A section of the bluff on the south end of Riverfront Park off South Washington Street is slowly sliding off the bank, taking part of the park’s perimeter fence and walking trail, threatening a playground area and its equipment, and forcing city and county officials to examine possible solutions to correct the problem and stop further loss of land.

And city officials said Thursday they will begin implementing a plan developed under the administration of former Mayor Paul Winfield to begin making improvements to the park following the relocation of the threatened playground area.

The park is owned jointly by the city and Warren County, and city and county officials discovered the slide during the Easter weekend. A survey of the slide area shows deep cracks in the soil and missing fence poles. At one point along the break, a section of the playground area’s artificial turf has been pulled into a crevice.

Bill Lauderdale, Board of Supervisors president, said StanTec, the county’s engineers, have met with city officials and representatives for Ridgeland-based consultants Burns Cooley Dennis to look at the problem.

Lauderdale said he was not sure what caused the problem, “but I would say the 2011 flood, from what I’m hearing, has promoted all this erosion and slide. What happens, that dirt slides on that shelf, or whatever you call it.

“It’s happening up and down the river, not just at the park. It’s not unusual, but it’s something we’re going to try to deal with if we can afford to do it. We’re just trying to get a price and see if we can do it.”

“This is a well-liked park and a well-used park,” said Brian Robbins with StanTec. “We’re going to look at what it would take to fix the problem. Burns Cooley Dennis is going to determine the nature and the cause and a possible fix for that slide along the bank of the river. They’re going to put together a proposal to look at that slide.”

He said the company could have a report within a week.

“This has been happening for a while, and it’s not just that area,” he said. “There’s a couple of areas along that bank. It’s not just this issue we’re experiencing with the river just now. There’s other issues, obviously, and that’s while we’re going to try and get an investigation done to determine what they are.”

While the engineers examine the slide problem, city officials and representatives for Jeffcoat Recreation of Rankin County, the company that installed the playground equipment, discussed plans to move the equipment to a new site in the northern end of the park.

“That playground equipment is expensive,” North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield said. “We can’t afford to lose it in the river. Once it’s relocated, this area will become an open recreation space.”

The new site for the equipment is an exercise area that was used in connection with the park’s walking trail, which could be eliminated in the future. The equipment will be moved to Halls Ferry Park and be used with the walking trail that is planned for the park, landscape architect Jeff Richardson said.

Mayfield and South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said the transfer is part of a larger plan to upgrade and improve the park. Money for the project will come from the park’s $59,850 budget.

“We may have to add some to it,” Mayfield said, adding he expected the board to get an estimate from Jeffcoat by its April 25 meeting.

“We’ve been planning to improve the park, the problem with the slide has just accelerated it,” Thompson said.

“We wanted to do it in the last administration, but we didn’t have the money,” Mayfield said. “We’re in better financial shape now.”

Besides relocating the equipment, the plans also call for three small picnic booths to be relocated north and two broken water lines to be replaced.

“Those have been a problem and have created a low area,” Mayfield said, pointing to a flooded section near the slide area. “We’re going to close those lines and put in new ones, and then fill in the low areas and level it out.”

The pads under the swings at the park will be replaced and a section of park property on the park’s east side will be reworked to include an additional 25 to 30 parking spaces.

“We’re also going to have six more trash containers brought in and we will have an employee here on Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. and from 11 (a.m.) to 7 (p.m.) on Saturday and Sunday, so that when the park opens each day people will be coming into s clean facility,” Mayfield said.

“This park is heavily used in the summer we want to make sure the people have a good place where they can bring their families and enjoy the day.”