Trees at Atwood Water Park will start coming down soon asMonticello aldermen prepare for further improvements there.

Aldermen Tuesday accepted a $125,000 bid from a Hazlehurstlumber company to selectively cut timber on 56.4 acres of the67.2-acre park. Bids on the project ranged from $60,000 offered byan Adams County company to the selected high bid.

“I think you got a good representation of the market,” said MarkDale, a contractor hired by the city to oversee the sale. “All ofthe apparent high bidders use large scale timber, and that’s whatyou have out there.”

Most of the harvestable timber has been selected to retain thebeauty of the park while opening up some areas for more sites andother improvements, Dale said. A small portion near the front ofthe park, behind the gatehouse, will be clear cut in preparationfor a parking lot.

“It’s a good bid. It’s a little more than I expected because ofall the obstacles that will impede logging,” Dale said, citingpicnic tables and campsites.

District Five Alderman Bouie Davis said he hoped the projectwould be completed quickly, but stressed the need for it to be donecleanly.

“We have a wonderful place out there and it will break somepeople’s hearts to see those trees come down,” he said. “It needsto be cleaned up ASAP once they’re done logging so we can make itbeautiful again.”

In unrelated matters, aldermen approved the potential sale of 10to 20 acres of city property along Graham Avenue near WestoverApartments to real estate developers considering the constructionof low to moderate income housing.

Alderman also approved a Pearl River bank stabilization projecton property along Old Highway 27.

The total cost of the project is expected to be more than$18,000, said Mayor Dave Nichols. A grant from the NaturalResources Conservation Service will cover 85 percent of $15,000towards the project. The remaining balance must be covered by cityfunds.