WESSON — The mayor and board of aldermen entertained the ideaof whether or not to erect a greeting sign for motorists travelingnorth into Wesson on Highway 51 during the regular monthly meetingTuesday.

Mayor Bill Tigner presented a quote of about $8,500 from a signcompany in Brookhaven for building a welcome sign surrounded bybricks.

“My idea was to put it on the north side of the new bridge goingto Co-Lin,” he said. “It would say ‘Welcome to Wesson, Home ofCopiah-Lincoln Community College,’ and in the center would be avandal proof letter board.”

The letter board, enclosed by a clear plastic case, would beused to promote town events, from home football games to fleamarkets. The town would have complete control over what informationwas displayed on the letter board.

Tigner explained that the sign would be used as a communityservice as well as to attract people to the town.

“A lot of people’s first impression of a town is their sign,” hesaid.

The aldermen present for the meeting were concerned aboutexpense, but Tigner assured them he would find alternate funding tooffset the cost. He planned to ask the chamber of commerce and somearea businesses to contribute.

“I really feel confident that we can bring money in to offsetthe cost,” said Tigner.

If the idea goes over well, another sign could be erected on thenorth end of town for those traveling south on Highway 51 fromHazlehurst or Interstate 55.

Ward Three Alderman Lura Greer suggested the board wait untilall members were present to make a decision. Ward Four AldermanHollis Cowen Jr. and Alderman-at-Large David Douglas wereabsent.

After opening the floor for discussion, board members were givenan update on the progress made on the properties owned by WillTurnbough on Collier Street.

“I’m 100 percent complete on one and 90 percent on the secondhouse,” he said. “I’ve put window panes in the burned house, andthe roof will be fixed this month. I’ve also started paintingit.”

He plans to start on the third house in January. Turnbough alsoaddressed the board’s concern over whether anyone would live in theburned house, saying he planned to use it only as a personalworkshop.

While on the topic of property cleanup, Tigner updated the boardon the property of Bobby Lumley. The town’s attorney sent a letterto Lumley on Nov. 27 to let him know the property must be soldwithin 30 days or the board of alderman will have it torn down atLumley’s expense.

Along the lines of cleaning up the town, Police Chief LanceFalvey let the aldermen know officers were issuing letters aboutjunk cars in residents’ yards. The letters give landowners noticethat they should have vehicles without current tags removed.

No other matters were brought before the board bringing an endto the meeting. The next scheduled meeting is set for 7 p.m., Jan.7.