The city of Vicksburg is getting a permanent right of way to repair a drainage problem on Pemberton Square Boulevard.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Friday approved an agreement with property owner Pemberton LLC granting the city a “perpetual and permanent easement” on the property where a Merit Health clinic is being built. Pemberton LLC owns the clinic property.

The easement is another step in the city’s efforts to repair an almost 40-year-old drainage problem that causes flooding on Pemberton Square Boulevard going back to the 1980s when the area was being developed during the construction of the then-Pemberton Square Mall.

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The problem involves two large drainage pipes connected to a smaller pipe, making it difficult to remove water from the area. Instead, the water backs up, causing a flood and blocking or slowing traffic from the Pemberton Plaza Shopping Center entrance near Goldie’s Express almost to Kroger. The project will replace the smaller pipe.

On Aug. 12, the board declared an emergency to fix the problem, and on Sept. 2 approved a resolution to apply for a Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant to assist with the repairs.

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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