Supervisors discuss bridge, road projects

Paving projects will be held up until three bridges on the state system are repaired, according to county engineer Larry Britt.

He said State Aid commissioner Harry James insists bridges be repaired first before spending State Aid funds on roads. That reflects emphasis on bridge safety first, Britt said.

There are three bridges that must get some attention.

Britt said the bridges are safe to travel over now, and load ratings won’t change in another six months.

District 4 supervisor George Zinn III asked if the bridges are safe.

“That’s not my call, it is the State Aid Engineer’s call,” Britt said. “If he says you have to fix these bridges first, we will have to do it.”

One bridge is on Chulahoma Road with eight spans. Two 19-foot spans are good, he said. Three Choctaw spans are showing rust.

“We do need to address it,” Britt said. “It is a good candidate for ERBR (Emergency Road and Bridge Repair) funds.”

He said the county can rent a crane and replace the three 19-foot spans.

A second bridge on Wilkins Chapel Road, near Highway 7 built out of a railroad car is not in bad shape, he said.

Then there is a bridge on Liles Road has had the load rating lowered since 2017, Britt said. It could be replaced with a box culvert.

“We don’t need to consider replacing it right now,” he said. “This is what I’m sending him (James) this week, to tell him what I think and what the options are.”

Zinn brought up a problem with flooding on Moore Plantation subdivision and asked if the county could dredge the creeks.

District 3 supervisor Keith Taylor asked about requiring sodding of ditch banks because dirt moving is causing silting of ditches.

“I want every subdivision to sod to the house,” he said. A homeowner in Deer Creek Subdivision spent their life savings and now is seeing the yard wash away, Taylor said.

“Once the developer gets his check, he’s gone,” he said.

Taylor wants to raise the standards.

“They won’t allow this in DeSoto County. Why do we allow it?” he asked.

He said the developer throws out some fertilizer and grass seeds and leaves.

“Nothing grows on eroded dirt,” Taylor said. “It looks like crap after they leave. From the street to the house needs to be sodded.”

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry said it is the contractor, not the developer, who is responsible.

“It could be put in the subdivision covenants to sod,” Taylor said.

He thinks ordinances should be written to require sod in platted subdivisions.

Attorney Amanda Whaley Smith said the board would be required to advertise and amend the ordinances.

Zinn said there is an issue with runoff and clogged drain pipes.

“Maybe the homeowner ought to be responsible for drainage crossing their property once you own it,” he said.

“You need to say all developments, not just subdivisions,” said zoning administrator Ken Jones.

Taylor said the county has no responsibility until the county takes over the subdivision road.

“It’s not the taxpayer’s responsibility to fix that,” Taylor said.

Terry agreed, saying the county should put in an ordinance who is responsible for what in a new development.

“We have spent man hours clearing up a road that the developer caused,” Taylor said.

He said the county just got legislation to give developers a tax break.

Taylor said he wants a subdivision road to be fixed right before a developer leaves a subdivision.

The road should have no dips in it, he said.

Zinn said homeowners should be responsible to keep drainage ditches on their property cleared so water will run through the ditches.

“The county doesn’t have authority to re-dredge all channels in a subdivision,” he said.

Terry asked for separate motions, one on the road requirements and one on the ditches.

“The county can’t clean out a ditch for the homeowner,” said District 5 supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett.

Zinn said he wants clear language in the ordinance.

Jones said he would like to add mobile home sites to the ordinance.

“Make it all home sites,” Bennett said. “Any disturbed site.” “Who should be responsible whether it should be sodded?” asked Terry.

“I think the developer should have some skin in it,” Taylor said.

Taylor made a motion to amend the ordinance saying how erosion should be prevented on a disturbed site.

Bennett seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.