HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The Hattiesburg City Council is looking at items on this week’s agenda focused on transportation safety, Wi-Fi access and emergency response capabilities as part of ongoing efforts to improve quality of life across the city.
First, the council approves two grant applications that could help fund a more than $3 million planning study of downtown railroad crossings.
City leaders say the study would examine ways to improve safety and traffic flow for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists when trains move through the area.
“Hattiesburg’s a railroad town, and so for a century and a half, we’ve been dealing with railroads and people and cars and traffic,” council president Dave Ware said. “And through the application for these two grants, what we’re hoping to do is again, make improvements, provide a safe traffic flow as well as pedestrian flow through our community, especially in our downtown area.”
In addition to transportation planning, the city is also expanding public internet access in local parks. Wi-Fi service is already active at C.E. Roy Park, Tatum Park and Vernon Dahmer Park, with plans to expand to a total of nine parks across the city.
Council members approved a $14,575 agreement with C Spire to continue the rollout.
“There are folks still in our community today that have trouble accessing the internet,” Ware said. “So it’s important that we provide the resources in our community and those amenities that our residents want.”
Finally, city leaders are moving forward with an application for federal funding to help purchase a new pumper fire engine. The nearly $1 million apparatus would be funded largely through a FEMA grant, if approved.
“Safe and reliable fire trucks are important to our staff so that our firefighters have good, reliable working equipment to be able to serve the public on the daily basis as they need it,” Hattiesburg Fire Chief Chris Carr said.
If awarded, FEMA would cover 90 percent of the cost, with the city responsible for the remaining 10 percent.
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