The Board of Mayor and Aldermen have taken another step toward correcting the drainage problems in the Kings community.

The board Friday authorized city clerk Walter Osborne to advertise for bids for a $645,010 project to correct a drainage and erosion problem on Sherman Avenue.

About $495,008 of the project’s cost is covered by a federal Natural Resource Conservation Service grant, with the city paying $150,002. Mayor George Flaggs said in July the city’s share will come from the $1 million in capital fund money set aside for improvements in Kings. The drainage project, he said, was one of the projects requested by the residents.

“This is a serious project for several different reasons,” said North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield, who has pushed for the project. “One is to maintain the water control that comes off Sherman and Union avenues, the other involves two underground springs in the area.

“You have about eight pieces of property involved, and then you have a complete subdivision involved below that (Sherman and Union) — Riveria Heights — and that goes all the way to North Washington Street.

“It’s going to be a big undertaking to get this project done; it’s going to be a great help to a lot of property owners in that area. We’ve been working on this for a minimum of three years. I’m glad the board stuck together and didn’t allow this project to die.”

The city received the NRCS grant in June, and in July hired Stantec to do the engineering for the project.

According to the agreement with the city, Stantec would perform a topographic survey of the area, prepare the design, plans and specifications to bid the project, perform onsite inspection of the construction and prepare an operations and maintenance plan for the improvements.

The Kings community has been plagued with problems caused by water and mud coming off properties east of North Washington Street and clogging drains and culverts with mud, and causing storm water to back up and flood North Washington and Kings.

Mayfield said the plans for the project call for a new drainage channel that will be lined with riprap, a loose stone used to line the banks of the drainage areas to prevent erosion.