The Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday received, opened and took under advisement bids to repair four major erosion problems in the city.

The bids involved four problem areas — Crestline Lane, Green Hill Drive and James E.  Sturgis Sr. Street and a culvert on Crestline — that are affected by severe erosion problems beginning about two years ago.

All four projects have qualified for Federal Emergency Management Agency emergency grant funds. The grants are reimbursement grants where the city does the work and sends the bills to FEMA, which reimburses 90 percent of all eligible costs.

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said the city will use a portion of a $4 million loan city officials approved in February to pay for work on the erosion projects in anticipation of receiving the FEMA money.

“We’re going forward; we’ve come too far to go back,” he said. “All of it’s in the money.”

Three of the areas, Crestline, Green Hill Drive and Stirgus Street, were bid as one project. Replacing the Crestline culvert was bid as a separate project.

Four Vicksburg contractors — Riverside Construction, Central Asphalt, Fordice Construction Co. and Maynard Landscaping — bid on the Crestline, Green Hill and Stirgus work with Fordice the apparent low bidder with a $359,418 bid. Riverside bid $506,929; Central Asphalt, $391,822; and Maynard, $378,678.

The same companies bid on the Crestline culvert project with Maynard Landscaping being the apparent low bidder with a bid of $23,424. Riverside bid $75,630; Central Asphalt, $39,415; and Fordice, $23,807.

The erosion problems occurred during the heavy rains that hit the Warren County area between January and April 2020.

Crestline, the Crestline culvert, Green Hill Drive and Stirgus Street were four of nine projects involving erosion problems that were submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency by the city for emergency grant money.

The other areas included Clover Lane, Farmer Street, Riverfront Park and a culvert near the intersection of Iowa Boulevard and U.S. 61 South near McDonald’s and the City Park project to replace a damaged walking trail and replace fencing.

FEMA did not approve Clover Lane and Farmer Street for emergency funds; city officials later applied for Natural Resource Conservation Service funds and received a $487,354 Natural Resources Conservation grant for the work.