Leflore County is pushing to get all of its levees certified, a process that also involves repairing storm drainage pumps.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday to approve advertisements for services to repair storm drains in the county, which will be a crucial factor to gain the certification required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“There’s quite a bit of work that needs to be done on them,” said County Engineer Robert Willis.
Willis added that the cost of the work will exceed $50,000.
According to Leflore County Chancery Clerk Sam Abraham, FEMA mandates levee certification for flood-prone areas. If the levees fail certification, flood insurance rates for the county would rise dramatically.
“What you have now is that years ago they built these levees,” said Abraham. “They’ve got pipes running through them, and they won’t pass as they are now.”
The process for certification, according to FEMA’s website, is that levee owners must hire a professional engineer to conduct a thorough evaluation of the flood-prevention plan. The levee system must “meet specific criteria and standards to provide risk reduction from at least the one-percent-annual-chance flood.”
FEMA also warns that as levees age, they can become less effective against flooding.
Abraham said he’s confident that the county won’t lose flood insurance.
“We’ve had it all these years,” he explained. “You just can’t wait to the last minute on this. We’re going to get them certified.”
Supervisors Phil Wolfe and Robert Moore were absent from Monday’s meeting, during which the board also:
• Approved a motion to allow Board Attorney Joyce Chiles to look over a contract with Verizon Wireless, the Internet service provider operating the county’s new paperless system. The service will cost the county about $20 a day, and the contract can be terminated at any time. Abraham said he hopes to have paperless board meetings by May.
• Granted its approval for County Road Manager Jerry Smith to start work on the Leflore County School District’s bus shop, which has a problem with standing water and mosquitoes that breed there. Residents of the Golden Age Nursing Home have complained of the risk of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, since the discarded tires on the property provide ample standing water for the breeding of mosquitoes.
• Approved a lease agreement between the Greenwood-Leflore Airport and General Electric Capital Aviation Services. The company dismantles 15 to 20 aircraft a year at the airport and salvages the parts.
• Put off a discussion about judicial corrections collections until the board can speak with a judge about the matter. Supervisor Wayne Self said the fees for minor citations that are not paid in full are too high, so that a first-time offender accused of a minor crime ends up having to pay almost twice as much out of pocket because he or she could not make the initial fee. Abraham said he would get in touch with the judge organizing the collections and arrange a meeting to discuss the issue further.
• Contact Jeanie Riess at 581-7235 or jriess@gwcommonwealth.com.
