Clarksdale city officials got their first glimpse at the massive projects that lie ahead of them as they prepare to ask voters to approve a $17 million bond referendum this summer that they believe will help ease flooding.
Employees of the Neel-Schaffer engineering firm in Southaven unveiled their improvement plans, which range from $12 million to $16 million, to the Clarksdale mayor and board of commissioners at their meeting Monday at City Hall.
Along with their solutions to fix flooding, the engineering firm also offered plans to replace the Second Street bridge that links downtown with west Clarksdale, as well as an option to repair the bridge at the intersection of Friars Point Road and Lee Drive, and the widening of a one-mile stretch of Friars Point Road.
There were also plans to make improvements to city streets and build new sidewalks that would link downtown to the proposed Corey L. Moore Sports and Recreation Complex that would be built near the Highway 61 bypass.
“The people of Clarksdale asked us to do the heavy lifting and this is what this is… and we’re determined to get it solved,” said Clarksdale mayor Chuck Espy.
Vince Malavasi, a senior engineer manager with Neel-Schaffer’s Southaven office, said their recommendations originated from public hearings held last year where they heard from Clarksdale residents, who expressed concerns about maintenance and flooding of yards and homes.
“It is a lot of money,” said Malavasi, who encouraged the city to prioritize the projects they want to do first and that way they can go after alternative funding sources such as grants and matching monies.
The main areas identified as flash flood-prone areas in Clarksdale were in the neighborhoods around Russwin, Sasse and Pearson streets where residents saw flooded streets and yards and the water even got into some homes.
Charles Curcio, a hydraulics and hydrology engineer with Neel-Schaffer’s Ridgeland office and a native of Clarksdale, estimated it would cost $2.8 million to fix those flash flood areas. He said the way it exists now, those areas can only take an inch to an inch and a half of rain before they start to flood.
“A lot of these areas flood every time it rains because of a debris problem,” Curcio said.
Areas noted as backwater flood areas, which come when the Big and Little Sunflower rivers overflow their banks, are the Pearson Street subdivision, where approximately 45 homes flooded in 2016, and a portion of Lee Drive and Friars Point Road. Other isolated areas include Westover and Cypress Creek drives, as well as Confederate and Church streets near the Greenbough nursing home.
Curcio said while it was “a 100-year flood” that occurred in 2016 when over 14 inches of rain fell in a short time, he said a large portion of the backwater areas will flood when it’s a “10-year flood”, which is much less rainfall.
“Those areas need to be addressed, especially those that flood in a 10 year. Every time you get a rain, you’re pretty much threatened,” he said.
However, that fix would prove costly as the recommendations call for levee systems and pumps to be built around those areas. The estimates range from $2.8 million to $6.4 million depending on how many levee systems the city opts for.
Also presented was a call to replace the Second Street bridge and increase the tonnage it can handle as it currently cannot handle city fire trucks. The cost to replace that bridge is $3.8 million. Malavasi said the city has applied for funding from the state to make the repairs, but he added that $700 million in applications were made to the fund that totals only $250 million.
“We need to stay on top of our legislators and congressmen and let them know that the need’s here,” Malavasi said.
Other projects call for an upgrade to the Friars Point Road bridge ($1 million) and widening a mile stretch of Friars Point Road from the bridge to out near the Clarksdale Country Club ($2.7 million).
The city is also considering street repairs and constructing sidewalks that could add up to another $1.2 million.
Espy said the city will apply for grants and matching funds to hopefully lower the price tag.
“We’re looking at right around 16 to 17 million, but if we really work hard with our legislators and members of Congress, we could possibly get that number down, but not significantly down,” the mayor said.
In other news, commissioners:
* Heard a request from city resident Florence Wiggins that the 700 block of McKinley Street be renamed to Wiggins Street in memory of her father, Sam Wiggins, who served for 50-plus years as the minister of the Church of Christ, which is located at 721 McKinley St.
She said her father left a legacy and the family would like to see him honored near the church where he served for so long.
“My dad worked to support his family. You name it, he did it,” Wiggins said.
City attorney Bill Gresham said to change the name of a street for just one block could create a problem with mapping and 911 emergency services.
Commissioner Ken Murphey said Wiggins should definitely be honored and he suggested that the city put up a placard and signs honoring Wiggins in that 700 block of McKinley. He said it would be done similar to how the city honored Dr. Gates along West Second Street.
Espy suggested that there be a meeting between Wiggins, the city engineer and director of public works to come up with a solution and make the proposal at a future city meeting.
In a related matter, Debborah Melton Brownlee was on the agenda to make a similar request. She was asking that the 400 block of Florida Street be renamed to honor Bishop Thomas J. Melton, Sr., who served as pastor of the First Apostolic Church in Clarksdale. Brownlee was not in attendance and the matter was carried over.
* Heard from Carla Ross, a partnership specialist in the Delta region for the U.S. Census Bureau.
She updated city officials on preparations being made for the next U.S. Census, which will take place on April 1, 2020. She said it’s important that all residents in Clarksdale and Coahoma County be counted as that figure is often used by government social services departments to determine funding allocations.
“All the resources we’re supposed to get, we need to get them,” said Ross, who is a Mound Bayou native. She said it was estimated that Coahoma County missed out on approximate $2,000 per person in the last census by failing to count all its citizens.
She said the Census Bureau is starting the process to hire local workers to conduct the counts in Coahoma County and she is also seeking to form a Complete Count Committee that will be made up of seven to 10 people that will spearhead the effort to get an accurate count here.
Gave approval to get the final reimbursement of expenditures for the CAP loan that was used to make improvements at the city-owned building occupied by MAP of Easton.
* Darrell Dixon, of the North Delta Planning District, said the expansion project at the facility is nearly complete. Prior to expansion, the company employed about 60 workers here. Now, that number has increased to over 100, and Dixon said the plant is hoping to take on new jobs and hire more employees.
* Was informed that a business, Tire and Auto, located at the intersection of Second Street and Delta Avenue, had gotten rid of some 1,000 tires that had become an eyesore downtown.
“We need to get the point across that we can’t continue to do this every month,” said Murphey, who said the tire dump had become an “eyesore” and could cause “health issues” with mosquitoes breeding in the stagnant rainwater collecting in the tires.
* Unanimously approved the re-appointment of Robert Precht to the Airport Board. Precht will occupy an at-large seat on the board and his was a joint appointment between the city and county governments.
* Gave its approval to a conditional-use permit allowing Arkashay Davis to operate an online business out of her home at 1411 Cheyenne St.
* Went into executive session to discuss personnel and pending litigation. After approximately 50 minutes, the board came back into open session and took no action.
