South MS awarded more than $50 million in grants. Here is what it will go toward

Gov. Tate Reeves announced more than $100 million in grants Thursday, with large investments in South Mississippi from GOMESA and the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund.

The list doesn’t include a “transformative” project that will be momental for the Coast, but does provide money to cities and counties in South Mississippi for improvements.

Reeves said the focus needs to ensure that everyone in Mississippi has two things: “Number one, they have the skills that they need to earn, and number two, the opportunity to earn a job that pays (up to) $80,000 a year.” he said. “Then a lot of those other challenges we have will take care of themselves, and so that’s where we’re investing our resources.”

The awards for South Mississippi include:

Site Development Grant Program

• $1.4 million to Port Bienville Industrial Park, Hancock County, for site 1 wetlands mitigation
• $110,000 for Pearl River County Industrial Park site due diligence on newly acquired 240 acres.
• $50,000 for signage and entrance improvements at Pearl River County Technology Park
• $7,500 for signage at Ignition Park, Hancock County

Restore Act and Mississippi Gulf Coast Projects

• $5 million for new warehouse and rail infrastructure in Hancock County
• $3.5 million for runway extension at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, Harrison County.
• $2.8 million for phase one of wharf expansion at Port of Pascagoula, Jackson County.

$31 million in Restore Act grants

• $6.5 million for Point Cadet Phase 3 in Biloxi to build more floating docks, infrastructure and other marina amenities
• $5 million for Port Bienville Site 6 Development in Hancock County to build a 50,000-square-foot warehouse and accompanying rail spur.
• $4 million for Pearl River Community College GulfEDGE workforce training center at the Hancock County Campus
• $3.8 million for Diamondhead Nature Park in Hancock County to build a 2.6-mile nature trail with trails, pedestrian bridges and deck walks to connect Noma Drive Boat Launch to Montjoy Creek Walking Trail.
• $3.5 million to extend Runway 18-36 at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport
• $2.8 million for Port of Pascagoula for phase one of wharf expansion in Jackson County
• $2.6 million for apron and taxiway improvements at Trent Lott International Airport in Jackson County.
• $1.5 million for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center for workforce training at Jackson County campus.
• $1 million at Buccaneer State Park in Hancock County to up upgrade family amenities, campsites, roads
• $553,920 to expand oyster shell recycling in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties

$10 million GOMESA workforce and infrastructure improvements

• $2.6 million to offer sewer collection service from highway 603 to Cuevas Town Road, Hancock County
• $2.6 million for Escatawpa Septic System Abatement for Pascagoula River Watershed Protection and water quality Improvement in Jackson County. 
• $2.5 million for Long Beach Small Craft Harbor to construct reinforced concrete wall system along the western jetty to protect harbor from erosion and hurricane impacts.
• $2.3 million for Unmanned Hydrographic Field Methods for Benthic Mapping and Monitoring at Pearl River Community College

Mary Perez

Sun Herald

601-909-0649

Mary has won numerous awards for her business and casino articles for the Sun Herald. She also writes about Biloxi, jobs and the new restaurants and development coming to the Coast. She is a fourth-generation journalist.