STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428)
E-MAIL: info@mississippiwebsite.com
WEB SITE: www.mississippiwebsite.com
STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428)
E-MAIL: info@mississippiwebsite.com
WEB SITE: www.mississippiwebsite.com
By CHRISTINE HARVEY
THE SUN HERALD
Monday, February 18, 2008
Long Beach: The city has no specific plans for upgrades, though in a few months it may examine whether any cushion exists in the water and sewer fund to replace undersized lines. The project, which would cost less than $500,000, would increase water pressure along the city's eastern boundary, roughly bounded by Azalea and Central avenues and just north of the railroad tracks. In the last 3½ years, the city has spent $3.5 million to upgrade old systems and add new ones, said Mayor Robert Bass.
What: The Long Beach Board of Aldermen is expected to vote on whether it favors putting approximately $2 million toward proposed sewer and water lines outside city limits.
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Where: Jeritza A. Pell Annex, behind City Hall, 201 Jeff Davis Ave.
Long Beach Ward 2 Alderman Jimmy Levens hopes his fellow aldermen will agree to help pay for a water and sewer project proposed by the Harrison County Wastewater and Solid Waste Management District. Levens and members of his family own 68 acres of undeveloped land along Red Creek Road, background, which is one of the main routes for the proposed water and sewer line.
LONG BEACH -A city alderman stands to benefit if Long Beach agrees Tuesday to put $2 million toward an $8 million water and sewer system proposed for outside the city limits.
Alderman Jimmy Levens is pushing the project, which would extend service to land that he and his family own.
If the city approves its part of the project, Harrison County would have to levy a new tax on residents in the project area to cover the other $6 million.
Levens plans to ask the Board of Aldermen to vote for a resolution to fund the project. However, other than a five-minute discussion of the project at their last meeting two weeks ago, the board members have spent little or no time in public sessions discussing or learning about the project.
Levens and members of his family own 68 acres of undeveloped land along Red Creek Road, which is one of the main routes for the proposed water and sewer line. Levens freely admits he plans to develop the land in the future.
Levens, who said he plans to vote on the project, could benefit from a water and sewer system. Without the service, any houses he builds would have to rely on well water and septic tanks, which could deter potential homebuyers.
But Levens or any other developers would still have to pay for water and sewer lines to individual houses they may build on their properties and a connection fee to tie into the main system.
Levens: Long Beach will benefit
Levens says he is not pushing the project because he would benefit financially. Rather, he wants to see Long Beach plan for future growth.
"Any other time, we're behind the curve," Levens said, adding that the aldermen should approve the project, which would save the city money in the long run.
For instance, because the area is not as densely populated as other cities and areas of the county, the cost of getting easements is expected to be low. Easement and legal fees would be about $50,000, as opposed to the $1.5 million putting a new sewer line in the Orange Grove section of Gulfport would cost, according to a study commissioned by the Harrison County Wastewater and Solid Waste Management District.
The study examined the existing water and sewer system and future needs, focusing on seven areas of the county that would need upgrades or expansion as the population grows.
The study identified about 3,800 acres just west and north of the Long Beach city limits as one of the areas in need of service within five years.
The area's population in 2000 was about 4,600 people, up from almost 3,800 in 1990, according to the study.
Projections for 2005 put the population at 5,900 people, and show that number more than doubling by 2020.
"The purpose of this study is to be ahead of schedule," said Kamran Pahlavan, director of the county Wastewater District.
Pahlavan said that by laying a new sewer prior to development, the county can direct where growth will occur.
Annexation choices few
Also, if Long Beach plans to annex part of the county, the options are limited.
"Long Beach has got to grow north," Levens said. "This would be a very good start."
The proposed main line would run along parts of Menge Avenue, Red Creek Road and Beatline Road.
Smaller, feeder lines will branch out along Jones Road, Montebella Road, Pineville Road, Espy Avenue and north of 28th Street, among others.
Though no areas within Long Beach are included in the study, the county wastewater district study recommends that Long Beach pay about 25 percent of the approximately $8 million total price tag for the project.
Long Beach's money for the project would come solely from fees generated from those who use the city's water and sewer system, said Long Beach Mayor Robert Bass, who favors the project.
Bass contends that future annexation has nothing to do with his support for the project.
"We might look at annexation, but that's not anything that will happen anytime soon," Bass said.
City might save in long run
Should the project proceed and the city decide to annex in the future, Long Beach would save some of the $6 million because of the county picking up the tab for the new sewer and water lines in the area. However, annexation would require the city to pay off the county's bond on the project.
Bass, who also chairs the county wastewater district, cited future growth in Long Beach and a continued need for water and sewer service in the county that the city provides.
Only a handful of homes in Long Beach are without city water and sewer hookups, Bass said. Those residents and any others who want to use the city service are at risk of being told that they can't because there's no more room, he said.
Even so, the city is allowing nonresidents to tap in and further limit the system's capacity.
Despite Bass' worry that the Long Beach system could soon fill up, City Engineer John Campton could not say when that would happen.
"There's not a definite, concrete number," he said, adding that the system can reach capacity during heavy rains but has not overflowed. "As of now, it hasn't caused any major problems that I'm aware of."
Bass also said that the county's continued reliance on unregulated septic tanks and well water is hazardous and must be changed.
'Public health issue'
"It's a public health issue more than anything else," he said. "It's an environmental quality issue, also."
Levens said that the people who live in the area affected by the project would be grateful for new water and sewer lines.
"If you would talk to anybody out there, they want it," he said.
But when asked if they preferred getting rid of their septic systems in exchange for a new tax, residents were adamantly opposed.
"No, everybody doesn't want it," said Jimmy Cagle, a Red Creek Road resident who said he has never had a problem with his septic tank in 20 years. "I don't want any part of it. We all know that once that comes up, it's going to cost us a lot of money."
Menge Avenue resident Reney Rodrigue also said he is against the new sewer and water system.
"Our taxes would go way up," Rodrigue said.
And Clyde Page, a Beatline Road resident, said he doesn't want to pay for future development - a cost he thinks developers should bear themselves.
Some of the city's sewer pipes are more than 50 years old, made of materials that are no longer acceptable and in bad condition, Campton said, adding that other pipes are too small.
In the southeast corner of Long Beach as well as the Daugherty Park area, pipes meant to last only 25 years, made of asbestos cement and galvanized iron, are fragile and prone to leaks, he said. In addition, Campton said the old pipes don't allow for sufficient water pressure, hindering the city's ability to fight fires.
Christine Harvey can be reached at 896-2393 or at clharvey@sunherald.com