In the 55 years Virginia Franklin has lived on the corner of North Union and Grant streets, she has watched what was once a narrow drainage ditch evolve into a 280-foot gully that many residents say is more than a nuisance — it’s dangerous.

&uot;This did not happen overnight. This is not a new thing,&uot; Franklin said, nodding her bandanna-covered head toward the weed and trash-ridden ditch.

After heavy rains, the ditch floods, tempting neighborhood children to play in the haven for snakes and vermin, Ward 2 Alderman James &uot;Ricky&uot; Gray said. Just a few feet away from the ditch and the drainage pipe it serves is a school bus stop where children gather each morning and afternoon, Gray added.

For years, Franklin said she and others in the neighborhood have asked local government to do something about the ditch without success.

So, when City Engineer David Gardner told Franklin on Friday to expect construction crews on her street next week, Franklin was quick with her answer. &uot;I’m not going to say nothin’ to ’em,&uot; she said, grinning.

As part of an agreement with the county approved by Natchez aldermen Tuesday, the city will provide materials and labor for the project, while the county will donate dump trucks, equipment and a concrete finisher.

Gardner said crews will place a large pipe in the ditch connecting the open pipes at each end, then fill the hollow with dirt. To prevent flooding of residents’ property, the area will be graded and an inlet installed at the lowest point, he said.

Earlier this year, the aldermen approved work on the Grant Street ditch with the condition that the county would assist with the project.

During an aldermen finance committee meeting Tuesday, Gardner reported that the county would supply trucks and the concrete finisher, who would serve as a carpenter for the project.

&uot;What’s changed is we’re going to have to provide the labor,&uot; Gardner said Tuesday, referring to the aldermen’s expectation that the county would supply work crews.

Funding for the city’s part of the project will come from money left over from a past bond issue for street work.

Gardner estimates the cost of material to be about $18,000.

County Supervisors Darryl Grennell said the county agreed &uot;to help, but that was never defined.&uot;

&uot;We never said 50-50 or 40-60; we agreed to help,&uot; Grennell said. &uot;In my opinion something is better than nothing.&uot;

Shaking hands with Gardner and Gray Friday, Grennell complimented the officials for contributing to the &uot;synergy&uot; between the city and county.

That &uot;synergy&uot; almost did not take place.

During last Monday’s meeting, Supervisor Sammy Cauthen made a motion for the county board to rescind its order to help the city on the project.

A tied vote killed the motion, binding the supervisors to their original decision.

Cauthen said he was against the project because he &uot;thinks it’s just setting a precedent.&uot; The city and county have hundreds of drainage ditches, all of which can be a danger to children, he said.

&uot;If they voted to fix everyone in the county it would bankrupt us,&uot; Cauthen said.

But Grennell and Supervisor Lynwood Easterling view the project as cooperation between city and county officials.

&uot;I just see it being another one of those step were we’ve got unity between city and county government,&uot; Easterling said.

The city and county have worked together on other projects such as Government Fleet Road and the Duncan Park swimming pool, Grennell said.

&uot;The reality is the city falls within Adams County,&uot; Grennell said.

Staff writer Emily&160;Whitten contributed to this report.