Public Safety Will Benefit With Specialized Equipment
CenterPoint Energy officials presented a check to Pascagoula’s Mayor Dane Maxwell Thursday, Sept. 26, as part of their Community Partnership Grant Program that has invested $1.8 million in the communities they serve since the program’s inception in 2003. These grants fund safety-related equipment for local agencies.
Pascagoula officials are considering enhancing Pascagoula Fire Department’s search and rescue capabilities with thermal imaging technology in the form of a hand-held camera.
“Infrastructure is everything in a municipality if you’re going to properly serve citizens,” Maxwell said in accepting the check from CenterPoint’s District Director Jason Fabre. “And it is no secret that our natural gas system was neglected for many years, with needed maintenance deferred for decades. Then we found ourselves unable to financially invest in the natural gas system. Since the day we sold the system to CenterPoint, they have invested in Pascagoula. This Community Partnership Grant is icing on the cake – and more proof of their commitment to putting safety first.”
In his comments the Mayor recapped CenterPoint’s investment in the community to date:
- 2.7 miles of gas mains have been installed
- Responded to 384 emergency calls
- Repaired several dozen class A leaks
- Identified several hundred leaks
- Replaced all the old meters
- Leak surveyed the entire gas system with the state-of-the-art Piccaro unit
- Invested $2.1 million in the gas system to date
- A tech that lives and works in Pascagoula
- Six current project locations
“Just a few months ago all residents of Pascagoula were paying for a gas system that about half of us used. Now taxpayers are paying nothing for our natural gas system, and only those who use natural gas pay for natural gas,” Maxwell said. “We are thankful for our partner, CenterPoint Energy has made our community safer and we appreciate this grant money that will help make us even safer.”
