The cooler weather is finally here, and leaves have beenfalling.

Our Solid Waste Department picks up trash on every street eachweek. We ask the citizens of Brookhaven to please put your leaves,limbs and pine straw in one pile without other items mixed in, asthis makes disposal much more efficient.

Most other items should be placed in your garbage cans. Helpingseparate the above from other items will save Brookhaven taxdollars for the future. We greatly appreciate your help.

Waste Management took Thanksgiving Day off but will pick upgarbage on regular scheduled days during the Christmas and NewYear’s holidays.

Thanksgiving week was designated Brookhaven Bible Week. Werecently had a pastor’s prayer breakfast and are thrilled that thepastors in Brookhaven are praying for our community.

The city is moving ahead with the issuance of bonds for the newindustrial park, which is located to the west of I-55. This willlikely take place during the first half of 2005. On our recent tripto meet with our congressional delegation, we asked for grantassistance for the park’s infrastructure. Hopefully, the land canbe purchased soon as we need to begin taking steps to attract newindustry to Brookhaven and Lincoln County.

The Chamber and Industrial Foundation recently announced thehiring of Cliff Brumfield, who will be instrumental in our effortsto have new industry move to our area.

While in Washington, we also sought funds for a new seniorcitizens community center. We must now wait a while to see if thiscommunity center will be funded, but the request seemed to be wellreceived.

We have just submitted a grant application on the old traindepot, home of the Military Memorial Museum. If the grant isfunded, we will be able to make several much-needed renovations. Ifyou and your family haven’t yet visited the museum, I encourage youto do so.

We’re still working on cluster lights for the interstateinterchanges and at this time can only tell you that we have madeour request known. We’ll continue working on this importantmatter.

Things are moving ahead with the Home Depot project. The actualconstruction should begin near the first of the year.

We plan to remove some of the larger Bradford Pears from thedowntown area and will replace them with Sasanquas. This willenable the downtown to have greenery year round. This project willtake time to be completed, but we are beginning with the trees onWhitworth and Railroad Avenues.

At the last board meeting, the Board of Aldermen decided tosuspend activity on the multi-modal building. No expenditures havebeen made in 2004, but funds, which were to be reimbursed from thegrant, were spent over the past few years. Right now we aren’t surewhether or not we can recoup these funds and have decided that nofurther activity will take place until we know for certain that wecan get this money back.

While it has taken quite a while to become a reality, thedowntown paving project should begin after the first of the year.Bids are to be received on Dec. 6, and the project, which includesmilling and paving as well as the building of handicap ramps, willbegin in the first quarter of 2005.

We know you will enjoy this year’s Christmas lights and banners.Please remember this is the first phase of a four-year project. Bythe end of the fourth year, Brookhaven’s holiday lights should besecond to none!

Let me encourage you to shop at home this Christmas, as thishelps make a healthy economy for us all.

We hope and pray that both the Thanksgiving and Christmasseasons are special for you and your family.