A delegation from the City of Laurel is scheduled to meet with the Governor of Mississippi’s staff members today to discuss the city’s aging water and sewer line problems.

The status of Laurel’s infrastructure has been a concern for city leaders for several months.

In January, city officials announced plans to construct an eight-plex softball facility with hopes of the revenue from the facility being used to make some much needed improvements to he city’s infrastructure within a year. Then voters signed a petition prohibiting the sale of the bonds that were needed to fund the construction of the facility without an election. So, city officials abandoned the project.

However, Councilman Manuel Jones, chairman of the city’s Public Safety Committee, and several other city officials said the problem concerning the city’s aged water and sewer lines still exists.

That concern took city officials to Washington, D.C. to meet with the state’s Congressional leaders concerning the matter.

Now, today city officials are traveling to Jackson to meet with Governor Haley Barbour’s staff concerning that issue.

Engineer Randy Meador, Councilman Jones and Laurel’s Chief Administrative Officer Gary Suddith will be taking part in the meeting. Jones and several representatives of the city will be meeting with Patrick Sullivan, policy advisor for Governor Barbour.

“The governor’s schedule is booked until the latter part of the year,” Suddith said. “We are meeting with one of his advisors and addressing the needs of the city.”

Officials said the meeting will address several issues facing the city.

“Basically, this meeting is a continuation of the trip we took to Washington D.C. earlier this year,” Suddith said. “Our Congressional leaders at that meeting told us to come back and meet with state officials as well. So, this meeting in Jackson will be similar to the one we had in Washington D.C.”

Jones said it’s important for city officials to take part in this endeavor.

“Just talking about the water and sewer lines is not going to get it fixed,” Jones said Monday. “We’ve got to take action, and one of the ways to take action is to go to the sources. We need money to fix these problems.”

In addition to the water and sewer problems, city officials are seeking assistance from officials for environmental and transportation issues.

According to a briefing prepared for today’s meeting, officials will tell officials that “Laurel understands that a sustainable community must balance the social, environmental and economic challenges to build a better future shaped and shared by all.”

According to the brief, “Laurel is like many cities around the country in experiencing increasing challenges with regards to sustainability of the community.”

Some of the challenges to be highlighted are:

_ Bridges in need of replacement;

_ Streets in need of restoration and maintenance;

_ Water System with supply, storage, treatment and distribution needs;

_ Wastewater System with collection and treatment needs;

_ Drainage needs in protection of water quality and urban runoff;

_ Connectivity and safety for transportation;

_ Transportation enhancement to include all modes of transportation; and

_ Growth management including infill development.

“Laurel is proactive in its approach to deal with these issues in an effective manner,” the brief states. “However, unique circumstances with issues have demanded that Laurel seek resources and solutions that are extraordinary to ensure that the needs are met effectively to accommodate the needs of a changing community.”

Jones said his priority will remain “fixing our water and sewer lines.”

“We still have a major problem,” the councilman said. “It doesn’t matter who is elected, this city will still need to address this matter.

“This problem is going to still be here,” Jones added. “We need to be concerned about our infrastructure and seek help from where ever we can.”