STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb4thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE: WWW.MISSISSIPPIWEBSITE.COM
STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb4thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE: WWW.MISSISSIPPIWEBSITE.COM
The city paid $700,000.00 adding new
water and sewer line in Daughtry Park, but they forgot to
include Alverado Drive. My water and my neighbors water smells like sewer, we
take showers
in brown water. I now buy my water to drink, so when you vote for your alderman,
vote for the
ones which voted "yes".
Pipes in the Daugherty Park and southeast areas of
the city are in poor condition. Some built to last 25 years have been used for
50. Those made of asbestos cement or galvanized iron are fragile and prone to
leaks. And inadequate water pressure from small pipes makes fighting fires
difficult.
August 17, 2001
By CHRISTINE HARVEY
THE SUN HERALD
Monday, April 30, 2007
The Long Beach Board of Aldermen voted down a resolution Tuesday that could have cost city residents $2 million to lay water and sewer lines outside city limits. A yes vote was to deny the motion:
Ward 1 Alderman Tim Pierce: YES
Ward 2 Alderman Jimmy Levens: NO
Ward 3 Alderman Mike Bohlke: NO
Ward 4 Alderman Joseph McNary: YES
Ward 5 Alderman Billy Skellie: YES
Ward 6 Alderman Richard Bennett: YES
Alderman-at-large Louis Elias: NO
LONG BEACH -The Board of Aldermen decided Tuesday against putting $2 million in city money toward an $8 million water and sewer line proposed for an area outside the city limits.
A yes vote was to deny the motion:
Ward 1 Alderman Tim Pierce: YES
Ward 4 Alderman Joseph McNary: YES
Ward 5 Alderman Billy Skellie: YES
Ward 6 Alderman Richard Bennett: YES
A no vote was to approve the motion:
Ward 2 Alderman Jimmy Levens: NO
Ward 3 Alderman Mike Bohlke: NO
Alderman-at-large Louis Elias: NO
The board rejected a resolution by Alderman Jimmy Levens 4-3, preferring to spend taxpayer money to make repairs on Long Beach's current sewer and water system.
"No matter how we get the money, it still comes out of your pockets," said Alderman Tim Pierce, who led the charge in rejecting the new system, which would have been in an area roughly bounded by the Long Beach and Pass Christian city limits, the Wolf River and Interstate 10. "It'd be nice to work on other projects (in the city) as hard as we do on this one."
Pierce pointed out that not even City Engineer John Campton can put a finger on when the city would reach capacity in its sewer and water system, a main reason Mayor Robert Bass said he wants to move forward with the project.
Levens, who with his family owns 68 acres of undeveloped land within the project area, said he was pushing the project in his capacity as a member of the Harrison County Wastewater and Solid Waste Management District's technical committee, and not for personal gain.
But he did estimate earlier that it would cost him $1 million if he had to run water and sewer lines to his property from another area.
Levens and Bass said it would be better to do the project now because the price is expected to continue to increase and the area is expected to continue to grow, according to the county Wastewater District study of the project. Bass added that people who live on 28th Street between Beatline and Klondyke roads want the water and sewer service but can't get it.
However, Long Beach currently extends city water and sewer service to some people who live outside the city limits, further limiting the city's ability to provide the service to city residents.
Mayor Robert Bass had said that the project would cost Long Beach taxpayers no extra money.
But Tuesday he said that a 4 percent increase in residents' sewer and water fees is possible.
Several Long Beach citizens spoke up at the meeting, saying they thought the city ought to spend the $2 million of their tax money on projects that would directly benefit them. About 60 people were at the meeting, the majority of them to oppose the project.
Joe Blackwell, a Cypress Drive resident, said the last time his street flooded, the water was above his knees, and he worried about his safety.
"If we would have an emergency, a fire truck could not have gotten into the deepest part where I was," Blackwell said.
Pipes in the Daugherty Park and southeast areas of the city are in poor condition. Some built to last 25 years have been used for 50. Those made of asbestos cement or galvanized iron are fragile and prone to leaks. And inadequate water pressure from small pipes makes fighting fires difficult.
The Long Beach hurdle was only the first in bringing water and sewer lines to the area.
For the project to move forward, Harrison County would have had to levy a new tax on the residents in the project area to cover an additional $6 million in costs. Supervisor Marlin Ladner said he is against the project because it doesn't serve the greatest number of people with the greatest need.
Levens said he plans to schedule a work session with his fellow aldermen to discuss the issue further. He can reintroduce the idea at any time.
Christine Harvey can be reached at 896-2393 or at clharvey@sunherald.com
STEVEN A. McCALEB
COMMENTARY
MY OPINION