McComb officials hope to double their money by asking state officials to match expenses for water, sewer and stormwater drainage projects paid for with American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Garrett Smith of Neel-Schaffer Engineering told city officials Tuesday that the city could submit ARPA-funded water, sewer and stormwater projects to the Mississippi Department of Health and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for consideration for matching funds starting July 1.
McComb has $3.2 million in ARPA funds.
Smith acknowledged there is no guarantee the state would pay for half of any of the projects.
“It’s competitive, but there’s a lot of money out there. We have a really good chance,” Smith said. “As long as you send in a project that’s eligible, you’ve got a good chance.”
Initially, Smith said the state’s plan was to match water and sewer projects, but stormwater projects were recently added to the list.
“That’s an interesting thing because stormwater is typically rated lower than the water and sewer,” he said.
Smith stressed the importance of having a project list ready by July 1.
“We don’t want to be a month behind on that,” he said. “We’ll be behind the ball at that point.”
Selectman Shawn Williams mentioned the need for a stormwater drain project in the Donna Heights area.
“For years, that area has been backing up in flood. I would say 25 years or so,” he said.
Selectman Devante Johnson mentioned two projects that could be paid for through ARPA funds — lights at the East McComb activities field and flooring at the Martin Luther King gymnasium being constructed.
“I would like to add that to the list,” he said.
The state would not provide matching funds for them since they are not water, sewer or stormwater projects.
“We’re in the midst of constructing the MLK gymnasium,” he said. “Everybody knew about the cost restraints we ran into when constructing it.”
Selectman Ronnie Brock asked how much infrastructure money in funds unrelated to ARPA is coming to the city.
A $1.2 trillion infrastructural bill received Congressional approval in 2021.
“It’s not going to be like the ARPA where you’ve got $3 million,” Smith said. “They’re not going to just give you a chunk. Where you’re going to see the infrastructure bill money come through is additional grants. There are a lot of grant programs coming down.”
