JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba addressed several issues on Monday that are concerning residents. Those issues ranged from the Jackson Zoo, library closures and the emergency garbage contract, which is set to expire in about six months.

This weekend, there was a rally against library closures in Jackson. The Medgar Evers Library has been closed for months, and the Eudora Welty Library is set to be demolished and turned into a green space due to maintenance issues.

Lumumba said there is one major setback stopping the demolition of the Eudora Welty Library.

“There is a tower that is behind the Eudora Welty Library where different service providers rent out space from the City of Jackson on that tower. That tower has to be relocated in an area that does not interrupt service for people,” he explained.

With the city about six months away from the expiration of the emergency garbage contract with Richard’s Disposal. Lumumba hopes to have a new contract in place before then, despite Richard’s Disposal’s lawsuit against the city.

“I will just say there have been conversations about how we may be able to address that, but there are several parties that have to come to that agreement,” Lumumba siad.

In a Hinds County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, there was a discussion about moving the Jackson Zoo to LeFleur’s Bluff State Park. The mayor said the city has not been in contact with the county about the zoo, and there are no plans to move it.

“One of the supervisors mentioned that he was going to put some money towards it and just move it. I don’t know what he thinks the zoo is. I don’t know who he thinks owns the zoo. I don’t know how he thinks that process works. The zoo is generating more revenue today than it was in many years prior to the last few years because a lot of the money was being redirected towards investigating a move as opposed to being invested back into the attraction,” said Lumumba.

The mayor emphasized that the city will continue investing in the zoo.