TREATMENT CENTER RELOCATES

MOUND BAYOU - Human Resources Development Institute selected a vacant
building here to locate a drug and alcohol treatment center for women.

Mound Bayou city officials are scheduled to sign a grant contract
Friday with the Mid-Delta Empowerment Zone Alliance worth $475,000,
Mayor Kennedy Johnson said.

The money will be used to renovate the empty neighborhood facility
building, which was last used by Head Start years ago, so the
treatment center can move in.

"That building has been sitting up for the last 10 or 12 years,"
Johnson said. "It's already out there. We just got to do a little
renovation work to it."

Renovations are scheduled to begin sometime in the next two weeks.
Contractors said they can complete the job in 90 days.

The 13,000-square-foot building already houses a large gym section, a
full-size kitchen, several offices and meeting rooms and an indoor
swimming pool.

"It's just a big convention center for a town this size," said
Johnson.

Part of the building will be for public use, including the pool and
some meeting rooms.

HRDI plans a 16-bed unit, much like the proposed center the city of
Shelby turned down weeks ago.

The Institute will sign a five-year lease contract with the option to
renew, Johnson said. Should HRDI chose not to renew the contract at
the end of the leasing period, the entire building goes back to public
access.

The proceeds coming from the rent will benefit the city's parks and
recreation program. Johnson plans to hire a parks and recreation director.

"That way we'll have somebody full-time to maintain the parks and look
for funding," he said.

Aside from collecting money to maintain city parks, the treatment
center will also create jobs, bring economic development and help
women who suffer from substance abuse, Johnson said.

"It's going to benefit us well all the way around."