The Council of Governments executive committee laid out its purpose and discussed a handful of issues during its first meeting Monday at Dixie Springs Cafe.
The committee is made up of Pike County Supervisor Chuck Lambert; McComb, Magnolia and Osyka mayors Whitney Rawlings, Melvin Harris and Jamie Harrell; and Summit Councilman Jake Gazzo.
“I see this as a place where if we see projects coming up down the road, it gives somebody from each government entity (a forum) to come in here and say to us, ‘We’ve got this problem coming up. Do y’all have any ideas?’ ” Lambert said. “We can discuss it in here, get our points laid out, and then that individual can help if that’s something they think we can do.
“We can say it here instead of going to a board meeting and giving that perception that we’re not working together.”
Aside from the committee’s purpose, the group also discussed:
• The McComb Regional Wastewater Treatment facility. The Summit town council recently declined to connect to its sewer lines to the plant. Rawlings said Monday it was unfair to Summit to force the town to make a decision before it knew what options were available.
The committee also discussed cost adjustment if Magnolia and Summit should connect in the future.
• The Scenic Rivers Alliance.
The McComb city board will vote on a $10,000 contribution from the city at its board meeting tonight. Rawlings indicated the board will likely vote in favor of the donation, and called McComb Recreation Director Joseph Parker “the perfect man to do this.”
Lambert noted the city will receive most of the benefits, with additional tourists theoretically coming to the area, and Osyka, Magnolia and Summit receiving a smaller portion of the benefits.
“It brings people to the area,” Lambert said. “It lets them see what we have to offer from a quality-of-life standpoint.”
• A study conducted by Rick Duke, director of the University of Southern Mississippi’s Trent Lott National Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, which wants to put together a plan to help McComb reach its potential.
Lambert said the study can serve as a blueprint for the county, Magnolia, Summit and Osyka as well.
• A project to repair Delaware Avenue Extension, which Lambert said has been bumped to the top of the county’s list of priorities.
• Litter. Harrell said Osyka has seen an increase in litter recently. Other committee members agreed litter is on the rise.
“It is so depressing,” Rawlings said. “I walk the streets three days a week, and pick up the same paper. It appears there’s a segment of our population that believes it needs to be out of their car and on the streets.”
Harrell said he is encouraging residents to record license plate numbers for people who litter. He also suggested a return fee for aluminum cans and bottles as an incentive to not litter.
Committee members also discussed recycling, but Lambert said the county cannot collect enough material to justify the cost of a recycling program.
• Magnolia’s Safe Routes to School grant, which aims to build wider sidewalks along streets in the area near Eva Gordon Elementary School.
“The idea is to encourage kids to walk rather than ride to school,” Harris said. “(Engineering firm) Neel-Schaffer said it won’t cost much money.”
Rawlings expressed an interest in the project and said he would like to see a similar project in McComb to create biking and walking trails in the city.
