Oktibbeha County board supervisors hold town meeting to discuss lake concerns

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Oktibbeha County Board Supervisors heard from county residents Monday night about concerns over the issues at the County Lake.

They held a town hall meeting in Starkville to get the public’s input.

While there’s progress with the Oktibbeha County Lake and Dam, concerns from residents are still rising.

The biggest question seems to be “what’s next?”

“The dam needs to be repaired and the core of engineers been telling them that for over 20 years and it’s time for them to get out the money,” said Chris Taylor.

Taylor says his daughter’s home sits near the Oktibbeha County Lake. He’s afraid if something isn’t done soon, she’ll be met with floodwaters at her door.

“It’s been totally inconvenient because they have to go all the way around just to get to the house. I think that’s a discredit on anyone living in that area. That the county can do better and they could be better. We hope that after tonight they will do better,” said Taylor.

But Taylor isn’t alone, he and other citizens are now speaking up.

“Input from the community could help supervisors and determine what avenue they need to take here on out once the lake is deemed safe,” said Darren Warring.

The Board Supervisors agreed to pay for half of the repairs on the levee and dam to fix the conditions.

And $250,000 was approved for the city engineer to begin plans.

“The main thing that we’re worried about is the safety of the community,” said Warring.

“There are lots of community leaders and everyone else that’s really concerned about the people who live in that area and the county lake itself,” said Taylor.

Oktibbeha County board members said there are still decisions to be made before they decide the ultimate plan for action. Until then, they are asking the public for their cooperation.

Supervisor Marvel Howard said they will continue to discuss the future of the lake as it progresses.

Categories: Local News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *