Mississippi distributes $100M to promote economic development, infrastructure upgrades

The state of Mississippi is committing $100 million across six grant funding programs to facilitate and accelerate economic development, infrastructure improvements, conservation efforts and workforce training initiatives. 

The funding is aimed at transforming Mississippi into an attractive prospect for private sector investment, targeting critical infrastructure improvements to better support development and growth. The agencies and programs delivering the grants include the: 

• Mississippi Development Authority (MDA). 
• Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). 
• Delta Regional Authority (DRA). 
• RESTORE Act. 
• Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA). 
• Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC). 

Funding from the RESTORE Act will cover the largest portion of the allocated awards, totaling $31.2 million to support tourism, conservation, workforce development and infrastructure improvements. Harrison County will receive $10 million of that amount to advance two separate projects. The first $6.5 million will go toward building floating docks, associated infrastructure and marina amenities as part of the third phase of the Point Cadet project. The remaining $3.5 million will enable the county to extend a runway at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. 

Hancock County will spend $13.8 million across four separate projects. These include: 

• $5 million to build a 50,000-square-foot warehouse and accompanying rail spur as part of the Port Bienville Site 6 Development effort. 
• $4 million to build an innovative workforce training center at the Peral River Community College’s Hancock County campus. 
• $3.8 million to build the 2.6-mile Diamond Nature Trail with trails, pedestrian bridges and deck walks. 
• $1 million to upgrade the Buccaneer State Park’s amenities, including family amenities, campsites and roads. 

Jackson County will receive $6.9 million to advance three projects. The largest allocation of $2.8 million will enable the county to begin the first phase of the wharf expansion at the Port of Pascagoula. Another $2.6 million will go toward improving the apron and taxiways at Trent Lott International Airport. The final $1.5 million will help create the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson campus. 

The MDA will distribute the second largest amount of $28.6 million through its Site Development Grant Program. The program supports projects through three funding categories: 

• Select Sites, designed to expand the amount of available competitive industrial sites to meet prospective company needs. 
• Premier Sites, which targets properties with at least 100 acres and locational advantages. 
• Ready Sites, which prioritizes properties with a minimum of 20 highly developable acres that can be quickly made site-work ready. 

The largest project selected for the Select Sites program will be the Springs BNSF Certified Site in Marshall County. The state will deliver $8.5 million to buy 1,110 acres, bringing publicly owned acreage to 1,200 acres. Premier Sites will receive a combined total of $1.3 million to replace water wells, develop master plans, relocate utility lines, build roads and conduct feasibility studies. Finally, the Ready Sites will receive $256,250 for signage, entrance improvements, grading, site clearing and due diligence. 

The state has approved $20.9 million in ARC funding recommendations, providing 21 projects with critical support for site development, workforce development and infrastructure improvements. Projects receiving the most funding through this program include: 

• The Cinco Megasite in Lowndes County will receive $5.7 million to build a 1-million-gallon elevated water tank and install water main infrastructure to attract advanced manufacturing and aerospace industries. 
• Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park in Marshall County will spend $2.5 million to expand its wastewater facility. 
• Itawamba Community College will use $11.7 million to expand its diesel equipment program. 

A total of $10 million in GOMESA funding will support four projects. Hancock County will benefit from a combined $4.9 million for projects at Pearl River Community College (PRCC) and the Kiln Utility and Fire District. The Kiln Utility and Fire District will use the lion’s share – $2.6 million – to provide sewer collection services to an unsewered area. PRCC will use $2.3 million to establish a hydrographic technician curriculum designed to support careers in maritime industries. 

Jackson County will receive $2.6 million to advance the Escatawpa Septic System Abatement project. The initiative will address critical wastewater infrastructure needs to enhance water quality in the Pascagoula River watershed. Harrison County will use the remaining $2.5 million to build a reinforced concrete wall system along the western jetty at Long Beach Harbor, enhancing infrastructure resiliency in the face of erosion and hurricanes. 

The state will deliver $5.7 million in DRA funding to support 14 projects across the state. These initiatives primarily revolve around providing advanced workforce training, building roads, upgrading wastewater systems, replacing outdated water infrastructure and rehabilitating systems. 

The final $3.9 million provided through the SCRC will go toward site development, workforce development and infrastructure improvements. Projects receiving funding will: 

• Replace sewer lines and manholes. 
• Replace water mains. 
• Build cofferdams. 
• Renovate education facilities. 
• Open industrial parks for business recruitment and expansion. 
• Upgrading wastewater infrastructure. 
• Building roadways. 
• Modernizing airport operations. 

Photo by chmeredith from Jackson, MS, USA, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, from Wikimedia Commons (Panoramic image was cropped to fit thumbnail requirements)