City of Columbus and Columbus Light and Water address issues

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Columbus and Columbus Light and Water team up to address infrastructure issues in the city.

The Columbus City Council voted to give Columbus Light and Water just over $1 million to help move three planned projects forward.

Light and Water had come to the Council asking for money from the city’s share of American Rescue Plan Act funds, so they could seek matching funds from the Department of Environmental Quality.

The utility needs the money to make major repairs and upgrades to two aging water treatment lift stations in the city, and to modernize sewer mains in some of the older areas of the city.

Mayor Keith Gaskin has been supporting projects that qualify for matching funds, so the city can get the most bang for its buck.

“And these are real issues that affect our citizens on a daily basis. It affects their lives, their livelihoods; it affects their day-to-day activities. Many times when we have flooding in this area, we have sewage that backs up in people’s homes, and the money we set aside last night will address that,” said Mayor Keith Gaskin.

The 3 projects are expected to cost just over $2 million. The city has now earmarked most of its ARPA money.