by DAVID HAMILTON

The Natchez Democrat

VIDALIA — The Concordia Parish Police Jury unanimously approved Monday an agreement with the 5th Levee District regarding the operation and maintenance of a new drainage structure at Brushy Bayou.

The agreement is the latest step the parish is making in an attempt to construct a $4.6 million, gated box culvert in the Tensas River levee to help alleviate flooding problems in parts of the parish.

The agreement stipulates numerous responsibilities of the police jury and the levee district concerning the structure, which would be built into the Tensas River Levee including the parish:

4 Be responsible for removing any large debris that might make the structure inoperable.

4 Escrow funds for the next several decades to ensure the parish can rebuild the structure when necessary in the future, estimated to be approximately 40 years.

4 Pay for maintenance of the structure including mowing and edging, greasing of gears, monitoring water levels of the Tensas River, and reporting any blockage that occurs.

The agreement also states the levee district will open and close the structure’s gates accordingly based on the river’s level, which would cost approximately $400 each time the gates open or close. The police jury is responsible for reimbursing the levee district for those costs as well.

Juror Jimmy Jernigan said the jury is still working to receive funding for the $4.6 million Brushy Bayou drainage project, which has been in the works since 2011.

“It just takes time, but we’ve got to do it in the next two years or we’ll lose the funding,” Jernigan said.

Representatives for the 5th Levee District told the jury that the agreement would be null if they jury is unable to receive funding, in which case no structure would be built.

In other news, the jury tabled the election of officers to serve on the jury from July 1 through Dec. 31. Although marked on the agenda for Monday’s meeting, jury president Whest Shirley said he delayed this item because he has to finalize his contract for his position as Concordia Parish School District Superintendent.

Shirley, who plans to step down as jury president, but will retain his seat on the jury, said he hopes his replacement is determined “within a month or so.”