The Attala County Board of Supervisors is applying for a Small Municipal grant from the Mississippi Development Authority to partially fund replacement of the roof of the Allied Industries Building on East Jefferson Street.
The roof replacement is estimated to cost a total of $245,500, according to a presentation to the board by local architect Art Cook. With grants capped at $150,000, the county will have to pitch in $95,000 in cash or in-kind services, well over the required 20% matching funds.
The application is one of nearly a dozen Wiggers’ office is preparing for local cities and counties, and there are 11 districts state-wide, so competition for the estimated $2.5 million in annual funding is fierce, according to John Wiggers of North Mississippi Planning and Development, who is preparing the application for the county.
The building houses Ability Works, a workforce training program that serves the local business community. The workforce training component may work in the project’s favor when compared to competitor projects, according to Wiggers, who also noted that most of the local legislators have written letters of support for the project.
