Chamber pushing for Capitol Complex water upgrades

JACKSON — On March 24, the board of directors of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution supporting funding from the state for water system upgrades for the Mississippi Cpaitol Complex.

The resolution reads: “WHEREAS, the 2010 Mississippi Legislature, through House Bill 1701, is actively considering a measure to assist in paying for water system infrastructure upgrades in the area comprising the Capitol Complex.

“WHEREAS, the Jan. 2010 winter storm and the extended period of time of subfreezing weather severely impacted the City of Jackson’s ability to maintain potable water service throughout the city.

“WHEREAS, waterline failures, inadequate storage and the inability to deliver sufficient treated water to the transmission and distribution system left many areas of the city without water for more than a week.

“WHEREAS, the most significant area impacted by this crisis was the Capitol Complex. Nearly all governmental agencies (federal, state and county), private businesses, restaurants and hotels were forced to close or provide limited services. This dealt a severe blow to the economic viability of the Mississippi Capitol Complex and the ability of the governmental agencies to efficiently deliver necessary services.

“WHEREAS, an adequate water supply to the Capitol Complex is essential to the uninterrupted operation of government and business in the area.

“WHEREAS, to address this issue, the City of Jackson has proposed to initiate an infrastructure upgrade for the Capitol Complex area. These improvements would increase water supply, provide additional elevated storage and improve fire flow to the Capitol Complex area of downtown Jackson. The proposed upgrades that would directly serve the Capitol Complex would include upgraded waterlines to serve the Capitol Complex, construction of a new 48-inch water transmission main and construction of a new, two-million-gallon elevated water storage tank.

“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the board of directors of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce hereby supports legislative funding to pay for water infrastructure improvements for the direct benefit of the Capitol Complex.

One Response to “Chamber pushing for Capitol Complex water upgrades”

1. Downtown Supporter Says:
   March 29th, 2010 at 7:50 am

   What Capitol Complex? Are they talking about the First Baptist Church parking lots? There are very few state government buildings in downtown Jackson compared to capital cities in other states.