Saving Itta Bena's City Hall has become a race against the clock.
"It's not a beauty or appearance issue. It's a safety issue," said Mayor Thelma Collins.
The second floor of the former bank building has collapsed in on itself, according to the mayor. Collins will hire someone to check the foundation as well.
The building has been decaying for years. During her first term, the mayor recalls sitting in a Board of Aldermen meeting at City Hall and hearing a large piece of something fall down the stairs.
Collins also said there is no space for files in City Hall. During the building's banking days, there was room upstairs.
But now that the space is gone, clerks stack their files in boxes on the floor.
The city has two options for the building, Collins said. Officials may choose to tear down the structure or renovate City Hall.
"It's such a unique building," she said. "It would be a shame to tear all the features away."
The mayor plans to contact the Mississippi Department of History and Archives to determine whether City Hall can be preserved.
Ken P'Pool, director of the historic preservation department, said City Hall would first have to be designated as a landmark.
"We certainly welcome communities to contact us," P'Pool said.
During the past five years, the Department of Archives and History has designated about $20 million in grants for Mississippi landmarks.
The process for achieving landmark status generally takes between 30 and 60 days.
"We try not to drag too long on these projects," P'Pool said. "We know communities are doing what they can."
Walter Parker, alderman for Ward 3, said a new City Hall would make Itta Bena more efficient. "The old building has served us well. But it's time to update for the future," he said.
Parker envisions the new building housing the police department and the municipal court clerk. It would also allow more room for the city clerk to operate, he said.
Collins said it's still too soon to know the cost of the project. But her estimates project as much as $500,000.
To offset the cost, Collins wants to go to Jackson to talk about grants with the Mississippi Development Authority and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Authority.
If the city has to build a new city hall, it would be downtown, Collins said.
The mayor has big plans for revitalizing downtown. She is working in conjunction with the Community Development Corp. at Mississippi Valley State University to bring business back into downtown.
"If we moved City Hall, it would just defeat the purpose," Collins said.
If changes do come to City Hall, Collins is confident her office can find a temporary place to operate.
