Jackson Free Press

The city will restrict roadside animal sales after a 6-to-0 vote in favor of a new ordinance today.

Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell submitted the ordinance last month after complaining that too many roadside puppy and kitten vendors sell defective or unhealthy animals from puppy mills.

"We need to be protecting our animals, and I believe that if we're encouraging, by virtue of our silence, puppy mills, then we are basically fostering a form of animal cruelty," Whitwell said.

The council also approved electrical systems upgrades at many city facilities.

Johnson put before the council a $3.9 million project proposal with international corporation Siemens Building Technologies Inc. to upgrade and monitor city buildings and facilities for long-term power savings.

"We're paying for this in part with a $1.7 million U.S. Department of Energy grant, which will act as a kind of pump primer for savings in the future," Johnson told the council. "We essentially take savings and put them toward improvements."

The city hopes to upgrade city facilities and traffic lights, which could eventually include the city auditorium and the nearby art center and arts pavilion, as well as the Hood Building and all 21 fire stations, among other things. Johnson said the city will finance the upgrades and annual electricity monitoring management--which will involve innovative thermostat and temperature controls and new energy-saving lighting and electrical systems--through annual savings in its electricity bills.

Siemens Business Development Manager Chris McNeil told the Jackson Free Press that his company would save the city $5.2 million over the 15-year life of the contract.

Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon initially balked at the price of the two 15-year contracts. "How do we know that we'll get the savings we're promised," Barrett-Simon asked.

Johnson explained that the city holds an annual review of the price change in its electric bill, and if the deviation does not reflect a significant reduction, the companies surrender their payment from the city for that year.

"We get the savings, or we keep the money," said Public Works Director Dan Gaillet.

Johnson pulled a similar contract with global corporation Johnson Controls Inc. this morning after council members complained that the city auditorium suffered air-conditioning issues in recent years under the company's watch.

Gaillet said the auditorium problems are in the hands of the city, which needs to fix and upgrade the building's air system.

The council voted to move forward with construction on a new JATRAN bus facility on U.S. Highway 80, near Ellis Avenue. The council voted 6-to-0 in favor of the contract. City spokesman Chris Mims said federal grants cover 80 percent of the costs of the bus station.

"The city of Jackson has been pursuing this facility for a long time," said Johnson, who submitted to the council this week a contract proposal worth $6.8 million to Sumrall construction company C. Perry Builders Inc., which is overseeing construction.

Johnson said the new JATRAN administrative and maintenance facility is one component of a larger plan to redevelop the Highway 80 corridor between Rankin County and the corporate city limits of Clinton. The city is working with non-profit regional planning organization Central Mississippi Planning and Development District to plant trees and beautify the corridor. It is also working to change zoning rules in the area to better accommodate mixed-use development.

The Central Mississippi Planning and Development District and the city submitted for public view several development proposals for plazas and business districts along the corridor last year. Two of the plans include renovation proposals for the Metrocenter Mall and the empty plaza at the corner of Ellis Avenue and Highway 80, which once served as the headquarters for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

Johnson said he is determined to revitalize the corridor, and said the area has the advantage of a quick connection to interstate highways and a convenient central location within the state.