Fix Midtown Jackson’s Major Sewage Problem

“Don’t complain about anything, unless you are prepared to do something about it.”

- Steve Aitchison, Author

Millsaps College ELSEWORKS + Trey Malone Article

If you’ve heard of Jackson, MS in the news recently, likely, it was not for anything good. Our city is currently facing several critical issues – everything from our ongoing water crisis to weeks of uncollected trash, to several infrastructural challenges, including a dysfunctional sewage system. Although the city government is doing everything it can, it needs help. We need your help. Despite these challenges, our city – the city with soul – is brimming with opportunity. Opportunity that may fall by the wayside unless we can do something about it together. We want to start in Midtown, the heart of Jackson – a community that has already seen encouraging progress despite a history of challenges and present headwinds.

We are ELSEWORKS Millsaps College, an entrepreneurship program that utilizes a team of faculty, staff, and students that works to support business development, entrepreneurs, and creatives by providing free-of-charge consulting services for those in need. Our primary focus has been in Midtown, a vibrant, but still challenged community right across from campus. We are currently working with Trey Malone, an entrepreneur who is working to develop a new rum distillery in Midtown. The issues that Trey is facing mirror the broader issues that Midtown and all of Jackson's people face. Currently, there is raw sewage bubbling up all over the Midtown neighborhood, and Trey’s newly purchased building (which he can’t open), is the epicenter of the issue.

The issue itself stems from a collapsed sewer line that runs under Mill St., the western boundary of Midtown. The collapsed sewer line is causing harmful sewage waste to bubble up into the streets of Midtown, creating an unhealthy and unsafe issue for residents, business owners, and children in the community. Moreover, this raw waste is entering waterways and creating an environmental hazard for both humans and wildlife. The City of Jackson currently has neither a timeline nor a solution for this issue, lacking the funds to install a sewage pump, a temporary solution until funds can be allocated for a permanent fix.

Trey Malone and ELSEWORKS are partnering to raise money to purchase a pump, hosing materials, and operational funds that will provide a solution to this major problem. We are seeking $50,000 in order to buy a pump, the hosing to re-route our sewage issue into a safe line, and funds to operate the pump. This solution will not only fix the problems that Trey Malone is having but also fix the issues of the entire neighborhood – creating a safe place for children to play, residents to relax, and businesses to operate. Moreover, once the city has a timeline to fix the issue permanently, we want to donate the pump to them so that other communities can have a safe solution.

Without you, businesses will continue to be hamstrung. Kids will continue to be raised and play in unsafe environments. Residents will have to live in dangerous conditions. With you, we can help to create a solution that works for everyone. Our campaign isn’t about criticizing or disparaging our wonderful city. It’s about shining a light on our issue and doing something about it.

Stephen Covey said, “Be part of the solution, not part of the problem,” Please donate to our campaign and be a part of the solution. This is a story not of criticism but of empowerment.

Written by Paul Thomas, Director of Business Analysts for ELSEWORKS Millsaps College. Endorsed by Paul Thomas, Dr. David Culpepper, Chair of ELSEWORKS, and Trey Malone, entrepreneur and business owner.