Delta’s $2M going to 12 communities

WASHINGTON — The Delta Regional Authority will provide $2 million in funding for Arkansas projects in a dozen communities, the agency announced Wednesday.

That includes $275,000 for water infrastructure in Wilson; $267,676 to help build an educational facility in Newport; and $256,565 for workforce training in Little Rock. McGehee will receive $250,000 for new digital radiography equipment; Helena-West Helena will get $225,000 to shore up its sewage treatment system; and El Dorado will be awarded $200,000 for a culinary arts center.

Six other communities will receive money for wastewater system projects: Altheimer ($188,000); Newark ($145,212); Wynne ($87,167); McCrory ($80,750); Datto ($42,100); and St. Charles ($23,155).

Delta authority chairman Chris Caldwell portrayed the grants as money well spent.

“Every time we invest in critical infrastructure improvements, we are making a commitment to improving lives, growing jobs and enhancing economic competitiveness across the Delta region,” he said in a written statement.

Created by Congress in 2000 with the support of then-President Bill Clinton, the Delta Regional Authority covers parts of seven states along the Mississippi River plus Alabama, and encompasses 252 counties and parishes, many of them with high rates of poverty.