The Brookhaven Board of Aldermen approved the purchase Tuesdayof a four-acre tract of land in the Industrial Park that will behome to an ice factory.

Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Executive VicePresident Cliff Brumfield brought the board a letter of intent forthe purchase of the property, which is just off Fender Trail.

Mark LeBlanc of Mississippi Ice told the board he had been having ahard time locating industrial property in the area, but that theIndustrial Park seemed a perfect fit.

LeBlanc said his business currently manufactures ice for LincolnCounty, Copiah County and Franklin County, but that he couldincrease his production in those areas by opening a newmanufacturing plant.

The plant, which will have a 30 x 60 foot metal building shouldstart off making five tons of ice a day and would start offemploying only two employees, LeBlanc said. Eventually the plantcould manufacture up to 20 tons of ice per day.

In other business Tuesday, Mayor Bob Massengill presented boardmembers with a copy of the city’s revised strategic plan, which hesaid was only slightly modified. On a motion by Ward Two AldermanTerry Bates, the board decided to review the handout and deal withit at the Jan. 2 meeting.

Massengill said the plan deals more with the downtown lightingproject, as well as the renovation of the Chamber of Commerce andthe elimination of a sewer lift station on Natchez Avenue.

Meanwhile, Massengill also explained to the group that two of thecity’s water wells are in need of repairs, one being a shallow wellnear Phillips Brothers Lumber, and the other being a deeper well bythe Industrial Park.

The shallow well is currently closed and will be subjected to acamera survey.

“We will make a decision on the deeper well after we havedetermined what to do with the shallow well,” he said.

The deeper well is currently producing less than half of thequantity of water it is supposed to be putting out, while theshallow one is completely shut down.

The mayor emphasized that the well issues would have no bearing onthe city’s ability to meets water needs. He said the city operateseight wells.

Massengill said the main issue is that the repairs to the wells arenot budgeted and room will have to be made for them in the budget.He estimated the work could cost as much as $100,000.

Alderman at large Les Bumgarner inquired as to whether there aregrants for projects like the two wells. Massengill told him therewere not, although there could possibly be some low-interest loansavailable.

The board also approved the holiday schedule for 2008, and on amotion by Ward Three Alderwoman Mary Wilson, voted to pay cityworkers on Friday rather than on Dec. 28. That way, Wilson said,city workers would have their paychecks before Christmas and coulduse the money toward holiday gifts.