If the people of Jefferson want fresh, clean drinking water the ball is in their court.

Sign up dates were scheduled Monday night by the Myrtlewood City Council to let the people of Jefferson take the first step in bringing water to their community.

The first sign up will take place Tuesday, Jan. 17 at the Jefferson Community Center from 8 a.m. until noon. The second sign up is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Rangeline Baptist Church. A representative of the Myrtlewood Water system will be on hand.

Marengo County Commission Chairman asked those affected by the project to keep in mind there is a limited opportunity and a need for a minimum number to keep the project alive.

“There are only two sign up dates so we really need to get everybody aware of these two dates,” Tucker said. “We have to have a minimum of 300 in order for this project to go ahead and bring good, safe, clean drinking water to all these people. That is something this commission has been striving for consistently since we have been in here.”

Commissioner Max Joiner said the project has been in the works for a long time and it would be a shame to see it fail because of a lack of participation.

“We have put a lot of time and effort into this for the last three or four years,” Joiner said. “All communities go through this and that area has needed water for years and years and this is their opportunity.

All of the research and preliminary work was done, Joiner said. It was now a matter of signing up.

“It is up to the people there to come forward now and make it work,” Joiner said. “They need to sign up and get all their neighbors to sign up as well.”

The commission thanked the Myrtlewood Water Authority and the city of Demopolis for helping the project become a reality.

“They have gone above and beyond working with the county to make this happen,” Tucker said. “One of our goals as a commission has been to bring good drinking water to all citizens of the county and with their help and the completion of this project, if we can get the 300 people to sign up, would cover 98 to 99 percent of the county. That is amazing considering where we were.”

There will be a $100 fee for anyone interested in signing up, which is a combination of two fees. The payment includes a $50 signup fee and $50 for a meter. For more information please call (334) 295-4191.