The city of Vicksburg is getting more than $200,000 in additional Natural Resources Conservation Service money to repair two erosion problems in the city.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday authorized Mayor George Flaggs Jr. to sign an agreement with NRCS officials accepting the extra money to repair slide areas on Farmer Street and Clover Lane.

Repairs to both sites were estimated to cost a total of  $348,300, with the NRCS putting $267,300 toward the project and the city paying the balance of $81,000. But bids for the projects exceeded the budget, forcing the city to reject the bids and seek more money from the NRCS.

According to the agreement approved Monday, the city will receive an additional $220,054.

Both slide areas occurred during the heavy rains that hit the Warren County area between January and April 2020 and Public Works Director Garnet Van Norman said on Nov. 1, 2021, that the situation at both sites was getting serious.

“It’s getting to where it (the slides) could affect the streets,” he said. “It hasn’t yet, but is probably going to.”

He said at the time the Farmer Street slide, which occurred in February 2020, is probably the worst of the two slides. The slide, which took a section of property between two buildings at 1108 and 1114 Farmer St., sent soil cascading down a slope into a dead-end section of China Street, which is at the bottom of a slope behind the property.

Farmer Street and Clover Lane were two of nine projects involving erosion problems that were submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency by the city for emergency grant money.

The other areas included Riverfront Park, James E. Sturgis Sr. Street, Crestline Lane (street), Greenhill, a culvert on Crestline Lane and a culvert near the intersection of Iowa Boulevard and U.S. 61 South near McDonald’s and the City Park project to replace a damaged walking trail and replace fencing.

When FEMA did not approve Clover Lane and Farmer Street for emergency funds, city officials applied for the NRCS funds. The board in February approved taking a $4 million short-term loan to begin repairs at some of the slide areas while waiting on the federal money. The loan will be repaid with federal funds.