The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board is installing a concrete ramp behind the 92-year-old historic office on Yazoo Avenue. The project, from start to finish, is expected to take 90 days.
"It's a lot more than just a ramp," said Kelly Greenwood, chief engineer and chief executive officer of the board. "There are two landings involved, and it will be covered when it's finished."
The ramps will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"We do have one board member who is in a wheelchair," Greenwood said, "but that's not the reason we're doing it. We're doing it because it's the right thing to do. It includes new doors, and hardware for the handicapped."
The total project will cost about $50,000.
The levee board building was constructed between 1911 and 1912 and renovated in both 1976 and 1999. During the process an elevator was added so the handicapped can reach the second floor, but without a ramp to get inside the building in the first place, those in a wheelchair would have to negotiate steep steps to just get in the building.