A number of rivers, creeks and ditches in the county are slated for improvements to prevent flooding, erosion and undermined roads.
The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors voted Friday morning to authorize the Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District to examine clearing a 4- to 5-mile stretch of Magowah Creek, which residents say has filled with silt from the river and is flooding crops in the area.
Approximately 25 acres of crops were damaged and 50 acres of farmland were flooded by waters which were as much as 3 feet deep, resident Glenn Mast told supervisors. He said private citizens have done what they can to clear the creek, but those he has talked with are “highly in favor” of the project.
Before any work can be done, water management officials will have to get clearance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The board also authorized the agency to examine stabilizing the banks of the Buttahatchie River, which stream restoration scientist Brad Maurer, of The Nature Conservancy in Jackson, said needs attention in order to prevent erosion and keep the river confined to its banks instead of diverting to nearby, inactive gravel quarries.
The project would be funded by a $300,000, five-year matching grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The board also approved ditch work at 1205 Yorkville Road due to drainage issues which, according to County Road Manager Ronnie Burns, are undermining the road.
In other news, the county renewed its contract with Golden Triangle Waste Management Services, despite sharp criticism from District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks about the company’s “bedside manner” with public officials and customers.
“People are paying their bills, and the least they (should) get is some pleasantry,” Brooks said. “They don’t need people hanging up on them, being rude. Something needs to be done. … People throughout this county shouldn’t have to endure some of the ugliness up there.”
But given the number of customers the agency serves, a few complaints each week aren’t too bad, said Board President Harry Sanders.
The only changes to the five-year contract will be garbage pickup on the first business day immediately following holidays instead of on the next regularly scheduled pick-up day.
In business the board:
– Agreed to allow Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant to appoint Alecia Seymer as a deputy coroner, effective immediately;
– Agreed to renew an advertising banner in the Columbus High School gym, at a cost of $100;
– Approved asbestos removal at the old County Extension Office at a cost of $695;
– Approved asbestos testing at the old Lowndes County Health Department on Military Road at a cost of $1,850;
– Changed the county’s property and casualty insurance from Travelers Insurance to OneBeacon Insurance for a year.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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