After proclaiming the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Awareness Month, Picayune’s City Council approved a motion to survey the residents of Ridgecrest subdivision to see if they want to connect to the city’s water service.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Stephanie Piper, Sexual Assault Program Manager with Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, read a proclamation about the importance of recognizing sexual assault.

Subsequently, the Council approved a request from the Exchange Club of Picayune to declare April as Child Abuse Awareness Month.

During discussion of the possibility of providing city water services to the 19 homes in the Ridgecrest subdivision, Public Works Director Eric Morris said the aim is to poll the residents to see if they are willing to connect to the city’s water services. Those homes are currently served by private wells.

Morris estimates the cost to provide that service to those residents would be $90,000 without engineering costs; with engineering costs he estimates it would cost $102,370.

During the survey phase, which is expected to start this week, city employees will poll the residents. If a majority elect to connect to the city water service, the project will be added to the 2022 budget year.

If main lines for water service are installed in that area, any home owner who opts out will be billed the minimum monthly amount, Morris said.

The survey is being conducted because Morris wants to see if a majority of residents will opt to connect since some may be happy with their current well connection.

Councilor Tammy Valente suggested the city also poll those residents to see if they want to connect to the city’s wastewater system, since many have been having issues with their septic systems.

The Council approved polling those residents.

A motion to bid the sidewalk project along Highland Parkway was also approved by the Council. Jonathan Hickman with Dungan Engineering said the project will install about a half a mile of sidewalk from the area of Highland Community Hospital to the area of Trinity United Methodist. The Council also approved a motion to sign a letter stating that any overruns in the project would be covered by the city of Picayune.

Estimates for the project can be as much as $150,000. Funding for the project would come from the Mississippi Department of Transportation.