Clarksdale, Miss. – The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) has announced an investment of more than $25 million toward 25 projects through its Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF). These projects span seven states within DRA’s eight-service region, including Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and Mississippi. Funding for this program was made available, in part, by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden — a key part of his Investing in America agenda to grow local economies from the middle out and bottom up and to create more resilient and healthier communities across the county.
Designed to address unmet needs in basic public infrastructure, transportation infrastructure and flood control needs, these CIF-award projects will help strengthen the economic vitality of the DRA region by building safer, more resilient communities. Together, these 25 projects are estimated to create or retain more than 1,100 jobs and impact more than 75,000 families across 25 communities.
“The Community Infrastructure Fund is one of DRA’s most unique tools that allows us to expand and invest in the resiliency of the region’s public infrastructure,” said Dr. Corey Wiggins, DRA Federal Co-Chairman. “As a result of this investment, approximately 75,266 families will have improved access to infrastructure, helping to improve their quality of life and increase economic opportunities in their communities.”
This round of CIF funding is DRA’s final funding award for the 2024 fiscal year. During 2024, DRA invested nearly $32 million in 32 projects through the CIF program.
Today’s CIF award recipients include:
Alabama
City of Marion was awarded nearly $291,000 to rehabilitate the city’s water tank system to meet state and federal regulations and ensure its water facilities are maintained in safe, clean and operable conditions.
City of Union Springs was awarded more than $662,000 for a comprehensive public infrastructure improvement project that will take place on three streets, addressing a huge community need and positively impacting both the local workforce and economy.
City of Reform was awarded more than $1 million to make upgrades to the city’s municipal water system, ensuring the safety, resilience and reliability of water services for businesses and residents and improving the city’s commercial attractiveness and quality of life.
City of Carrollton was awarded $456,500 for a water system improvement project that will enhance operations and water services for residents and businesses.
Arkansas
City of Paragould was awarded $872,600 for a transportation project that will extend an existing rail spur to a local industry that has pledged to create 20 jobs as a result of this infrastructure investment.
City of Truman was awarded nearly $762,000 to make renovations to the city’s water system to ensure the ongoing service of potable water to existing residents and businesses while also ensuring the system has the capacity to support future residential and industrial growth.
Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District Inc. was awarded more than $2 million for a railroad infrastructure improvement project that will accommodate a grain storage elevator in Chicot County, providing access to reliable and affordable transport and ensuring economic resiliency within the area.
City of Pocahontas was awarded more than $1.9 million for upgrades that will provide for sufficient capacity and water services for current and future economic and residential growth.
Illinois
Village of Gorham was awarded more than $484,000 for a water system improvement project that will ensure the supply of drinking water in the event of a facility malfunction.
Rend Lake Conservancy District was awarded nearly $922,000 for a public infrastructure project that will provide for the relocation and storage of the district’s chlorine dioxide system, as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency, resulting in a secure, efficient water treatment process for the entire service population.
Egyptian Electric Cooperative was awarded more than $1.8 million to support the infrastructure of a new substation construction project that will provide the additional electrical capacity needed for a building expansion, resulting in the creation of approximately 24 new, high paying jobs.
City of Murphysboro was awarded nearly $496,000 for a public infrastructure project that will replace the main sanitary sewer trunkline to provide reliable service to the entire city and its tributary.
Kentucky
Lyon County Fiscal Court was awarded more than $2.4 million for a public infrastructure project that will combine three separate water projects among water districts serving Lyon County to increase the reliability and resilience of the water supply, which is essential to supporting local industries, enhancing quality of life and promoting economic development within the region.
City of Providence was awarded more than $2 million to make upgrades to an aging public infrastructure to address existing violations and to provide for safe and adequate water/sewer utility services to residents and businesses within the city.
Louisiana
Town of Farmerville was awarded more than $1.4 million to make improvements to the water system serving the town and the largest employer in Union Parish to ensure an adequate and safe water supply for those who live and work in the area.
Town of Hayesville was awarded more than $716,000 to make improvements to its wastewater treatment plant to comply with environmental regulations and to address infrastructure deficiencies affecting local residents and businesses for a reliable and safe wastewater treatment system that supports both public health and economic development.
City of West Monroe was awarded nearly $871,000 for public infrastructure improvements to a prominent business street, within a commercial area, which is essential to the economic sustainability of the city.
Lake Providence Port Commission was awarded nearly $788,000 to support a railroad improvement project that will complete necessary construction to satisfy Federal Railroad Administration requirements and to retain and expand existing businesses and industries and to attract new ones.
Town of Jonesville was awarded more than $826,000 for a sewer system upgrade and downtown development project to meet basic health standards for existing businesses and residents and to sustain and attract businesses to the town’s redeveloped commercial district.
Missouri
City of Dexter was awarded nearly $422,000 to make public infrastructure improvements that will enhance drainage resilience, address sewer system challenges and facilitate future development within the city.
City of Potosi was awarded more than $1 million for a natural gas distribution upgrade project that will replace existing infrastructure in the system to increase its reliability, to avoid interruption in service for residents and businesses, and increase capacity for future economic growth.
Mississippi
City of Batesville was awarded more than $1.8 million for an expansion project that will extend water and wastewater utility service from the city to a manufacturing company that is expanding its operations with new buildings, equipment and employees.
City of McComb was awarded nearly $102,000 to support a reconstruction project of a high-traffic intersection utilized by nearby industries to improve transportation and to provide a safer experience for residents and businesses within that area.
Town of Liberty was awarded nearly $292,000 to rehabilitate a water storage tank to eliminate system inadequacies and meet state regulation, in addition to providing residents with a reliable water supply.
City of Raymond was awarded more than $635,000 for a public infrastructure project requiring urgent repair and improvements to the city’s sewage lagoon to meet compliance with state and federal standards and to provide residents and businesses with a proper quality of life.
For more information about the Community Infrastructure Fund, visit www.dra.gov.
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