Groundbreaking held for new Picayune office

Company representatives, the mayor and many more dignitaries from the city of Picayune turned out Tuesday afternoon for the groundbreaking ceremony of Mississippi Power’s new local office.

A 1,900-square-foot building on Canal Street will be completely renovated while a new truck barn, storage area and laydown yard will be built. The new office will house all customer service needs in one location.

“We will finally have a meeting room, which we haven’t had all these years,” Benny Prestridge, local manager, said. “This will also serve as our storm room in Picayune.”

The office will house all local employees, including the local manager, electric servicemen and customer service representatives. The new building will be more convenient for the nearly 6,000 customers in the Picayune and Carriere areas with a drive-thru and plenty of parking.

The company began leasing the building on Elizabeth Street that houses the current Picayune office in the mid-1970s.

“The new site will be on almost two acres in the historic downtown district of Picayune,” Pine Belt Division Manager Jason Lee said. “In fact, our new facility will anchor the west end of the historic district. The site we are moving to is the home of the first hospital in Picayune and the first baseball field. The city and Main Street Organization are very excited about our move and have worked closely with us on this project.”

The new Picayune Office is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014.