Yazoo Backwater Briefing draws large crowd, attention to project

Many public officials, citizens on hand to hear update

A crowd of approximately 200 people gathered at the Steele Bayou Structure, located off of Highway 61 on the Yazoo Backwater Levee, to get the facts on and hear of the need for the Yazoo Backwater Project. Held Wednesday, June 4, and hosted by the Board of Mississippi Levee Commissioners, the briefing drew a number of statewide and Delta candidates seeking office as well as concerned citizens and other public officials.

"This public briefing was held to give local residents and candidates for public office in this region the chance to get an update on the ongoing progress and need for the Yazoo Backwater Project," Jim Wanamaker, Chief Engineer of the Mississippi Levee Board, said.

Wanamaker addressed the crowd about the history of the Project as well as snags the construction of the Project has encountered since being federally authorized in 1941. "If we had the pumps today, we would have a foot and half less water where we are now," Wanamaker told the audience. "This Project is designed to protect the area of the Delta from here to about Highway 12." "Drainage from 41 percent of the continental United States goes past Vicksburg," Wanamaker said. "That's water from parts of 31 states and two provinces of Canada. In addition, water from 10 different Delta counties drain into the South Delta

Jim Wanamaker, Chief Engineer of the Mississippi Levee Board

area to the Steele Bayou Structure and the sight of the proposed pumping plant. People here fear flooding every year, with good reason. Without the pumps, they have no assurance of not being flooded."

Some residents on hand, including Ruby Johnson of Cary and Clifton Porter of Fitler, also spoke to the crowd, relaying their personal encounters with flooding problems. Many others carried signs expressing support for the Project and impatience with it's delay. Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove, while not being able to attend the event, expressed his continued support of the Project and of the Mississippi Levee Board's work in a phone call to Wanamaker. Media representatives from all over the state were also on hand, including WLBT's veteran news reporter/anchor Bert Case, resulting in the event being the Jackson station's "Top Story" for their evening newscast.

The town of Mound Bayou is now in the process of renovating a turn-of-the-century bank building with plans of creating a historic museum. The Mound Bayou Historic Preservation Commission sought partial funding for the project from the MS Dept. of Archives and History as part of the Afro-American Preservation Program. Two grants totaling just under $200,000 were provided for the renovation of the exterior of the building as well as basic repairs on the interior. Funding for the completion of the interior is being explored. Continuation of the project is

being handled by the recently formed Historic Mound Bayou Foundation. According to Foundation Secretary, Milburn Crowe, "The foundation consists of a broader collaboration of individuals." Crowe says that the board, headed up by Pauline Holmes, consists of members from Mound Bayou and other parts of Mississippi as well as states all over the U.S. The Foundation plans to partner with the Delta Center for Culture at DSU, which is directed by Dr. Luther Brown. Dr. Brown says that they will help with operations once the historic museum opens as well as with museum design. The renovation of the exterior of the building should be completed as early as the end of this summer.

Tourism in the Delta is increasing constantly. According to the Director of Tourism, Cheryl Line, in the past month, the Cleveland Chamber has been contacted or visited by tourists from Holland, Australia, Germany and Belgium. Tourists from within the United States have traveled from California, New Mexico, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Montana, Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma and many places in Mississippi. Line also says that the average tourist spends $98 per day. Fortunately for the Delta, every dollar a tourist spends in an area is multiplied seven times to help the local economy. Group tours chairman, Vicki Fioranelli, says that a number of travel groups and tour buses come to Cleveland for shopping and dining. Cleveland is also working on partnerships with other Delta tourism associations to market the region as a whole.

For more information on tourism in Cleveland, call 662-843-2712.

Greenwood native Jim Fraiser was in Cleveland on Saturday, June 7, signing copies of his latest novel, The Delta Factor, at Cotton Row Bookstore. The author of several other bestsellers, including Shadow Seed and Majesty of the Mississippi Delta, Fraiser's latest thriller is based in Leland. The Delta Business Journal calls the The Delta Factor "an eerie tale spun tantalizingly". Fraiser will be returning to Cleveland in July for another book signing--watch the Bolivar Bullet for details. For those interested in purchasing The Delta Factor, call 601-352-6447, and ask for Carole. Autographed copies are $15, not including shipping and handling.

Fraiser with DBJ Executive Editor, Jack Criss at Cotton Row Bookstore