Community officials this week will celebrate two milestones onthe road to a better economic future for Brookhaven and LincolnCounty.

One event marks the realization of a long-sought project whilethe other represents a significant step toward a project that hasthe potential for untold benefits for this area.

On Tuesday, state and area leaders will gather for aribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the mental health CrisisIntervention Center.

The $2.7 million facility, which has encountered several delayssince its construction was authorized by state lawmakers in 1999,will serve as a miniature psychiatric hospital to provideshort-term care for the mentally ill. It will provide services to10 counties in Southwest Mississippi.

One of the great benefits of the facility is that it will go along way toward alleviating the problem of having to house mentallyill patients in county jails because there has been no room forthem at state mental hospitals. This deplorable practice – whilelikely not being completely solved – is finally being addressed bythe Brookhaven crisis center and others like it in the state.

The following day on Wednesday, officials will again gather fora ground-breaking ceremony for the new Linbrook Business Park.

Recognizing the need for additional space for business andindustrial prospects, chamber officials several years ago embarkedon a private fundraising drive called the Vision Partnership.

The successful effort got the ball rolling. In recent years,city and county leaders stepped up to the plate to commit over $4million to project.

Now, through a successful joint effort that has also landed somefederal funding assistance for infrastructure needs, officials areready to break ground on the approximately 400-acre park west ofthe city.

What will eventually locate in the park is unknown.

What is certain, though, is that through hard work and teamwork, Brookhaven and Lincoln County leaders’ efforts will put thiscommunity back in the economic development ball game.