U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., recently announced that Prentiss County’s Jumpertown will receive more than $100,000 in grant funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for improvements to its wastewater collection system.
“This grant funding is welcome news,” Wicker said. “These funds will cut operating costs and reduce service disruptions by making Jumpertown’s wastewater system more reliable.”
Jumpertown will use the grants to make a number of modifications to several pump stations in the collection system, improving sewer service for 10 businesses and 407 households in the project service area. Existing pump stations will be rebuilt with new equipment to improve efficiency, and new pump stations will be added where needed to handle increased wastewater flows. In addition to the ARC funding, local sources will provide $96,200, bringing the total project funding to $196,200.
ARC awards grants and contracts from funds appropriated to the Commission annually by Congress. Program grants are directed to state and local agencies, local governing boards, and nonprofit organizations. In addition to investments in infrastructure, contracts are awarded for research on topics that directly impact economic development in the Appalachian Region, which includes 24 counties in northeastern Mississippi. Governors of the 13 Appalachian states and one federal co-chair serve on the Commission.
Wicker recently led efforts to reauthorize ARC, which allocated $100 million annually over the next five years. That measure was passed by the Senate on July 30, 2015, by a vote of 65-34. The proposal is currently awaiting action by the House of Representatives.
