JACKSON MAYOR CITES NEED FOR TV PUBLIC ACCESS

JACKSON -- Mayor Paul Sander wants to know if Jackson residents can have a cable television channel to advertise public events.

Sander told members of the Board of Aldermen Monday night at City Hall that he wanted to know if Jackson's contract with TCI Cable provided for a public access channel similar to a channel on the Cape Girardeau cable system.

Access to the Cape Girardeau channel is handled by the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Only events held within Cape Girardeau city limits are advertised on the station.

"I understand why Cape Girardeau does that, and I have no problem with them," Sander said. "I just want to see if that is a possibility for us to have one, and if so, how much it will cost us."

The board unanimously approved a motion to allow the city attorney to review the franchise agreement and make a report at the next meeting.

Mike Main attended the meeting to present his concerns about water drainage in the Fairway Estates residential area. He requested a meeting with public works officials and engineers working with projects in the vicinity of his home. Sander told Main the city would address his concerns after researching the subject further.