As a new round of high school graduates prepares for college orheads into the work force, Brookhaven city fathers appear to betaking the first steps down a path that could potentially endangerthose and other students’ future employment opportunities athome.

Aldermen have not set aside over $1 million, which the cityrecently received from Wal-Mart as part of a bond and UrbanDevelopment Action Grant (UDAG) settlement, to help with futureindustrial park development.

Furthermore, the board last week indicated plans to use part ofthe funds to purchase two new city garbage trucks. Officials saidthe new trucks, possibly costing over $50,000 each, will helpgarbage services and allow one truck in each of the city’squadrants.

We do not dispute that city equipment needs to be maintained andoccasionally new items bought. However, funds to purchaseindustrial park land must be available when the time comes. Under atimetable presented by City and County Engineer Carl Ray Furr atlast week’s supervisors meeting, that time may not be for over ayear.

The engineer urged officials to try to feed at the federalfunding trough as much as possible in pursuing an industrial park,but the always uncertain nature of politics could put the city andcounty on a diet.

An important factor Furr pointed out is that federal fundscannot be used for land purchases. He said federal officialsconsider that strictly a local matter.

Furr’s comments are further evidence why the city’s Wal-Martfunds should be earmarked for industrial land purchase. It shouldbe noted that this community was able to get the Wal-MartDistribution Center, our biggest employer, only because sufficientland was available at the time.

One possibility for the city would be to place the Wal-Martfunds in a special account and spend only the interest, as thestate did with its tobacco lawsuit settlement monies.

While the interest generated (say 2.20 percent on a 1-yearcertificate of deposit, or about $22,000) would not be much in theoverall picture, it could be used to address more immediate needs– like trucks in the city’s troubled solid waste department. Andthe $1 million principal could remain untouched until needed.

Two-thirds of the money raised in the chamber’s VisionPartnership campaign is designated for new industrial park landpurchase. As a result, an estimated $600,000 to $700,000 isexpected to come from private funding sources for the much-neededproject.

County officials as recently as last week expressed support forthe industrial park project, but they so far have not designatedany specific funds for land purchase.

As said before, a current lack of available industrial park landhas this community riding the pine in the economic development ballgame.

A team effort by the city, county and chamber can put us back onthe field. Earmarking available funds now will help us prepare forthe competition.