The Greenwood School Board approved an easement Monday to add a temporary road to help residents of neighborhoods along U.S. 82 affected by the planned addition of a storm drain pipe.
At a special call meeting, three members of the board unanimously approved granting a temporary easement on some of the district’s 16th Section land near Buckeye Road behind the building formerly occupied by Shoney’s.
Mayor Carolyn McAdams said the city wants to place an additional storm drain pipe alongside the existing pipe, which runs under Buckeye Road.
Superintendent Montrell Greene said the work will require closing the portion of Buckeye Road that serves the nearby Twin Gates Subdivision.
The easement, which cost the city $1, will allow the city to construct a temporary road for residents of Twin Gates, which will cross district-owned agricultural land and connect to Cypress Avenue.
Leflore County District 3 Supervisor Anjuan Brown said both the new 60-inch pipe and the existing 72-inch pipe will serve communities that suffered from flooding over the summer.
Work on the temporary road, which will be done by Greenwood Public Works Department, is expected to begin Wednesday. The mayor said the pipes needed for the project are already on hand.
Eddie Curry, supervisor of the city’s wastewater treatment plant, said installation of the new pipe will be a joint project of the city and the county as part of an ongoing effort to reduce flooding.
“This pipe will help it drain a little bit faster,” he said.
Greenwood City Council President Ronnie Stevenson, a resident of Twin Gates, said the improved drainage is desperately needed. “The sooner the better,” he said. “The rain may pick up. You never know.”
Stevenson said cooperation between the city, the county and the School Board is essential, adding that they also need help from state and federal officials.
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to deal with our flooding issue,” he said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
