Posted on November 11, 2021
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – More than $60 million in new RESTORE Act projects across the Mississippi Gulf Coast were announced Tuesday afternoon by Governor Tate Reeves. All 16 of the projects were recommended to Reeves by the Governor’s Gulf Coast Advisory Committee.
“The idea here is to do projects that make sense for the people that live work and recreate down here. To implement projects that they recommend. It is their vision for their coast and it is not being dictated through Jackson,” said Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Executive Director Chris Wells.
Some of the projects are large in scope, and will take millions more to accomplish. That includes the Moss Point I-10 commercial corridor improvements project. Still Mayor Billy Knight was thrilled the project was selected.
“This is just the beginning, we have gotten funding before and we’re not quite there yet but every little bit helps,” said Moss Point Mayor Billy Knight.
For some this funding will allow businesses to grow their impact here on the coast. The Gulfport Biloxi International airport will now improve facilities with the funding in hopes of attracting an industrial aerospace investment.
“This two hundred and forty one acres is the next step in our strategy to try and grow our footprint,” said Airport Executive Director Clay Williams.
The city of D’Iberville plans on using the funding to revitalize an unused water front property, and create a mixed use seafood harbor.
“That waterfront area has been laying like that since Katrina and what we are trying to do is revitalize that area, put some money in to it, make it look a lot better and hopefully attract some investors,” said City Manager Clay Jones.
The funds are expected to be released in approximately eighteen months.
RESTORE Act Direct Component (aka Bucket 1) Funding
- Water Quality Improvement Program ($1.1 million) — implementation of new, repaired, or upgraded stormwater and wastewater systems including septic to sewer conversions.
- Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center ($1.54 million) — funding for design, permitting, construction, and installation of parking lot and outer concourse safety and security features. A continuation of previously-funded improvements.
- Commercial Proving Grounds for Space to Sea Floor Environmental Monitoring ($1.65 million) — development of airborne and waterborne unmanned systems to test and calibrate new systems from private, educational, governmental, and military entities.
- City of Moss Point I-10 Commercial Corridor Improvements ($2.2 million) — improve access, connectivity, and safety of the Moss Point Interstate Commerce District to enhance the city’s economy and quality of life.
- Hancock County Tech Park at Stennis Airport ($2.2 million) — construct a building to house the Department of the Army’s Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX), which has outgrown its existing incubator space.
- Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport Site Expansion and Facility Relocation ($3.19 million) — expand the airport’s 241-acre runway-adjacent Project Ready site to attract industrial aerospace investment. Also, demolish the antiquated vehicle fleet maintenance facility and build a new facility adjacent to the airport’s maintenance building.
- Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport Project Ready Site Mitigation and Prep ($4.18 million) — funding for the mitigating, clearing, and grubbing of an economic development site at the airport.
- Broadwater Marina Restoration Project ($5.5 million) – funding to return to public use 30 acres of state-owned lands that includes future tourism and economic development potential.
- Hancock County Fairgrounds Revitalization/Hancock County Multipurpose Arena ($6.05 million) — upgrades and improvements to the 80-acre fairgrounds and multipurpose arena including facilities and infrastructure to foster economic growth.
- Washington Street Avenue Gateway/Jackson County ($6.6 million) — construct pedestrian-friendly features including sidewalks, crosswalks, landscape the median, and install mast arm signals for safety for Washington Avenue in Ocean Springs.
RESTORE Act Spill Impact Component (aka Bucket 3) Funding
- Accelerate Mississippi Public/Private Workforce Training Partnership ($2.2 million) — develop and foster workforce development through Accelerate Mississippi in the three coastal counties.
- Coastal Habitat Management Fund ($3.3 million) — provide funding for management plans and management on existing and newly-acquired coastal preserves tracts.
- Beachfront Resilience ($4.95 million) — additional funding for enhancing and repairing Highway 90 boardwalks and sidewalks along with dune plantings and fencing to address sand migration onto Highway 90.
- Gulf Coast Center of Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) Fusion ($5.5 million) — project will focus on developing an Information Technology (IT) workforce for economic expansion, innovation, and societal growth.
- Improvement of wastewater quality and solid waste disposal from Shrimp Processing industry ($5.5 million) – funding for improvements to wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal from the shrimp processing industry.
- City of D’Iberville working waterfront and commercial seafood harbor ($6.6 million) – a project to build a mixed-use working waterfront and seafood harbor in D’Iberville.
Watch the governor’s full news conference below, which took place at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.
The RESTORE Act was established in 2012 to provide relief to the five coastal states affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The trust utilizes funds to restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast region.
