Northsiders are praising the city of Jackson’s quick response to a main break recently along Old Canton Road.
The break occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, November 16. First reports of the break came into the city around 2 p.m., when residents started experiencing losses in water pressure.
Some commenting on the Fondren Nextdoor site were worried because it was Saturday, water wouldn’t be restored for days.
However, the naysayers were proven wrong, and by 10 p.m. that night the main had been repaired, water pressure had been restored, and residents and business leaders alike were applauding efforts of city work crews.
“The crews we have are extraordinary,” said restaurant owner Jeff Good. “They work in the worst possible conditions, usually in cold weather and often in freezing conditions.”
Because of a loss of water pressure, Good had to close Broad Street Baking Company, a restaurant located just south of Meadowbrook Road on the I-55 frontage road.
Employees notified Good of the problem and he immediately got in touch with Public Works Director Robert Miller.
Miller said crews were dispatched as soon as they were available. “It was brought to my attention mid-afternoon. At the time, our crews were working a main break in the Pear Orchard area. After that, they were re-deployed to Old Canton,” he said.
Public works determined the break was high priority, in part, because it was located in a busy roadway, and because it impacted a densely populated residential area.
The break affected “customers in the areas near Old Canton Road from Kings Highway to Meadowbrook Road,” Miller said.
Once the call came in, a supervisor responded to the scene to determine the break and its location. From there, the job site was secured with orange barrels.
As it turned out, a 12-inch water main had burst - much larger than the six to eight-inch mains typically found in residential areas.
A work crew arrived on the scene around 6 p.m., after patching the Pear Orchard break.
Miller did not say what kind of repair was done. However, he estimated that the work, along with equipment and supply costs would run around $10,000.
Fondren couple Jimmy and Tillie Rosen noticed the workers as they were headed to dinner.
The two live on Grove Park Place, a nearby cul-de-sac, and had decided to eat out because of the lack of water pressure.
“My wife walked and asked them how long they would be out there, and one of the guys said, ‘we’ll be here until we get it done,’” he said. “On our way home from (the restaurant), we decided to stop and get them some donuts.”
Rosen figured the workers could use a boost, citing the conditions that night. “It was cold and wet, and they were working in a big hole,” he said.
The high on November 16 was 60 degrees, with the lows that night dipping to 29 degrees, according to the Jackson AccuWeather page.
Good credits the workers, as well as management in public works for their quick response and turnaround time.
“They worked all night long, on the weekend to restore the service,” he said. “They saw a problem, brought in the equipment (and) did the work, and I am thankful.”
