Wicker, Cochran: Gulfport to Receive $3.9 Million in Federal Grant Funding
Miss. Senators Announce Funding for Gulfport-Biloxi Airport, Community Development Programs
August 31, 2016
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Thad Cochran, R-Miss., today announced that the City of Gulfport and the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport have been awarded $3,893,247 in federal grants designed to spur community and economic development.
“I am pleased that we are working to enhance our Gulf Coast with these federal grants, which will aid local housing developments, improve airport infrastructure, and promote safety,” Wicker said.
“These grants are investments in Gulfport and the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” Cochran said. “This funding, with its focus on economic and community development, can benefit businesses and families throughout the region.”
The largest of the three individual grants will provide $3,005,248 for runway rehabilitation at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. This Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program award will support the rehabilitation of 5,500 feet of the runway to maintain structural integrity, minimize foreign object debris, and increase passenger safety.
Additionally, a $581,068 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) was awarded to the City of Gulfport to support community development projects near the Gulfport Job Corps Center. These flexible grants, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), are designed to better enable local governments to expand economic opportunities and housing availability, especially for low and middle-income residents.
The City of Gulfport will also receive a $306,931 grant from the HUD HOME program, which provides funding to help local governments implement housing strategies designed to promote homeownership and increase affordable housing opportunities. The funding is expected to be used for public housing rehabilitation.
Cochran, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, successfully worked to maintain FY2016 funding for the Airport Improvement Program and CDBG program, which were proposed to be cut by the President’s budget request. Many Mississippi communities benefit from these programs.
