A $509,734 bid for construction of a storm drainage system as part of the South Bamby improvements project was awarded to The Corbett Group by Brookhaven City Council on May 12.

A $34,745 contingency was included, bringing the total budget for the project to $544,480. No start date was announced.

Public Works Director Hari Karikaran said the project will divert water away from residences and the road.

The Corbett Group will construct a storm drainage system along Carlton Place, Dresden Drive and South Bamby Lane. Studies show flooding issues start in and above the Skyland Drive area, getting transferred to South Bamby Lane and then to a creek, which floods.

On March 24, the council approved buyouts of two of 11 Ashford Park homes designated for voluntary acquisition through the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which provides funds to buy properties in floodplains. The purchased homes will be demolished, leaving the properties as open space with nothing floods can damage.

The city received a $3.67 million grant award last year to buy the 11 homes. The city’s share, paid through its Stormwater Fund, amounts to $550,170. The Federal Emergency Management Agency would pay the bulk of the purchase costs with $2.75 million in funds. The state would chip in another $336,780.

The first two homes required Brookhaven to pay out $128,000 out of its Stormwater Fund. The city has until March 31, 2021, to buy the remaining homes in the grant program.

Bob Pepalis covers Sandy Springs for Rough Draft Atlanta and Reporter Newspapers.