After several discussions on how best to utilize funds from the American Rescue Plan Act – the $1.9 trillion stimulus package issued by the federal government to offset revenue losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – Hattiesburg City Council members have voted to approve six additional grants from the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program for drainage, water and sewer improvements throughout the city.
The approximately $10.8 million in funds was accepted by a 4-0 vote at the August 22 council meeting, coming after the Mississippi Legislature allocated statewide ARPA money through the MCWI program in 2021. It is a matching-funds program, meaning the ARPA funds are matched by funds from the city, dollar for dollar.
“To be able to leverage $10 million of the city’s ARPA funds and turn that into $20 million, with a one-to-one matching program from the state, is something that will allow us to make investments in projects that otherwise could have been years away from happening,” council president Jeffrey George said. “So we’re very excited to get moving forward with this, and there’s still work to be done in terms of paperwork and design and engineering and things like that.
“This is another great step forward towards seeing those projects happen.”
The projects and grant amounts for each, along with three projects that had already been approved, are as follows:
- Edwards Street sewer and water, $587,453: This project will include replacing sewer lines on parts of the northern end of Edwards Street. It includes the replacement of sewer mains, manholes, and potable water mains on parts of Edwards Street, Bernice Avenue, Eufala Street, Duke Avenue, Cypress Avenue, Clairborne Avenue, Magnolia Avenue and others.
- Martin Luther King Avenue sewer and water, $1.89 million: This project includes replacing sewer lines and undersized water lines on parts of Martin Luther King Avenue, Townsend Street and Independence Avenue, Francis Street and others.
- Irene Chapel drainage, $566,256: This project will include replacing existing and constructing new drainage pipes and channels along Rouse Road, Dixie Pine Road, McCall Street and others.
- Penton Street, Magnolia Avenue and Cedar Street, $546,000: This project will include improvements to the drainage, water and sewer infrastructure at specific points of Penton Street, Magnolia Avenue and Cedar Street.
- West 7th Street and Eupora Street sewer/water/stormwater, $1.31 million: This project will include a comprehensive rehabilitation of stormwater lines, undersized water lines, concrete sewer lines and the roadway along West 7th Street, from Main Street to Providence Street.
- Gordon’s Creek, $515,232: This project will include the replacement of a portion of a steel sheet pile retaining wall in downtown Hattiesburg.
- Lincoln Road, Sangria Drive and South 34th Avenue Drainage, $3.17 million: This project will include constructing a detention area near Lincoln Road and completing drainage improvements to the tributary stream between Sangria Drive and South 34th Avenue. These improvements will lower water surface elevations, improve downstream flow and ultimately remove 121 structures from a 100-year flood zone along the entire footprint of Gordon’s Creek.
- West 7th Street, 25th Avenue and Grace Avenue drainage, $1.63 million: This project will include the rehabilitation of stormwater pipes and structures, surface drainage improvements and the construction of multiple detention facilities within the watershed on parts of West 7th Street, North 25th Avenue and Grace Avenue.
- South 40th Avenue stormwater, $635,625: This project will include replacing existing and constructing new stormwater pipes and channels and implementing surface drainage improvements on South 40th Avenue near the Mamie Street intersection.
Two of those projects – the Edwards Street sewer/water and the Martin Luther King Avenue sewer and water – already have bids approved by council members and are slated to begin later this fall.
“Every project on this list is different and has different components, whether that be water, sewer, stormwater or anything like that,” George said. “So depending on the size of these projects and the scope of them, they will definitely be happening by different times.
“But we have a deadline of 2026 to spend this money, so it will all take place before then.”
The MCWI Grant Program, established through Senate Bill 2822 in 2022, incentivizes cities to steer ARPA allocations toward long-term, strategic investments by giving a 1:1 match on water, sewer and stormwater projects. For Hattiesburg, the $12.8 million allocated by Congress translates into more than $22 million in water, sewer and stormwater projects through the state’s matching program.
During the first grant period in September 2022, the city was awarded funds for three project sites. During the second grant period, the additional six projects have qualified and been added to the queue.
“Last summer, we sought our residents’ input on how ARPA funding should be spent,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “Of more than 300 responses, 67 percent of residents marked infrastructure as a priority category for funding, validating the growing need for more investment in the city’s water, sewer and stormwater systems.
“We believe ARPA funds represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in Hattiesburg’s infrastructure, particularly when it comes to solving longstanding stormwater challenges. The Mississippi Legislature’s forward-thinking approach in creating match funding for local ARPA infrastructure investments allowed Hattiesburg to turn $12.8 million into more than $22 million in projects over the next few years.”
