Tunica supervisors approve rec-center drainage fix, budget experimental drone spraying and seek bids for ditch work

Tunica County supervisors on Monday approved a $7,500 plan to install a drain and regrade an area behind the South Building at the GW Henderson Recreation Center to fix standing water and make the spot mowable.
The board also agreed to fund an experimental program to spray recently cleaned ditches with herbicide using drones, and directed staff to solicit bids to clear an overgrown county ditch near Maude that board members said is encroaching on nearby trailers and homes.
Road Department staffer Jimmy Langley told the board the rec‑center problem occurs “when we get an inch or two of rain” and that contractor Steve Everett proposed to “put a drain in from the back door all the way around to where that pipe goes under the sidewalk.” He presented a written estimate of $7,500 for the work. The board approved the item by voice vote.
Langley said the drone spraying quote he received assumes a cost of about $400 per linear mile for herbicide application and estimated that spraying three recently cleaned ditches (about 2,900 feet total) would cost roughly $200. He said the program would be seasonal and should begin in spring when crops are not in the fields. The board agreed to include the experimental spraying in the fiscal 2025–26 budget and asked staff to provide before/after photos and a list of initial ditches to treat.
On the Maude-area ditch, Langley said the channel is a county drainage ditch but lies outside the county road right of way and already contains mature trees and brush. He asked permission to solicit bids for clearing the ditch; the board authorized him to get estimates and return with proposals. Supervisors noted removing material from the ditch may require easements if spoil would have to cross private property.
Other operational items discussed together by staff and supervisors included the possibility of contracting private mowing at the Tunica airport, where one bidder offered to cut and bale hay at no cost to the county (the bidder asked to be reimbursed only for fertilizer or related inputs). The board took that proposal under advisement and asked for more information at the Aug. 28 meeting.
Actions recorded: the board approved the rec‑center drainage repair, authorized a not‑yet-specified drone spraying budget to be added to the next fiscal year, and directed staff to solicit bids on the Maude ditch and to return with estimates and photographic documentation.