Staff says failing pump station will be replaced using directional boring; MDA approved 80/20 change order

City staff reported that a deteriorated utility line serving a neighborhood and its accompanying pump station will be replaced rather than repeatedly repaired.

"We're getting rid of that pump station," Miller told the board, saying the line is "in terrible shape" and that repeated fixes had become wasteful. He said the contractor plans to replace the line by performing directional boring from one end to the other rather than excavating the length of the pipe.

Board members asked how the extent of the damage was discovered. Miller said crews found the pipe "in worse shape than anticipated" once work began and that the condition made directional boring the most viable option. A member asked whether the finding occurred "after the fact"; Miller confirmed it was discovered during the initial work.

Miller also told the board that the Mississippi Development Authority has approved the change order and that the project is funded on an 80/20 basis. "80% is funded by them, 20% by y'all," he said, and added that the project is currently under budget so the local share can be covered. He said the contractor is anticipated to begin work the next Monday after a Thursday site meeting and that he will provide an update at the next board meeting.

No formal local vote or motion on the project was recorded in the transcript; staff presented the status, funding approval by MDA, and an anticipated schedule and committed to reporting further details to the board.