Jasper Co. seeks GO Zone funds

Will use grant to repair damage caused by Hurricane Katrina

By Eloria Newell James, community@laurelleadercall.com

JASPER COUNTY — After several months of work, Jasper County officials were able to conduct their second public hearing regarding damage caused to a county building by Hurricane Katrina.

The state of Mississippi in 2008 announced that various cities, counties and governmental entities would receive disaster recovery grants due to damage caused by the 2005 hurricane.

The Jasper County Board of Supervisors were able to get damages at the Jasper County Courthouse in Paulding declared as a part of the state project.

Jennifer Buford, the community development director with the East Central Planning and Development District, said this public hearing comes “near the end of the project.”

Officials said the repair work was approved under the state’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)/Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zone.

The project is a part of Mississippi’s $5.48 billion federal Katrina recovery package, composed entirely of flexible CDBG monies, which may be used for a variety of public infrastructure purposes.

Buford said this week’s public hearing is one of the requirements of the county’s final phase of the CDBG Katrina GO Zone project.

According to officials, the grant is being used at the county courthouse because it received heavy roof and interior damage from Katrina.

District Two Supervisor Henry Hayes said the “courthouse received a lot of water damage from the storm.”

“This grant is just fixing what Katrina damaged,” Hayes said. “The roof and the inside of the courthouse were heavily damaged.”

County officials said the grant, which totaled $162,500, is allowing the county to completely repair the damages.

Buford said the roof of the courthouse has been completely replaced. She said work is now being done to replace the cabinet work as well as water stains on the inside of the facility.

Jasper officials said Hurricane Katrina damaged the roof of the building, several cabinets and some of the interior. However, no files were destroyed.

Circuit Clerk Billy G. Rayner said he is in the process of coordinating the cabinets being replaced at the courthouse.

Also during the hearing, county officials discussed some damage with the lighting and the sound system in the courtroom of the Paulding facility.

“As long as the damages were caused by Katrina, they can be considered,” Buford said.

Buford said this week’s public hearing was the second conducted by the board in regard to the project. She said the first public hearing was conducted prior to any work being done at the facility.

Officials said the grant for this project is a part of a state package being provided to those in the Gulf Opportunity Zone or “GO Zone,” a federally defined area eligible for special tax breaks and supplemental federal investment designed to promote and hasten hurricane recovery.

Following the hearing on the courthouse project, Buford updated those present on progress being made concerning the state grant slated to help build a nutrition site in the Rose Hill area.

The Jasper County Board of Supervisors has received a letter from Gov. Haley Barbour announcing the Rose Hill project being funded.

The letter addressed to the president of the board of supervisors states that the county’s “application for Regular Public Facilities funds through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program in the amount of $155,000 has been approved by the Mississippi Development Authority.”

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