A leaking roof at Brookhaven-Lincoln County Government Complexis getting more attention after a ceiling tile fell in thecourtroom Monday.

“The roof of this building has got to be taken care of, one wayor another,” Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop told supervisors duringMonday’s meeting.

A wet ceiling tile over the circuit courtroom gallery collapsedMonday, one day before a capital murder trial from Walthall Countywas scheduled to start. The trial has since been delayed, but notbecause of the ceiling problem, court officials said.

Bishop told supervisors that the roof is leaking on both thecity and county sides of the building, which is approximately 20years old. Brown spots that appear to be water stains are alsoevident in the complex foyer’s ceiling.

“This thing is leaking everywhere,” Bishop said.

Bishop said a decision on how to address the leaking roof needsto be made, and then have an engineer or architect draw upspecifications for the work.

Complex roof concerns were also raised during a Dec. 18 meetingwith state Rural Development Director Nick Walters, who spoke tocommunity officials about United States Department of Agriculturegrants and loan programs available for various projects. LincolnCounty Engineer Carl Ray Furr said he would speak with Walters inan effort to get funding help to address roof matters.

County Administrator David Fields said about $75,000 is leftover from the county jail construction project, and approximately$150,000 is available in Grand Gulf funds. That money, he said,could be applied toward a roof project.

“I’m sure it’s going to cost more than that, but at least wehave something to start with,” Fields said.