Greenwood’s a step closer to implementing a plan to upgrade the Yazoo River boat ramp and improve the area around it because Greenwood Utilities is going to help with the cost.
The ramp used to be operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but in 2002, the Corps released it to the city, which obtained possession in 2004 and then upgraded the facility with aid from the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board.
Now, the area needs restoration and improvements, Mayor Carolyn McAdams says. When the opportunity came along to apply for a Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks grant, the city hired Willis Engineering to draw up plans. The city also obtained permission to proceed from the Corps, which still has authority over the area between the river and its levee.
The process took time. “Getting a permit from the Corps — that’s not going to happen overnight,” McAdams said.
The mayor announced last week that the $250,000 grant from the state wildlife department was approved, but it requires a local match of the same amount. Then the utilities agreed to provide half of the city’s portion.
The remaining amount of $125,000 “is something we can come up with,” she said Tuesday.
Much of the $500,000 total is planned to be used to control erosion and build new structures.
These include a reinforced concrete sea wall along the northern river bank, which appears to be rapidly sloughing into the Yazoo. If the City Council approves the whole project, the city will advertise for bids.
A big part of the project also includes building a floating boat dock specifically to allow people to secure their crafts — everything from kayaks to fishing boats to pontoon boats — at the landing.
People who use the landing now include recreational boaters and commercial fishermen.
McAdams said she expects the dock would be situated in some kind of waterway close to the landing so people easily walk to and fro.
She said Greenwood Utilities’ contribution is important.
“They have helped us on so many projects,”she said. “Thank goodness for their financial standing and that they have a reserve that has funds that help Greenwood with grants.”
- Contact Susan Montgomery at 581-7241 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
