begin plans to demolish the water-damaged Courthouse Annex in Indianola and to rebuild.
The annex, located just east of the Courthouse on Main Street, suffered serious interior flooding from roof leaks during recent heavy rains. A subsequent inspection revealed multiple structural problems and possible mold infestation, resulting in its closure earlier this month by board order. All county offices, including the Justice Court services, were immediately moved to other locations, with court proceedings reassigned to the courthouse.
The annex, a post-World War II structure that served for decades as Indianola’s City Hall and police station, was transferred to the county when the city hall was moved to its current location. Since then it has served as the county’s main justice courtroom and office, as well as space for other county services. It also serves as a voting precinct for Sunflower County Supervisor District 3 South. During its long life, it underwent several renovations and expansions, some of them the apparent cause of its hidden deterioration.
Greenville Architect Emily Poole reported to the board Monday that her initial inspection, authorized by the supervisors earlier this month, revealed numerous issues, the most significant being multiple roof leaks. She also reported evidence of other structural damage. Because the building has been extensively remodeled over the decades, the extent of the damage can only be revealed after interior demolition.
She also said the building is poorly designed for its function and lacks adequate access, especially with regards to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The bottom line was that while renovation and remodeling are possible, it may be more cost effective to demolish and build a new one.
No formal action was taken during the meeting other than to adopt her suggestion to demolish and to take steps to determine the cost to replace. Meanwhile, offices formerly housed there will operate out of the county administrative building with justice court hearings in the courthouse.
They also agreed to do a similar study and cost estimate for the Northern District Justice Court office in Ruleville which also has shown deterioration issues.
In Monday’s meeting, supervisors also approved allowing Brown and Associates to start the process to apply for federal congressional grants for up to $200,000 each for Inverness and Moorhead.
They were the only Sunflower County Municipalities that did not receive such grants in 2023 because communications issues caused them not to make their applications on a timely basis. The grants were designed by Con. Bennie Thompson to help small municipalities that may not qualify get federal funding due to their failure to have up-to-date audits.
This requirement would be bypassed by the county serving as the agency making the application and administering the grants on the behalf of the municipalities. Brown and Associates volunteered to do the initial paperwork.
