The Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to declare an emergency for repair work required on Pemberton Square Boulevard — namely, flooding that occurs on the road after heavy rains that impedes traffic.

The work would include installing a larger drainage pipe on the road to remove stormwater.

The declaration of an emergency allows the city to directly seek a contractor to do the work in order to avoid the delay caused by the competitive bidding process.

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said Wednesday that the decision to declare an emergency was made in order to save the city money and time.

“We can save money by using the same engineers that Merit Health is using,” he said.

Currently, Merit Health is constructing a clinic adjacent to the site where flooding takes place. While plumbing and a new gas line are being installed on that building, the City of Vicksburg can hire the same contractors to address the drainage issue at the same time.

“Also, we’re going to look at how we can reconstruct traffic so that the traffic going through Goldie’s drive-thru won’t be as complicated,” Flaggs added.

Currently, it is common for a line of vehicles going to Goldie’s Express, located next to the flooding hazard, to form a line that extends out into the roadway which impedes traffic during busier hours.

City gets bids for cemetery work

Also at the meeting, the board officially received two bids from contractors for the repaving of five streets in Cedar Hill Cemetery.

One bid was from Hope Enterprises for $236,300. The other came from Central Asphalt Co., Inc. for $209,830.

The cemetery, located in the north part of the city near Sky Farm Avenue, was initially plotted in 1837 and has been in need of road work for some time.

The advertisement posted by the city for bids on the project states that “The project consists of providing services for milling, repair of base failures, asphalt overlay, concrete panel repairs, installation of curb and gutter, adjusting of castings, gratings, and utility appurtenances, and necessary traffic control to safely perform construction items.”

The board will vote at a later date whether or not to accept one of the bids.