After years of being “nearly washed away,” residents of Johnson and Darby streets in Brundidge have hope of dry land ahead.

Brundidge City Manager Britt Thomas reported to the city council Tuesday that the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined that a DA permit required by the Clean Water Act is not required for the removal of sediment in Mims Creek that runs along the properties on those streets. A DA permit is usually required for the discharge of fill material into waters including wetlands and streams. The Corps of Engineers found no presence of wetlands in the Mims Creek area, therefore, paving the way for the removal of the sediment that has filled the creek bed, causing water and sediment to spill over onto the property along 1,600 linear feet of Mims Creek.

Thomas said the city could not have gotten better news from the Corps of Engineers.

To remove the sediment, Thomas said the city would have to acquire the necessary authorization, permission from all of the landowners along those 1,600 feet of the creek and appropriate the necessary funds.

The council members were in agreement to “move on with it.”

Maxine Dubose and Earl Snodgrass, residents of Johnson Street, expressed elation that it is possible that the longstanding problem might be remedied.

“I’m sure everyone will be as happy about the possibility as I am,” Dubose said. “I’ll be glad to drive the dump truck and haul off the sediment.”

Thomas cautioned that the creek would not become free flowing overnight. But he was optimistic that the creek issue could be successfully addressed.

Snodgrass said the problem with the creek dates back to 1993.

A solution has been a long time coming, he said. “We are so pleased that something can now be done.”

Brundidge Mayor Isabell Boyd reported that she has been working with local ministers and the Brundidge Police Chief Moses Davenport to locate emergency shelter sites in Brundidge, including Salem Baptist Church, Brundidge United Methodist Church and Galloway Park Center.

“The sites would be available for those who do not have adequate/safe shelters during threatening weather,” Boyd said. She introduced Pike County EMA Director Jeana Barnes who discussed the Pike County Commission’s proposed mass notification system and the county’s outdoor warning sirens.

Boyd expressed concern that the long-standing trains at city crossings could prevent emergency vehicles and fire trucks from responding to emergency situations on the opposite side of the tracks.

The Brundidge City Council meets at 4 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at Brundidge City Hall. The meetings are open to the public.