City officials could be taking the first steps toward necessary maintenance work at Vicksburg’s water treatment plant on Haining Road.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen are expected Monday to approve a contract with Jackson-based engineers Allen & Hoshall to do the engineering and prepare plans and specifications for several projects at the plant.

“We’re going to put some additional filters in, we’re going to put a new radio controller in the well fields, we’re going to install two sludge pumps and put in some chemical storage,” public works director Garnet Van Norman said. “This is all stuff we have in the budget; we’re just moving forward with it. We’re going to have to put together the contracts and bid them out to get these items completed. It’s repairs and maintenance. The equipment is worn out and we have to replace it.”

Van Norman said the work is not related to the problems at the plant that shut it down in late August and forced city officials to issue a citywide boil water notice.

That work, he said, is being discussed, but probably will not happen until 2017.

In another matter, the board is expected to approve an agreement with My Brother’s Keeper Inc. for exercise equipment at the city’s parks.

My Brother’s Keeper is a private, nonprofit organization, with a mission to reduce health problems throughout the U.S. and promote healthy living and the use of accessible public facilities.

The organization was involved in improvements to the walking trail at city park, and is also involved in a walking trail project at Halls Ferry Park.