Two Pearl River County residents are requesting help from county officials to have a county approved school bus turnaround better maintained so children will no longer have to be dropped off at the end of the mile-long road.

Lazy Oak Lane residents David Freshour and Jenny Arabie said the road holds water and in turn becomes muddy, making it difficult for school buses to drive down the road. The condition of the road forces bus drivers to have to allow children to disembark the bus a mile from their respective homes, the residents say.

Freshour said the situation creates safety concerns for families in the area because their children at times have to walk in the cold and rain before they get home.

“Every morning it’s a headache to pass that route and its wear and tear of our cars as well,” Arabie said.

County Road Manager Charlie Schielder said his office has received complains regarding the dirt road on Lazy Oak Lane but will have to wait for the weather to get better before it can be fixed.

“The land out there is flat and does not allow proper drainage, but we have put some dirt and gravel to try and improve it,” Schielder said. “If we go in now to work, it’ll just worsen the situation so it’s advisable that we wait for it to dry out completely.”

Assistant Superintendent of Picayune School District Brent Harrell said the reason the bus driver no longer uses the turnaround is because heavy rains made it impossible for the bus to go down that road.

“Currently we cannot take the bus down there, but as soon as it dries up the bus will definitely go down that road,” Harrell said.

Both Freshour and Arabie said they have personally laid out some gravel and dirt to temporarily fix the situation but are hoping to get a permanent solution soon.