Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Community Project Funding Requests
Project Name: City of McComb, Mississippi, Water Supply Improvement Project
Requested Amount: $1,600,000
Intended Recipient: City of McComb, Mississippi
Recipient Address: 121 3rd Street, McComb, Mississippi, 39648
Request Explanation: The City of McComb, population 12,217, operates a water treatment system that produces approximately 2 million gallons of water per day. This system consists of six wells, three ground storage tanks, and five elevated tanks. The age of the wells ranges from four to 67 years old, and three of the wells are more than 50 years old. These older wells are operating at half their original flow rates. This project would provide for the addition of a new, 1000-gallons-per-minute (gpm) well to supplement the existing, aging, deteriorating wells. This new well is needed to ensure continued, reliable, and safe drinking water supply for the residents of McComb. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would allow the City to help meet Safe Drinking Water Act standards by providing a more reliable source of water and with a trusted minimum water pressure.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, Bluefield Water Main Replacement Phase I
Requested Amount: $3,631,646
Intended Recipient: Oktibbeha County
Recipient Address: 108 West Main Street, Starkville, Mississippi, 39759
Request Explanation: In March, 2011, the City of Starkville acquired, at the request of the then Bluefield Water Association, the infrastructure and the maintenance of the Bluefield Water Association located both inside and adjacent to the city. Because a significant number of residents of the City of Starkville were included in that water district, the City leaders believed that it was in the best interest of those residents to take on that responsibility. This included areas that are and remain located in Oktibbeha County but residing outside the City limits. Due to the age and construction of the water system, frequent leaks and breaks occur with regularity providing potential sources of contamination for the water system. Additionally, the residents within this area experience significantly lower system pressures than other locations in the City of Starkville due to undersized and antiquated lines. The primary focus is improving the existing water system, which does not provide a high quality of reliable service to the residents and urgently needs to be upgraded. Secondarily, the existing water system inhibits growth due to undersized lines and lack of capacity for new development. An elevated water tank is nearby on Bluefield Road, which is served by two deep wells; however, the limitation of water capacity results from the existing water main sizes and the fact that they are exceeding their useful life. This project would replace these original lines, which were intended for rural residential development, and would meet the future demands of higher density residential neighborhoods, commercial, and industrial type developments so that they can be adequately and reliably served. The rehabilitation of the Bluefield Water Association infrastructure would replace distribution pipes to prevent contamination caused by leaks or breaks in the pipe and improve water pressure to safe levels. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would allow the County to maintain Safe Drinking Water Act standards by upgrading aged infrastructure to assure continued, dependable operation of this area water system.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: City of Ridgeland, Mississippi, Purple Creek Flood Mitigation and Restoration
Requested Amount: $4,000,000
Intended Recipient: City of Ridgeland
Recipient Address: 100 West School Street, Ridgeland, Mississippi, 39158
Request Explanation: This project would improve water quality and reduce chronic erosion and flooding in the Purple Creek area within the Brasher Creek-Pearl River Watershed, which has been recognized by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality as a watershed of concern under Clean Water Act guidance and warrants immediate attention. The watershed is included in the Madison County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan that is working to address ongoing watershed concerns on a county-wide basis. The City of Ridgeland has worked with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency on these watershed improvement efforts and has included Purple Creek in the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. The majority of flooding in the Purple Creek Watershed is attributed to runoff created by the construction of Interstates 220 and 55. Along with reducing flooding, the project would improve water quality within the Brashear Creek-Pearl River Watershed, impacting Ridgeland, Madison County, Jackson, and Hinds County.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: Madison County, Mississippi, Environmental Infrastructure Improvements
Requested Amount: $4,000,000
Intended Recipient: Madison County Board of Supervisors
Recipient Address: 125 North West Street, Canton, Mississippi, 39046
Request Explanation: The funding would be used to continue implementing the Madison County Comprehensive Stormwater Management Program by addressing wastewater collection and treatment considerations in the Kearny Park community of western Madison County near Flora, Mississippi, as well as stormwater management projects in the areas of Brashear Creek and Hanging Moss Creek in southern Madison County. A recent needs assessment conducted by the Madison County Board of Supervisors revealed extensive wastewater system deficiencies in the Kearny Park community, as the banks of the Big Black River are shown to be encroaching on the West Madison Utility District (WMUD) wastewater lagoon treatment facility and affecting infiltration and inflow for the WMUD collection system. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would help address these deficiencies, which would help improve public health, welfare, and the local environment.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: City of Meridian, Mississippi, Environmental Infrastructure
Requested Amount: $10,000,000
Intended Recipient: City of Meridian
Recipient Address: 601 23rd Avenue, Meridian, Mississippi, 39302
Request Explanation: Since 2019, the City of Meridian has been under a $200 million Consent Decree with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Department of Justice concerning deficiencies in its wastewater collection and transmission system, with the goal of eliminating sanitary sewer overflows and achieving continued compliance with the Clean Water Act and the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. As required by the Consent Decree, the City has developed a multi-phased Sewer System Evaluation and Rehabilitation (SSER) program to determine needs and rehabilitate the wastewater collection and transmission system infrastructure through identifying structural defects, capacity issues, and other conditions associated with infiltration and inflow that result in wet weather capacity-related sanitary sewer overflows. This funding would be used to update the City’s wastewater collection and transmission infrastructure. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would help make necessary upgrades to improve the City’s ongoing wastewater collection and transmission system challenges that have been identified by the Federal government and that the City is actively working to address.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: Rankin County Watershed-Based Stormwater Management Program
Requested Amount: $6,200,000
Intended Recipient: Rankin County Board of Supervisors
Recipient Address: 211 East Government Street A, Brandon, Mississippi, 39042
Request Explanation: The funding would enable stormwater improvements to be made in the Richland Creek and Hanging Moss-Pearl River watersheds that were identified in the Rankin County Watershed-Based Stormwater Assessment and Management Plan. Specifically, the project would support stormwater management infrastructure enhancements that would lead to reduced flood risk and improved water quality. These areas experience ongoing flooding and water quality issues and are some of the most disadvantaged areas of the County. This effort would build upon longstanding coordination among the Richland Creek Watershed and Drainage District, with support from the Rankin County Board of Supervisors, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission on improvements to the Richland Creek Watershed. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has classified the Richland Creek and Hanging Moss-Pearl River watersheds as priority watersheds based on poor environmental factors. The improvements proposed would result in positive benefits not only to Rankin County residents but all residents downstream within the Pearl River basin.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: Advanced Policing Operations at the University of Mississippi Medical Center
Requested Amount: $380,000
Intended Recipient: University of Mississippi Medical Center
Recipient Address: 2500 North State Street, Jackson, Mississippi, 39216
Request Explanation: The funding would be used for mobile data terminals and in-car cameras, K9 units and K9 training, and a modernized records management system for the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) Police Department. UMMC is located in the heart of the state’s capital city of Jackson, Mississippi. On average, 24,000 employees, students, patients and visitors come and go from campus daily. The combination of high visitor traffic, increasing urban crime, and threats specific to academic and healthcare facilities create an urgency around safety and security that must continue to be addressed. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because UMMC is a crucial asset to the City of Jackson, and this proposal would bring three additional resources to UMMC that would help mitigate many of the most critical gaps identified at present.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: Chiller Replacement project at Jackson-Medger Wiley Evers Airport
Requested Amount: $810,000
Intended Recipient: Jackson Municipal Airport Authority
Recipient Address: 100 International Drive, Jackson, Mississippi, 39205
Request Explanation: The typical lifespan of a chiller system is 15-20 years, yet the two existing 275-ton chillers operating at the Jackson-Medger Wiley Evers Airport (JAN) are well beyond their end-of-life expectancy. JAN's current asset age is 34 years old—well past industry standards for chiller systems, designating it as subject to failure. Understanding that the chiller system is a vital health and safety system for airport staff, passengers, airlines, and tenants, JAN must consider a replacement of both chillers. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the cooling system is an important life safety system for passengers, airlines, staff, and airport tenants, and the current platform has been determined to need replacing by the staff, leadership, and consultants of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: City of Brandon, Mississippi, Grants Ferry Parkway Project
Requested Amount: $5,000,000
Intended Recipient: City of Brandon, Mississippi
Recipient Address: 1000 Municipal Drive, Brandon, Mississippi, 39042
Request Explanation: This Grants Ferry Parkway Project consists of adding two lanes to a recently constructed two-lane section of roadway from MS Hwy 471 to Trickhambridge Road in Brandon, Mississippi. This stretch of roadway is approximately 2.7 miles in length and traverses between and connects two major roadways, one being a Principal Arterial and the other being a Major Collector roadway. The City of Brandon has continued to see major growth throughout the City, and this area of the City is no exception. The traffic study performed in 2018 anticipates nearly 10,000 vehicles per day on this section of roadway once construction in this area of the City is complete. The projected volume of traffic would make this roadway one of the top 5 highest traveled roadways within the City Limits. The City of Brandon, along with local investors, recently completed this stretch of two-lane roadway, and the City is seeking funding to complete this project as designed to a four-lane section. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because growth in this area is continuing at a rapid pace; and this project would assist in providing for the transportation needs associated with this growth and reducing travel times not only for citizens along and near this corridor, but other citizens around and within the County and surrounding communities.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: East Central Community College Workforce Training Facility
Requested Amount: $1,500,000
Intended Recipient: East Central Community College
Recipient Address: 15738 Highway 15 South, P.O. Box 129, Decatur, Mississippi, 39327
Request Explanation: The purpose of this new facility, which will be located at the intersection of Highway 16 and Highway 15 in Philadelphia, Mississippi, is twofold. One, is to provide residents of East Central Community College’s five-county district (Leake, Neshoba, Newton, Scott, and Winston Counties) and other surrounding communities with a central location to pursue degrees and certifications in a variety of workforce and career technical programs and an ADN (Associate Degree Nursing) program. The other purpose is for the recruitment and retention of industries in the area. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds as it will benefit the region as a whole through training and educational opportunities and future economic growth that would be provided through this workforce training facility.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: Louisville, Mississippi, South Industrial Road Project
Requested Amount: $2,030,000
Intended Recipient: City of Louisville, Mississippi
Recipient Address: 2373 South Church Avenue, Louisville, Mississippi, 39339
Request Explanation: This funding would allow the City of Louisville to build an industrial access road that would provide infrastructure needed to support two of the largest existing industries in the region and help support opportunities for future growth. The project would help alleviate the current route located on a residential road from the heavy industrial truck traffic. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would enable continued economic growth in the region and provide a safer industrial transport route.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: Monticello, Mississippi, Frontage Road Infrastructure Improvements Project
Requested Amount: $1,100,568.42
Intended Recipient: Town of Monticello, Mississippi
Recipient Address: 202 Jefferson Street, Monticello, Mississippi, 39654
Request Explanation: This funding would enhance economic development in the Town of Monticello, Mississippi along the US Highway 84 By-Pass. This project would increase commercial and retail trade opportunities and strengthen the existing town center. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds as it would increase economic development by connecting downtown Monticello to the U.S. Highway 84 By-Pass.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: City of Pearl, Mississippi, Pearl/Richland Intermodal Connector-Richland Creek Bridge
Requested Amount: $4,800,000
Intended Recipient: City of Pearl, Mississippi
Recipient Address: 2420 Old Brandon Road, Pearl, Mississippi, 39208
Request Explanation: The funding would replace the Richland Creek bridge on South Pearson Road, and this project is part of the Pearl/Richland Intermodal Connector Phase II. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because Pearl/Richland Intermodal Connector is an important link in the national freight and railroad system and would improve and enhance the nation’s multimodal freight and supply chain movement. The Intermodal Connector has been a Federal, State, regional, and local priority for nearly twenty years after Congress authorized the Pearl-Richland Intermodal Connector as a High Priority Highway Project in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005 § 1704(4400) (PL 109-59; Aug. 10, 2005). It also offers national, state, regional, and local benefits for economic development and competitiveness, public safety, environmental sustainability, and quality of life. Phase II was included in the Jackson, Mississippi, Metropolitan Planning Organization’s 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (Project #210).
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: Raspet Flight Laboratory Expansion
Requested Amount: $4,000,000
Intended Recipient: Raspet Flight Laboratory at Mississippi State University
Recipient Address: 301 Research Blvd, Starkville, Mississippi, 39759
Request Explanation: The funding would expand MSU’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory (RFRL), which is an academic leader in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) research and innovation. RFRL works with government and industry partners and helps grow aviation companies and innovative technologies. The work of the RFRL engages two of the Mississippi Development Authority’s strategic plan target industries—aerospace and advanced manufacturing. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because this facility expansion would increase the capacity for the RFRL to service industry and government partners and to be utilized as an economic driver toward the State’s strategic development of the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries. RFRL’s leadership and expertise in UAS applications helps generate economic growth in Mississippi.
Financial Disclosure Certification
Project Name: Seminary, Mississippi, West Sewer Expansion Project
Requested Amount: $2,500,000
Intended Recipient: Town of Seminary, Mississippi
Recipient Address: 123 West Main Street, Seminary, Mississippi, 39479
Request Explanation: This project would provide much needed wastewater disposal and treatment to the westward area of our community that is poised for economic growth along U.S. Highway 49, the four-lane main artery between our State Capital of Jackson, Mississippi, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The area of the proposed project currently does not have municipal sewer services, and the soils are not conducive for septic purposes. The Okatoma Creek dissects the center of Seminary, north to south. The Town currently has sewer gathering and treatment on the east side of Okatoma Creek but is financially unable to fund the sewer expansion to the west. The Okatoma Creek is Mississippi’s premier canoeing and kayaking stream, visited by thousands annually and is the area’s most important source of tourism. The Okatoma Creek is part of the Pascagoula River System, the last major undammed free-flowing river system (by volume) in the country. Providing sewer services to this area would greatly help in ensuring pristine water quality in the Okatoma, as well as enhancing continued economic growth in the project area along heavily traveled U.S. Highway 49. The project area is located 15 miles north of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and 65 miles south of Jackson, Mississippi. Increased economic development in the project area would generate more and continuing local and state revenue streams. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it would enable economic growth, provide sanitary sewer service, and protect nearby river systems from untreated sewer runoff.
Financial Disclosure Certification