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Marion officials are looking to improve the town’s stormwater drainage infrastructure as heavy rain over the past week caused flooding in some areas.

In a meeting Tuesday, Mayor Larry Gill said flooding occurred in the Marion RV Park and Pleasant Acres Subdivision, where one resident had water up against her home. Although the water did not enter the house, he said, it flooded the yard and covered part of the driveway.

“She’s not a happy person right now, and I don’t expect her to be,” he said.

The issue, Gill said, is that the subdivision’s storm drainage currently channels all of the rain into one corner of the neighborhood. When heavy rain falls, the residents living in that corner bear the brunt of the water.

“They developed it for all the water in the whole subdivision to go to that one spot,” he said.

Town Engineer Shawn Miles and Lauderdale County Road Manager Rush Mayatt are looking at possible steps the town could take to prevent future storms from flooding the subdivision again, Gill said. The solution, however, is likely to be a big project.

“It’s going to take some real work. We’re going to have to tear up the road,” he said. “That’s the only way to do it right.”

In addition to the subdivision and the RV park, Alderman Norman Coleman said he noticed flooding near the intersection of Lizelia and Old Country Club roads.

Housekeeping

In other business, the Marion Board of Aldermen voted to change how the housekeeping chores are handled around town hall.

Town Clerk Shirley Durden said several issues had come up with garbage cans not being emptied, windows left unwashed and other cleaning issues. Talking to the cleaner, she said, did not resolve the problems.

“It’s time to get somebody else,” she said.

Gill said he and Coleman had previously discussed cleaning for town hall and the possibility of having a town employee take over the duties. Daily tasks, such as taking out the garbage, could be done quickly, with deeper cleaning done on rainy days when outdoor tasks are postponed.