Beavers, stormwater and flooding are ion the agenda for Whiteville’s city council meeting Tuesday.
John Deans of the county Beaver Bounty program will give a presentation on beaver management and the program. Deans was part of a volunteer team that blew a beaver dam on Soules Swamp just before Tropical Storm Debby, likely reducing flooding in the downtown area.
The bounty program connects beaver trappers with landowners. Trappers purchase tags from the county, then provides proof of harvest in exchange for a $40 payment for each beaver. Trappers can charge landowners for their services, but the county only pays the reward.
The council will also hear an update on the Mollies Branch drainage project. Multiple homes along Mollies Branch on the west side of Whiteville are prone to flooding. The city recently held a public meeting with residents and landowners of the area to discuss continued restoration of the waterway, which will involve greenspaces and the demolition of some homes. Some residents have criticized the city for plans to turn Lewis and Williamson streets into cul de sacs to add to the project. Engineers have determined that closing the streets is the most efficient way to create a path for stormwater and reduce flooding in the area.
The board will also discuss the Canal Street drainage project, set to begin next spring. That project has two phases. The railroad bed along Main and Canal streets acts as a dam during times of high water, flooding businesses and homes in the downtown area. Officials hope to install drainage pipes under the railbed and improve the canal leading to White Marsh to ease flooding problems.
In other business, City Manager Darren Currie will brief the board on efforts to improve drainage along College Street near Thompson. Surveys and design are underway on that project.
The board will also consider a grant application to rehabilitate and replace water lines along Lee and Franklin streets before the scheduled repaving in 2027. The city has been rejected twice for grants to fund the projects.
The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on Madison Street. The meeting can also be livestreamed via the city website, whitevillenc.gov.
