Mississippi County Awards $200,000 to the City of Blytheville through Infrastructure Grant Program

Pictured, from left: Justice Molly Jackson, Mayor Melisa Logan, County Judge John Alan Nelson and Justice Tobye McClanahan

On June 9, 2023, the Government of Mississippi County, Arkansas announced it has awarded $200,000 to the City of Blytheville, Arkansas, through its Mississippi County Infrastructure Grant Program. According to the City of Blytheville’s grant application, many of Blytheville’s sewer lines, distribution lines and storage facilities are more than 100 years old.

The project will focus on North Byrum Road, a critical arterial road for the city for both school-age and special needs students, but also for commercial/industrial traffic as well. The project is designed to improve critical infrastructure to prevent road collapse. The City estimates more than 5,000 city residences are affected by this major network vein and are at risk of losing service if repairs are not done immediately. The City of Blytheville will replace 425 feet of 30-inch SDR 25/26 pipe bedding with at least six inches of gravel. They will also replace one manhole at the Byrum Road Lift Station. This will prevent groundwater and stormwater from entering their network through cracks, joints or fractured pipes, therefore, this project has both an infrastructural and environmental impact.

“Infrastructure is expensive, but essential to a growing, thriving county. I am proud that the County is able to help the City of Blytheville make these critical infrastructural improvements today through this grant,” County Judge John Alan Nelson said.

“On behalf of the city administration and the citizens of Blytheville, we are grateful for the county’s investment in our infrastructure. This grant award puts us one step closer to addressing the critical infrastructure of this great city,” Mayor Melisa Logan said.

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law. Among many other provisions, ARPA provides direct funding to each county in the United States through what is called the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Relief Fund (CLFRF). Mississippi County, Arkansas, received $7,895,980.00 and has designated $2,000,000 to fund the Mississippi County Infrastructure Grant Program.

The Mississippi County Infrastructure Grant Program will fund innovative, effective infrastructure projects designed to address the infrastructure needs of the County. Each grant will provide up to $200,000 for cities/towns within Mississippi County and can only be used for infrastructure projects pursuant to Arkansas Constitution, Article 12, Section 5 as incorporated into Article 12 by Amendment 97. These grants will fund up to 75% of project costs, with 25% cost matched by the applicant municipality.

Only Mississippi County towns/cities were eligible for the grant, and the funding allocated by Mississippi County for this grant program may be used to assist with Infrastructure project planning or implementation with a priority for projects that address areas of greatest need and serve those most at-risk. The following are types of projects eligible under this program: land acquisition, site preparation, rail spur construction, water service, wastewater treatment, employee training which may include equipment for such purpose, environmental mitigation and training and research facilities and the necessary equipment.

An informative workshop was held on Friday, April 7, where the cities were invited to learn about the grant and ask questions. Applications were received from eight cities and were “scored” by iParametrics, the county’s ARPA consultant, based on application metrics.

For more information, visit the County website at https://www.mississippicountyar.org/.