The Starkville Board of Aldermen spent nearly five hours Saturday touring the city, talking to residents about flooding and drainage problems, and formulating plans to address issues in each of Starkville”s seven wards.
It was an idea pitched by Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn Sr., who has pushed for infrastructure improvements throughout the entire city since he was elected last year, and not just in Starkville”s wealthier wards.
“My hope was for everybody to get the chance to see everybody”s problems in everybody”s wards, so when these problems come to the board and are put on the board”s agenda, now we won”t be so hesitant about voting on them and doing the right thing for the city of Starkville and all of our constituents,” Vaughn said.
The board met at City Hall at 8 a.m. and toured Ward 7 in a 14-passenger bus owned by the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District, then made their way through wards 6,5,4,3,2 and 1. The group returned to City Hall at about 12:45 p.m.
Starkville Parks and Recreation Department Director Matthew Rye drove the bus, while Mayor Parker Wiseman, chief administrative officer Lynn Spruill and city engineer Edward Kemp also rode along.
Many of the sites, like an overgrown drainage ditch along Carver Drive, have been on city officials” radar for years. Residents of Carver Drive have long complained about mosquitoes, snakes and erosion in the area.
But other problem areas were less known, yet are still regularly plagued by floods, which cause property damage and other issues.
One of the stops on the tour was Maple Drive, in the Green Oaks neighborhood of Ward 1. There, several residents, including Susan Shappley and Dottie Malone, explained in detail the flooding that has occurred in the neighborhood for decades.
Part of the problem stems from two retention ponds located in the woods between Maple Drive, the U.S. Post Office and nearby shopping centers on Highway 12. The ponds overflow regularly, Shappley said, which sends water flowing down a hill, through the woods and into a drainage ditch bordering the rear of her property.
When heavy rains hit the area, the drainage ditch overflows, sending water into the backyards and homes along Maple Drive. Shappley said her house flooded eight times in 2004. To combat the problem, she put all of her furniture and other belongings up on six-inch platforms.
Unfortunately for Shappley, Hurricane Katrina flooded her home with eight inches of water in 2005 and destroyed many of her belongings. She has since moved out of the house, but still owns and maintains the structure.
The Board of Aldermen is exploring options to alleviate the flooding problems along Maple Drive and other locations throughout the city. Shappley said she has asked city officials for years to do something about the flooding behind her house and in front. Maple Drive is located at the bottom of a hill and water flows downhill through several streets, often flooding the roadway.
When the Board of Aldermen boarded the bus to leave Maple Drive, Shappley joined them and expressed her gratitude.
“Never has the entire group (of aldermen) come to look at a problem,” she told the board. “I really do appreciate this.”
Aldermen are still considering what steps to take to alleviate the flooding along Maple Drive.
Among other locations, the board looked at ditches and flood-prone areas on Long Street and areas around J.L. King Park, and in neighborhoods like Greenbriar, Sherwood Forest, Longmeadow and Plantation Homes. The board periodically asked Spruill to add sites to a list of potential capital improvement projects.
“This is great for the city leaders to get out there and get a personal look at all the city”s needs,” Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins said.
“It gets us thinking outside of our own wards,” Ward 2 Alderwoman Sandra Sistrunk said.
Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver, who has talked extensively with Maple Drive residents about their flooding issues, was grateful for the experience.
“I think we need to do this once a year,” he said.
Along with Carver, Sistrunk, Perkins and Vaughn, Ward 3 Alderman Eric Parker, Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey and Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas gave extensive reports on drainage and other infrastructure needs in their wards.
Aldermen also checked on the damaged bridge along Old West Point Road, about 1/4 mile south of Highway 82, which was closed two weeks ago when a tributary of Sand Creek washed away much of the bank under the bridge and caused a portion of the road to collapse. Ellis Construction, of Columbus, will begin repairing the bridge and roadway on Monday, Kemp said. The project is expected to last seven to 10 days, he said.
When aldermen returned to City Hall early Saturday afternoon, Vaughn said he was pleased the entire board was so enthusiastic about addressing problems in all wards, not just their own.
“Overall, I think we had a good day and a good turnout, and we made a lot of progress,” he said. “I just thank God so much that it went this way.”
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