Members of the Petal Board of Aldermen have granted 30 more days for the owners of the former library building on East Central Avenue to come up with a plan of action for the run-down facility – a final warning of sorts lest the building be officially condemned.
That action was taken at the April 4 board meeting, where Danny Johnson – who is representing building owner Jerry Dixson of Love Joy Peace Ministries – said he has been working on blueprints for the site, but has run into some technical issues including a computer crash and contracts on other projects. However, Johnson said he has been inside the building, which has been vacant for several years, and has taken approximately 200 pictures upstairs and downstairs in advance of repairs.
“All the windows are going to be upgraded and replaced, all the doors will be upgraded and replaced, all the drywall that’s not there will be installed and (Dixson) is going to paint,” Johnson said. “He has been in there cleaning up two or three weeks ago, and he did cut the back yard and everything.
“The building is actually a solid building … it’s just the major damage is on that right wall on the first floor, and the second-floor ceiling. All that will be addressed, and on the left-hand side, he’s going to replace that window with a door. Everything else is cleaning it up and bringing it up to code.”
Some board members, including Ward 1 Alderman Gerald Steele, said they would be in favor of condemning the building if no progress is shown in the given timeframe. Steele did stress, though, that that measure does not mean demolishing the building, but rather securing it.
“The idea is not to remove the building; the idea is that I’m not sure we’re being taken as serious as we should be at this point,” he said. “This is now four or five times (that we’ve discussed this), and it’s getting ridiculous.
“The point is, if it is condemned, that is a protection for the city – it’s a protection against certain liabilities where law enforcement can go in there and say ‘no one should be in here for any reason.’ It doesn’t mean anything is getting torn down, but if this happens again, I think we’re going to go there.”
Johnson’s last appearance before the board was during the February 21 meeting, when aldermen voted to grant 30 days for repairs.
Back in November 2021, Dixson – who has owned the building since 1996 – came before the board to let officials know his plans for rehabilitating the building, at least for the time being. Dixson said his first step would be to board up and paint the bottom windows of the building before replacing some of the other damaged wood on the cladding, which has since been accomplished.
He estimated that cost at approximately $200,000.
“That’s getting it into shape where I won’t say it’s ‘livable,’ or able to be occupied, but that will at least have it to where it’s presentable,” Dixson said at that meeting. “The shingles, I put them on after (Hurricane) Katrina, so those are good.
“I want to make it for the community, a community resource.”
At past meetings, officials and residents alike – including Ward 2 Alderman Steve Stringer – have said they would like to see something done with the building, and Johnson has said Dixson does want to bring the building back to its previous condition. Valerie Wilson, executive director of the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce, said there may be people interested in purchasing the site, but that measure cannot be taken until the building can be opened.
“Without them being able to get in there and at least see the condition, it’s impossible for them to even consider it,” she said. “So I’m just wondering if there’s a way that for one afternoon, we could open it up for people to look at it.
“If (Dixson) is interested in selling it, he may not have to take some of these (measures).”
Mayor Tony Ducker had previously expressed concerns about asbestos in the building, which he said could run upwards of $30,000 if the facility needed to be torn down.
“I think that will cause the expense of rehabbing the place to go up exponentially,” he said. “But if there’s some ways he can incorporate some of that that’s existing, and take the good parts of it and do that, I think he can save himself some money.
“But it’s still going to be a substantial endeavor for sure.”
According to www.deltacomputersystems.com, the last filed deed for the former library is from the year 2002. However, since 2016, the property has been sold to Greenvalley Investments LLC, GJ Tax Sale Properties LLC, Quicksilver Tax Funding LLC, Woodmark Investments LLC, and again to Greenvalley Investments LLC due to taxes being unpaid or delinquent.
The following individuals have redeemed taxes on the property over the course of those years:
- James Armstrong Jr. on Aug. 28, 2019;
- Jerry Dixson on Aug. 24, 2020;
- Jerry Dixson on Aug. 26, 2021; and
- Jerry and Marsha Dixson on August 30, 2022.
“I’m perfectly open to offer my assistance to this project, whether that be to y’all or to Mr. Dixson,” said Russell Archer, who serves as historic preservation planner for the City of Hattiesburg, at a previous meeting. “There are some very specific steps that make a lot of sense to take, with preserving a building. The key to that being successful, number one, is understanding what those key steps are and understanding what the cost involved is, and the willingness to go forward with that with a plan.
“Drawing up architectural plans seems to be a little bit of putting the cart ahead of the horse, because essentially, what this building needs at this point … is an architectural assessment. It needs someone who’s knowledgeable – it doesn’t necessarily have to be a structural engineer, just somebody who is knowledgeable about historical structures who can come in there, look at it in detail, and determine where the issues are.”
