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Sunset residents cope with drainage problem |
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Wednesday, 18 November 2009 |
By KELLY DANIELS
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Bobby Bardwell describes his yard as if it were a swamp.
Puddles and puddles of standing water, generating tadpoles and swarms of mosquitoes, are the standard landscape for the Sunset community in Oktibbeha County.
“This is a drainage system and this is nothing,” he said Tuesday, addressing the county’s Board of Supervisors. “I’ve been down there since 1980 and nothing has been done. It needs to be fixed. It needs to be fixed.”
On behalf of his neighbors, Bardwell entreated the supervisors to finally authorize quick aid, bringing with him pictures to demonstrate the urgency.
The problem began when developers swept through the area putting up subdivisions on a low-lying field.
Oktibbeha County remains unprotected from such development legally, as it operates without building codes or zoning districts.
As a result, the developers of Sunset cannot be held accountable.
Local engineers estimated repairs to the drainage system to cost $1.5 million.
But officials showed that they were at least willing to try to help Bardwell’s neighborhood by applying for a Community Development Block Grant, which annually distributes $31 million in federal funds for economic development and public facilities in Mississippi.
“With federal money comes federal rules,” said Phyllis Benson, project analyst for the Golden Triangle Regional Planning and Development District.
Bardwell will have to document the entire area with photos and collect letters from homeowners.
And the county would have to match the grant funds with in-kind services and a portion of the cost.
Benson also listed the Appalachian Regional Commission as a possible funding source.
County saves money
The county saved demolition costs by receiving more than three times the usual number of bids offered.
Out of 14 bids, Starkville’s The Dirt Company was awarded the job of demolishing the county educational building and also removing asbestos.
The county will have to hand over $86,000. The highest bid offered was $155,000.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 21 November 2009 )
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