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U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) Xochitl Torres Small celebrates Mayor Errick Simmons' announcement that Delta Region Authority (DRA) has awarded a grant of $2.5M to Greenville, MS, on April 14, 2023. USDA, part of the Rural Partners Network (RPN) community, has identified regional airport renovations as its signature project, with the desire to create 200 jobs. Part of RPN's work is to attract and leverage federal funding beyond USDA to fund projects in RPN communities. DRA, through EDA, has granted an award to the City of Greenville for $2.5 M to bring the hangar up to Dept. of Defense code standards. This is a $15M project with other support, including private and public investments. This is significant in that it illustrates the first time that other federal dollars outside USDA have been used to fund a signature project in an RPN community (and in Mississippi, where RPN was launched in 2022!)

The Rural Partners Network has transformed the way we serve rural people in Mississippi and throughout the country. By partnering with communities to drive economic growth for generations to come, we are creating opportunities for all people to build successful futures. And this is just the beginning.