The proposed Bethel Park will only come to fruition with helpfrom the community, Brookhaven Recreation Department Director TerryReid told aldermen Tuesday.

Reid said he and Woody Sample of Sample & Associatesconsulting firm had met with Brenda Lacey of the MississippiDevelopment Authority about a grant to build the playground park.However, Lacey told them in order to get a grant for the equipment,they must have enough volunteer power to complete the project.

“It’s a community-type grant,” Reid said. “We just needvolunteers. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, there’ssomething you can do.”

Reid said Lacey told him there need to be about 30-40 people whosign up to volunteer their time and effort, and at that point theycan set a date for a community meeting and public hearing.

The grant is a 70-30 grant, meaning that the government wouldpay 70 percent if the city can meet the other 30 percent inmanpower. Each volunteer would be valued based on their ability andtime put in.

“We’ve got nine volunteers sitting around this boardroom,” saidWard One Alderman Dorsey Cameron.

The group would need to have “three sparkplug people,” Reidsaid, who would be there during the construction to make sureeveryone signs in and out and who can keep up with the manhours.

“I’ll be one, if you all would like, and I’d like for (WardThree Alderwoman) Mrs. (Mary) Wilson to be one as well,” hesaid.

Reid said the city will be applying for funds that are left overfrom 2007, as there is still some money left that was not givenaway for such projects last year.

“That way there’s less wait time,” he said. “It’ll speed it upby months.”

In other board action, Brookhaven Fire Department Fire InspectorAndre Spiller met with the board to get their input on what to doabout bringing businesses in the annexation areas up to city firesafety standard compliance.

Spiller said he had been in some of the businesses and seen thatmany of them don’t even have basic fire safety equipment such asfire extinguishers and lighted exit signs.

Another concern, he said, is that most of the businesses in theannexation don’t have fire suppression systems, which are requiredof all the other businesses in the city. A fire suppression systemcan cost between $5,000 and $9,000.

City Attorney Joe Fernald asked Spiller to make a list of thebusinesses that need to upgrade their fire safety to fit citystandards.

“We need to strike a balance between enforcing the law and notdriving people out of business with the cost,” he said. “Some ofthis could probably be cleared up easily.”

But, Fernald said, in the long run, there needed to be no shortcuts.

“We need to proceed with all deliberate speed to get everyone incompliance,” he said. “If we don’t, then five or six years down theroad we could have a problem if there’s a fire and it turns out wedidn’t enforce the codes.”

Ward Four Alderwoman Shirley Estes pointed out that some of thecost might be defrayed by the impact on insurance for thebusinesses once they’re in compliance.

Mayor Bob Massengill suggested that perhaps businesses should begiven a certain amount of time to be in full compliance, and in themean time put in things like exit signs and fire extinguishers.

Fernald suggested, too, that Spiller make it a point to go overcompliance issues with the newly annexed businesses for safetyreasons.

“That way we don’t have another situation like downtown wherethose stairwells were blocked and the firefighters could have beentrapped,” Fernald said, saying that the addition of minor safetyequipment could make quite a bit of difference. “What we’vesuggested is nominal, and if it saves one person’s life, it’s worthit.”

Officials decided to discuss the issue further and come up witha certain amount of time to bring the businesses intocompliance