Gov. Tate Reeves has signed two bills sending more money to downtown developments across the state.
The Mississippi Main Street Revitalization Grant (MMSRG) program, created through the passage of Senate Bill 2696, will be funded through Senate Bill 3056 which allocates money to 19 projects for a total of $6.972 million. Additionally, $500,000 in accompanying funds can be used for statewide support and operations of the Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA).
The 19 designated main street communities that will be funded this year are Amory, Biloxi, Booneville, Cleveland, Columbus, Crystal Springs, Greenville, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Moss Point, Natchez, Nettleton, New Albany, Pascagoula, Ripley, Saltillo, Senatobia, Vicksburg, and Water Valley.
“Main Street is Mississippi’s leader in downtown revitalization, and we are truly grateful for the recognition of our efforts and the confidence of the Mississippi Legislature by entrusting our organization with this grant program that is unique to our state,” MMSA Executive Director Jim Miller said.
Each year, MMSA will open MMSRG applications to eligible communities and then present a list of prioritized projects to the legislature. Grant funds will be available on a competitive basis for eligible projects up to $500,000 per community.
Communities with populations over 10,000 are required to provide a 20 percent local match and communities with populations less than 10,000 are required to provide a 10 percent local match on the first $100,000 and 20 percent local match on amounts more than $100,000.
“This year’s legislative success belongs to everyone in the Main Street family, and we look forward to working with the 19 recipients this year to implement these projects in Mississippi’s historic downtowns and districts,” MMSA Board President Marlo Dorsey said. “Hopefully, this ongoing program will inspire communities to become members of the MMSA organization and apply for this program in the future.”
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