Jackson Jambalaya

Will the library remain in the building and will the city pay rent to HC? Honestly, the city probably has a ton of empty downtown space that could house the library and better serve the community.

It does? How many of them are structurally fit for a library and properly networked as well?

That's what caused some of the problems of the library system in the first place. Taking freebies with no regard to a strategic plan. Thats how you wind up with two libraries a mile apart and none in the metrocenter area.

No-brainer for Jackson. Which means they will find a way to not do it.

There would be no reason for the library to move if the county buys the building. The library would come out smelling like a rose because the county would fix the building. If I understand correctly, the county just wants to be able to keep the EOC located there.

The library commission is a joint city-county entity. The city and county supply the buildings and the commission operates the libraries and pays the employees. The agreement was that the city supply the facilities inside of Jackson and the county supply the facilities outside of Jackson. No need for that to change in this instance. The library commission doesn't pay rent to anybody.

I said probably and I have no idea. But if the HCBS wants to convert that building into a dedicated Emergency Management center, then the library must go somewhere or be absorbed by other branches.

Or is it in the plan to allow Welty to stay put? But with so few residents in the downtown area, maybe a downtown library is not all that essential (HERESY!!!)

KF is spot on about the structural capacity for a library and any building being considered to house one.

I was employed by Yates Construction in the early 2000's when they built Jackson States new (at the time) library. Funny thing was, after the building had been given the C.O. and then occupied the school noticed a significant sink beginning at the base of the building / foundation.
Turns out, the architect and it's structural engineer had failed to calculate the weight of the books into the structural load.....
Whoops. EXPENSIVE fix it was....

The EOC is already there and doing fine. Other than the leaks and mold they have to deal with. No way they need three floors of that building just for EOC library would be fine.

Libraries are dinosaurs.

Let me repeat that in case you missed it.

Libraries are dinosaurs.

Everything is available on the interwebs/Kindle, etc. Oh wait, we have always done it this way, and don't mess with those entitled "rice bowls."

Libraries have become free chat rooms and places for vagrants to "shower" and get out of the heat.

2:16, I bet you haven't read a book in 20 years.

I think when the county buys it, they should rename it to the Imari Obadele library

"Everything is available on the interwebs/Kindle, etc."

This is nonsense, though I suppose someone who reads only John Grisham might believe it.

Also? Stuff on Kindle? Amazon typically charges for that.

Libraries have been the classic resource for folks raising themselves up to greatness. Of course, one might need to have read a few books to know that.

Attacking libraries = attacking education and culture.

2:16 is the epitome of redneck, simple minded, hillbilly, typical Mississippian rube. You don't get out much do you? Why have museums? Phuck it....just google. Why have concerts? Phuck it....just you tube the group. God I am sick of Mississippi country ass people.

You don’t need books to learn these days. YouTube has videos on damn near everything and google/Wikipedia can give you quick info on anything. Ain’t read a book in years but I have googled a lot and considered myself educated and well-read. Reading paper books= old school and dumb. Close the libraries and zoo and fix the dang roads!!

2:16 probably has not been in a library since his 6th grade history report. That said, our libraries are extremely important to the community.
As for the EOC being located in the basement of the Welty Library, it reminds me of 1979 flood when the first building that had to be evacuated was the EOC located in the basement of the southwest street fire station. Jackson/Hinds EOC needs to be relocated in a
strategic location that enables it continuity of operations.

2:16 is probably the same person who keeps posting that zoos are outdated concepts and should be eliminated.

2:16 here. Here are the facts, if you can handle the truth:

My book collection is in a formal library, mostly non-fiction, exceeds 300 books, though I do have some valuable collections of novels by author. When I say "non-fiction," for you illiterates, that means they are not novels.

I recently donated 75 books to a hospital's library for patients which thinned the herd a bit, but not much.

I have a medium sized collection of signed books. My most prized book is Gen. Jimmy Doolittle's autobiography, which he signed for me after we met in a private meeting in 1988. Another example is a signed copy of Charlton Heston's autobiography, but most of my signed books are of military history.

I am a student of history, mostly WWII, and have visited more than 20 historic battlegrounds in Europe and N. Africa, including Anzio, Carthage, Cassino, and Monte Cassino, and many others. This includes two American WWII cemeteries.

I speak and/or read Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, kind of red-neckish, don't y'all think?

As far as reading, well, that would be 20-30 books/year. I now prefer Kindle as my library is out of room, which led me to donate 75 books to a hospital, and my vision isn't what it used to be, so with a Kindle the font and brightness are adjustable. I tried a Veteran's Home first as a donation destination, but they didn't have room.

Oh, I have lived in five countries outside of the U.S.

Red neck? Nope, as they hail from Appalachia. My kin go back to circa 1800 in Mississippi.

The truth hurts because it should.

They are still dinosaurs.

2:16 PM here....all I hear are crickets. Cat got your tongue? Can't get to the library to look up a retort? For you hillbillies who didn't graduate high school, "retort" is a response to a remark.

Close 'em down, and use the money for law enforcement, unless you hillbillies prefer to use library books to deflect bullets. Give it a try and let us know how that works out for y'all.

3:03, the basement of the JFD is next to Town Creek which is why it flooded in 1979. The basement of the Welty is on the bluff and has never flooded, even with the crappy roof. The County EOC has looked for some time for a relocation area, but the costs to purchase/retrofit an existing building far outstrip staying put and renovation. Don’t even start on the County purchasing a sight and consutucting from scratch - too much opportunity for graft, ineptness or whatever. Stay, repair and manage the public’s funds well.

This is a great deal! Maybe they will finally re-open the Civil War section I love so much.

The city should accept ASAP in writing and verbally to bind the offer before Hinds County actually sees the problems there....mold, roof, ect.

Ole Chuck will find a way to screw this up as he has with everything else he has plans for but never finishes one. I see a tie into the zoo on this deal.

5:05 It's "site".

Laughing out loud.

If the HCBS had any sense, they would be looking at sites in Madison,Rankin, Warren or Copiah County for their "new" Emergency Operations Center.

1.) Libraries will go the way of typewriters.

2.) Libraries have become free chat rooms and places for vagrants to "shower" and get out of the heat. So true especially if downtown.

Ask a few people on the street who Eudora Welty was...... Ask a few people in the house and senate who she was.

8:42 AM - Right on!

Libraries have showers?

5:20 PM No, but they "shower" using the sinks.

Why would they do that if they can walk a couple of blocks south and get a shower plus soup and sandwich and a cot?

8:13 PM Because they can.

How much it cost to run sink-water and rag off? Answer: Nothing; because the city doesn't send out water bills.

Where's the evidence of vagrants ragging-off in the library bathroom. You don't have any evidence since you don't even have a damned clue where the library is to begin with. Next you'll claim they're roasting squirrels over a fire-pit in Smith Park.

I think the building should not be sold to the county but to another private developer who will turn it into something to complement the attractions that surround it. They could pick another building for Hinds County to locate the EOC to and another building for the library which will turn to vacate buildings to useful space such as the old funeral home on high st.