WESSON – Town officials voted Tuesday to open all gates to thetown cemetery and keep them open, despite continuing debate overthe street through the cemetery.

Aldermen voted in September to close the north gate to determotorists from using the cemetery as a cut-through.

The decision has prompted discussion at every monthly meetingsince and resulted in the board opening the north gate again.

Alderman Robert Derrick asked Police Chief Steve Carlisle tohave his officers warn drivers about driving through the cemeteryunless they are visiting a grave.

“A cemetery is for visiting relatives, not for traffic,” addedMayor Alton Shaw.

Since much of the problem stems from students leaving and goingto Wesson Attendance Center, Shaw plans to write a letter to theprincipal about the town’s concerns at the request of AldermanDavid Douglas.

Another topic of discussion revisited by aldermen at Tuesday’smeeting was how much, if any, road and bridge tax money should beallotted to Copiah County supervisors for town projects, mainlypaving needs.

Aldermen had talked previously about not giving supervisors anyof the $22,000 because sometimes the town did not receive as muchwork as aldermen would like done.

“There’s going to be years when we go over, but probably in thenext five or six years, it’s going to even out,” said Douglas.”We’ll get our money back.”

Other alderman agreed, and voted to give supervisors all thefunds.

Work on the renovation and preservation of the Old Wesson Schoolwill resume in 2005, following the acceptance of a bid from KevinColeman Construction Co.

The board approved $48,500 and $4,000 bids on site projects thatwill include paving the area around the future site of SaintAmbrose Leadership College and making the buildinghandicap-accessible.

No bids were submitted on putting in a commercial elevator, andaldermen agreed a residential elevator would be substantial.

In other matters, the board voted to buy a used engine for oneof the town’s police cars. Instead of buying a new motor, estimatedat $2,400, aldermen took Carlisle’s suggestion to buy the used oneat $1,200.

Carlisle said the police car already had 200,000 miles and wouldprobably not last for the life of a new engine.