An environmental study has cleared the way for construction tobegin on a proposed Lincoln County-Brookhaven Government Complexparking lot on Chickasaw Street.

Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop informed supervisors Monday thatthe study cleared Greenbriar Digging Service to start operations atthe site. Greenbriar was awarded the contract in February, pendingthe results of the study.

The study was necessary because adjoining property at the cornerof First and Chickasaw streets contains two subsurface gasolinetanks that remain from when it supported a gas station, Bishopsaid. A small strip of private property will separate the parkinglot from First Street.

The lot will provide 72 additional vehicle slots for parking atthe courthouse. Entrances to the lot will be located on ChickasawStreet.

“Some time or another, every person in the county has to come tothe courthouse and, right now, it’s a big hassle to find parking,especially on court days,” Bishop said. “It shouldn’t be thatway.”

Bishop could not say when Greenbriar would actually begin workon the project or how long it would take to complete. However, hesaid the construction company had been waiting for the clearance tobegin.

In other matters, District One Supervisor the Rev. Jerry Wilsonand District Two Supervisor Bobby Watts volunteered to be countyrepresentatives to a Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commercecommittee tasked with planning the celebration of the city’s 150thanniversary in 2008.

The board also briefly discussed Brookhaven’s annexation of 14.4miles of county land and its effect on solid waste removal andbilling. Officials, though, took no action.

County Administrator David Fields said a survey conducted by thecounty and Waste Management officials ast year identified 10,146households served by the company in the county.

“In the annexed area, they had close to 1,000 counted,” he said,”So the kicker will be when the annexation occurs, how many will betaken off?”

Supervisors were attempting to determine how many householdswould be transferred to the city and how that would affect countysolid waste collection.