Acting quickly and decisively last week, Brookhaven aldermentook care of two pending city issues and set a date for a decisionon a third. We commend them for their efforts and hard work. Theiractions will allow the city to move on to more important andproductive issues that will help our community grow andprosper.

With very little debate, a city hall project was shelved,support for a new industrial park was given and a date was set tomake a final decision on the city’s ailing garbage and sanitationoperations.

It took only a matter of minutes, but with a 6-1 vote cityfathers put a halt to a controversial $1.2 million city hallbuilding that has been on Mayor Bill Godbold’s agenda going as farback as an earlier term in 1985. Also getting the ax, although notby board vote, is a multi-million dollar train station and retailcomplex the mayor has too been pushing for several years. Godboldpulled the plug on the project, saying it lacked the support of theboard and the community.

Most importantly for the future of Brookhaven and LincolnCounty, city fathers –over the objections of the mayor — votedunanimously to commit funding for the city’s half of a proposed$4.7 million industrial park west of Brookhaven. The Lincoln CountyBoard of Supervisors is expected to vote on the issue in the nearfuture.

The unanimous vote by alderman on the industrial park sends astrong signal that the city is committed to the economic growth ofthis area. A negative vote would have set this area back andeffectively stopped industrial growth and the jobs that come withsuch growth. This decision may have been the most important votethe board has made in the two years they have been in office.

With the opening of the Mississippi School of the Arts in justover two weeks, this community sits at an enviable position ofbeing able to accurately predict as well as control our economicfuture. The decision on the industrial park just adds to thefuture. The decision on the city hall building, along with themayor’s decision to drop the train station project, allows muchneeded funds to be earmarked for more pressing areas vital to thatgrowth.

With good progressive decisions by our city leaders, Brookhavenshould be able to absorb the anticipated growth. The board made acouple of those progressive decisions last week.