Correcting problems with sewer system infrastructure near themulti-purpose facility on Industrial Park Road was the focus of adiscussion during Tuesday night’s board of aldermen meeting.

Engineer Jeff Knight of Williford Gearhart & Knight gaverecommendations on how to fix the issues before they become anyworse. He said the existing sanitary sewer pump serves Gene’sMobile Home Park as well as the multi-purpose facility.

“And it’s at the end of its life,” he said. “But we believewe’ve come up with a good solution.”

Knight said a fiberglass wet well should be put in to servicethe multi-purpose building, and a new pump station should beinstalled in the triangular piece of land owned by the city in thebend on Industrial Park Road.

The wet well, Knight said, will be put on the existing forcemain sewer line. Any future development in the area on the southside of Industrial Park Road will be served by the new pumpstation.

Based on talks his company has had with contractors, Knight saidthe city should advertise for bids on the project.

Mayor Bob Massengill said the project would be paid for from thewater and sewer budget. He pointed out it’s another project nobodylikes having to pay for, but it has to be done.

“This is a cost we wish we didn’t have to have,” he said. “Butthat lift station doesn’t have a lot of life left.”

The board voted to approve the project and advertisements forbids.

In other board action, the mayor reminded board members of theupcoming June 12 public hearing for the Bethel Park playgroundproject.

The park, which would be located near Bethel AME Church on SouthFirst Street, should cost $100,000 to build.

The state will provide 70 percent through the grant if the termsof the grant are met. The community can meet the other 30 percentin volunteer labor costs.

But, officials said, there needs to be enough of a turnoutvolunteer-wise to convince grant officials that the project will becompleted and their funds will be matched. Grant officials will bepresent at the public hearing to ascertain that the interest shownthrough volunteer application forms is actually mirrored by thecommunity in which the playground will be put.

“We need you here,” Massengill told the board and meetingattendees. “We need folks from the community to show support to getthis playground for that community. If we show we’ve got communitysupport, we’ll get the funding.”

Another recreation-related discussion centered around the spraypark projects when Ward Two Alderman Terry Bates stated his feelingthat one needs to be put in the area of the Dr. A.L. Lott BaseballComplex.

Bates said the vote taken at the last board meeting to put inthe first two spray parks by the end of the summer in City Park onHartman Street and Bicentennial Park on Main Street went too fastand that he didn’t have time to consider the facts.

The board, upon learning there would not be grant money to puttoward three planned spray parks at City, Bicentennial, and Bethelparks, voted to begin work on the initial two with city funds.

Officials said they were important projects that needed to bedone. They said the two parks could be completed by the beginningof September.

More spray parks will follow as funding is available, officialsdecided.

But Bates asserted the spray park at Bicentennial Park wasneeded, but that he believes there are more children who play inthe Lott area than in the City Park area.

“It just came up so quick,” he said. “When (the mayor) broughtit up, I kinda questioned it, but I didn’t want to startanything.”

Other aldermen agreed a spray park was eventually needed in theLott area, with Ward Four Alderwoman Shirley Estes pointing outthat there are children who need something to do in all thewards.

“I want to see these all over the city,” she said.

Bates held that the Lott area should be a top priority, askingthe other aldermen to agree that the project should be “numberone.”

“I know we have a lot of activity over there and that is an arealocated around a bunch of kids. I know Brookhaven Park (sic) hasless activity.”

Ward Five Alderman D.W. Maxwell disputed Bates’ claim.

“City Park has more activity than I’ve ever seen with thewalking track and the tennis courts, and kids playing basketball,”Maxwell said.

Bates revived the swimming pool debate as well. He said the Lottneighborhood needed the spray parks because residents there feelthey’re being denied a swimming pool.

“In that area, they’re crying for a swimming pool, just cryingout for a swimming pool,” he said. “So if we’re going to do this inthe place of a pool, that’s a good area to do it.”

Massengill reminded the board that they voted unanimously toapprove city funding to go toward the two stated projects atBicentennial and City parks. He told them if they wanted to takeback that vote, they could start over.

He also reminded Bates how much effort is going into providingactivity for the east side of town already.

“We’re trying to provide by doing Bethel and Bicentennial Park,and we’re trying to revitalize the baseball program at A.L. Lott,we are definitely trying to provide more activity for the childrenof our city,” he said. “We are all committed to make things happen.But we agreed on these two locations. Nobody is going to beshortchanged.”

The board stood by its decision to put the first two spray parksin Bicentennial and City parks, saying hopefully in the futurethere will be one in every ward.