WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today praised the award of $9,317,500 for 41 community improvement projects in Mississippi. The Community Facilities Program grants will be awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development.

“These targeted investments from the USDA Rural Development program will help fund much needed equipment in communities across our state,” Wicker said. “The projects will enhance quality of life and improve safety for thousands of Mississippians.”

“These USDA Rural Development grants will help fulfill the need for vehicles, equipment, and projects required by small, rural communities to better serve their residents. These federal resources are backed with local funding, which makes these projects a welcomed collaborative effort,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.

The USDA Rural Development grants and loans for Mississippi will support the following projects:

• City of Holly Springs, Marshall County - $6,378,300 to replace 28.38 miles of cast iron pipe with 60 psig maximum allowable operating pressure pipe.
• Union County - $700,000 to help upgrade the current 911 system.
• City of Port Gibson, Claiborne County - $629,500 to help fund construction of a new law enforcement facility.
• Grenada County Board of Supervisors, Grenada County – $455,400 to help purchase law enforcement vehicles, patrol vehicles, a tractor, rotary cutter, a dump truck, a compact track loader, a tractor mower, a cab, a cassis truck, a backhoe loader, and a track type tractor.
• Mississippi Main Street Association, Inc., Hinds County - $150,000 to help provide technical assistance and training.
• Prentiss County Board of Supervisors, Prentiss County - $100,000 to help purchase two new fire trucks.
• City of Louisville, Winston County - $50,000 to help purchase a patrol vehicle, mini excavator, and chipper; and a second $29,800 grant to help with improvements to facilities.
• Town of Tishomingo, Tishomingo County - $50,000 to help purchase a sewer jetter and a second $30,200 grant to help purchase a tractor.
• Carroll County Board of Supervisors, Carroll County - $50,000 to help purchase a large truck and a second $27,800 grant to help purchase a mini excavator.
• City of Calhoun City, Calhoun County - $36,300 to help purchase an excavator for the public works department and a second $27,700 grant to help purchase two trucks for public work.
• Webster County Board of Supervisors, Webster County - $50,000 to help purchase a vehicle for the Sheriff's Department.
• Coahoma County Board of Supervisors, Coahoma County - $50,000 to help purchase patrol cars.
• City of Kosciusko, Attala County - $49,900 to help purchase patrol cars.
• Town of Friars Point, Coahoma County - $46,900 to help with improvements to facilities.
• Town of De Kalb, Kemper County - $44,600 to help purchase a bush hog, excavator, and mower.
• Town of Brooksville, Noxubee County - $43,500 to help purchase a pickup truck and chipper.
• Wayne General Hospital, Wayne County - $42,000 to help purchase a portable x-ray system.
• Town of Sumner, Tallahatchie County - $39,700 to help purchase a law enforcement vehicle.
• Town of Derma, Calhoun County - $37,400 to help purchase a new Jaws of Life.
• Town of Kilmichael, Montgomery County - $34,000 to help purchase a new dump truck.
• City of Water Valley, Yalobusha County - $30,500 to help purchase a warning siren.
• East Mississippi Community College, Kemper County - $28,600 to help purchase a patrol car.
• Town of Myrtle, Union County - $26,600 to help purchase a patrol car and a second $21,300 grant to help purchase a public works vehicle.
• Jefferson Davis Board of Supervisors, Jefferson Davis County - $21,800 to help purchase a new fingerprint machine, pepper spray guns, and portable radios for the Sheriff's Department.
• Town of Artesia, Lowndes County - $19,500 to help purchase a warning sign.
• Town of Tutwiler, Tallahatchie County - $16,200 to help purchase a debris removal truck.