NATCHEZ &045; Director of programs for the Adams County Youth Court Mary Jane Gaudet announced her resignation to the Board of Supervisors Monday morning.

Gaudet, who heads up the Families First program, the Adolescent Offenders Program and various other functions within the court, said it was a hard decision to make.

&uot;It is very hard for me not to do this (work in the youth court),&uot; she said. &uot;But I have a lot of family I want to spend more time with. It’s about a balance of life.&uot;

Gaudet said she will become a private grants consultant, an opportunity that came to her from other sources during the struggle to keep the Families First grant.

Gaudet said she spent most of her weekends working for the Youth Court and had many mixed feelings about leaving.

The board thanked her for her work and passed a resolution commending her work.

&uot;Who can we replace you with,&uot; County Administrator Charlie Brown said telling Gaudet her work was well done.

In Gaudet’s six years with the court, she has spearheaded $3,156,555.80 in grant money. In her first year the grant total received was at just under $300,000, last year it was nearly $600,000.

Gaudet also told the board the Families First Resource Center has a good shot at being one of the state’s 34 centers chosen to continue past the Sept. 1 grant deadline.

&uot;We’ve been told it is one of the best in the state,&uot; she said.

Gaudet said she would be available for hire by the county for future grant writing needs.

In other business, the board discussed methods of curbing speeding in the county including speed bumps or additional stop signs. Sheriff Ronny Brown said his office was working to stop speeding.

&uot;You are going to see more sheriff’s deputies,&uot; he said. &uot;Give us a couple weeks, either we are going to write tickets or be visible.&uot;

The board also discussed working with Natchez Regional Hospital to building a helicopter-landing pad behind the hospital. The construction of Walgreens has eliminated the previous landing location forcing emergency helicopters to land at the Natchez-Adams County Airport.

Representatives from the University Medical Center in Jackson have threatened to stop servicing Natchez because of the time it takes to travel from the airport to the hospital, Grennell told the board.

The board agreed to look into the cost of providing county workers to fill a 20-foot hole with 7,500 cubic yards of dirt in order to build the landing pad.