Leath Bayou springs back to life after cleanup
By Kenny Halt
Following work by the City of Memphis to clear portions of the Leath Bayou near Manassas High School, lifelong North Memphian “Big” Tony Henderson shared childhood stories of regularly traversing the Leath Bayou (most of which is underground) as a shortcut to Washington Park.
When CRA contractor Express Water Works & Lawncare began clearing above-ground sections of a New Chicago bayou, we were pretty sure it wasn’t going to come with any similar, terrifying stories of children navigating underground drainage tunnels to cut a few minutes off their walk to the park. That seemed like something Big Tony was exclusively doing in the 1970s. Plus, this bayou’s tunnels appear much shorter. Nope, didn’t matter. A lifelong New Chicago resident named William was more than happy to tell us that when he was a kid. He’d travel over two miles underground in this bayou to get to the Memphis Zoo back in the day.
DISCLAIMER: For anyone considering making such a journey, the CRA’s official stance is that those tunnels don’t take you anywhere and that there are man-eating monsters down there.
While we do not encourage using bayous for travel, Tony and William’s stories are important. Not only are those stories part of their communities’ history, but they also illustrate this particular water drainage and bayou system is far more complex and extensive than you would ever imagine.
As Express valiantly made their way through the brush that had enveloped the bayou running through 1077 and 1083 Chicago Ave., they uncovered everything you could imagine — coolers, car parts, tires, food, cans, CDs, tree trunks, and the front door to a house. The reality is that while some of this debris was dumped directly into this section of the bayou, much of it likely traveled here after being dumped upstream in the drainage system.
Express has done more than just beautify this section of the bayou. It opened up an increasingly clogged portion of critical infrastructure. We don’t want to think about what the downpours this spring could’ve done to our neighbors’ homes if it weren’t for their hard work.
Express owners Zachary & Yevetta Bright are far from done. They are one of three landscapers selected as the first cohort of the CRA’s newly launched Lot Maintenance Accelerator Program. The accelerator transforms non-buildable CRA properties into vibrant community spaces. It provides community-focused, locally owned small businesses with a canvas to create a “living portfolio” that showcases the full breadth of their skill set to potential clients. Clearing the bayou is the first step in this program, and it’s Bright’s mission to turn Bayou intersecting properties on Chicago Avenue into something you may have never previously imagined.
Keep your eyes peeled for updates on this and other CRA Accelerator Program projects.