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Springs slow street job By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer  | Photo by Sue Watson
In the hole
Workers repair underground problems last week on West College Street in Holly Springs. |
The City of Holly Springs has run into snags in getting West College Street ready for milling and resurfacing. A
suitable way to let underground running water flow under the street has
to be made before a culvert can be replaced. The water source on the
south side of West College, near the intersection of West Boundary,
will be routed through a bed of stone to the drainage area on the north
side of West College, according to Don Hollingsworth, director of the
utility department and public works. That means extra money has to be found to pay for the materials. Hollingsworth
said a dip in the road will develop later on if the water is not routed
under present stormwater drains in the area. “We will build a French drain,” he said. If
the federal highway department approves help to the city to fix the
problem, which is expected to cost $23,189, the city will only pay
about $5,000 of the costs, he said. The springs
were found when contractors dug up a rusted-out corrugated drain pipe
in the street to find spring water flowing through it. The
city has about four or five underground springs and this one on
West College is one of the worst ones, Hollingsworth said. The
board of aldermen voted to rescind a previous change order of May 18 on
the project, then voted to authorize the mayor to sign a supplemental
agreement with the Mississippi Department of Transportation to pay for
the extra work. The underground spring runs under the Johnson home on West College. Update: Hollingsworth said Tuesday the street should reopen this week. In other business, the board: •
authorized advertising for bids for construction of an open storage
building at the Utility Department and for making improvements on the
warehouse. • approved an advertisement for a public works director. •
discussed problems throughout the city with silt filling drainage pipes
and ditches following a report on problems at Rising Star Road from
alderman Harvey Payne. • heard a report from Mayor Andre’ DeBerry
on progress to purchase MI College Apartments from HUD. He said the
city may be ready to wrap up a contract and begin renovation of the
apartments within 30 days. City planners are seeking investors for the
old Walmart strip and hope to bring in one or two stand-alone
restaurants to the Martin Luther King Drive area of town, he said.
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