As north Chilton County prepares for 2010 and a new decade, local leaders are eyeing new projects and goals.

Jemison Mayor Eddie Reed hopes to see the city’s new municipal complex come to completion in 2010. The building is located on U.S. Highway 31 just south of the existing City Hall.

While Reed could not release a ballpark figure, he said the building’s cost will likely be significantly less than estimated because the city is doing about 75 percent of the work.

“We have not yet finalized all the investments,” Reed said Monday.

Meanwhile, businesses will soon start popping up along I-65 Exit 219, partially due to the new lights along the Interstate. Waffle House is the first business to close a land deal, and two more businesses have committed, Reed said.

Commercial and residential growth on the east side of Jemison will increase the need for utilities in the area.

A new wastewater treatment plant is on the horizon for east Jemison, as well as sewer upgrades.

The appropriation for a new plant would be $5.3 million.

“The funding has been down on wastewater treatment plants and water systems, but we understand that some of the stimulus funding may be returned to that,” Reed said.

Annexation expanded Jemison’s territory in 2009 and will continue to do so in 2010, Reed added. The newly annexed Oak Grove community has received water upgrades, sewer upgrades and streetlights. The next step is to pave roads in the area.

“We hope to manage the growth and make sure it coincides with the new zoning ordinance we’ve put into place,” Reed said, adding, “We want to continue to annex areas that request annexation.”

On a lighthearted note, the mayor offered a New Year’s prayer for peace and prosperity on behalf of the city.