It’s been an eventful week around the MissPres world – so we’ve had a lot of news & updates during the week.

We’ll start this roundup with a couple of additional stories out of Hattiesburg.  First is a story about the cost estimates to the damage at USM – which is in the tens of millions.  Students returned to classes this week as well.  Second is the story that the 6th Street USO is expected to be closed for about a year while the building is repaired.  I haven’t seen any more about Eureka School – the other major landmark we know received damage – but we’ll keep an eye out for any news on that building’s repairs.

Moving to Natchez, the Arlington well issue is in the news again as RMB Exploration, the company seeking to do the drilling, has filed an appeal of the preservation commission’s denial of the Certificate of Appropriateness for the well with the Adams County Chancery Court.  The State Oil & Gas Board approved the well, they still require that the company get the appropriate local approval as well – which they are hoping to secure through this litigation.

Also in Natchez, this week the news was that the City expected to finalize the sale of the Brumfield School Apartments to New Hope Missionary Baptist Church’s non-profit housing program.  The school was first converted into apartments in the 1990s and, according to the article, New Hope plans both interior and exterior renovations to the apartments.  These renovations will have to be approved by MDAH as the former school is a Mississippi Landmark building.

One final piece of news from Natchez is a Civil War Tour of the City as part of the Literary and Cinema Celebration’s annual conference.  The tour will be on Sunday, February 24.

Finally, Congratulations are in order for Architect Belinda Stewart – who will be honored by the American Institute of Architects as a new member of its College of Fellows!

Categories: Cool Old Places, Disasters, Hattiesburg, Historic Preservation, Mississippi Landmarks, Natchez, News Roundups, Preservation Law/Local Commissions, Preservation People/Events