George County receives federal grants
George County is set to begin work on its infrastructure and dispatch system after receiving federal funding.
Old Highway 63 in George County is one of the most traveled roads and in 2025 it will be receiving some much-needed upgrades, going from two lanes to three. Economic Development Director Ken Flanagan said, “We want to do a new turn lane all the way from that point and we are to come South all the way across this driveway and we’re going to go down, basically to the co-op entrance right down there on the other side for a turn lane.”
Flanagan says the Old Highway 63 Infrastructure Development Grant will allow them to decongest traffic on the two-lane highway during major events at the fairgrounds. “Now there will be benefits to economic development to our fair, arts and crafts festival, the rodeo. But the primary goal is here to make it a nice safe entrance for people to turn off Highway 63 south.”
The county recently received two federal community development grants. The Old Highway 63 grant totals $1.6 million and will expand the road by eight feet.
The second project will assist 9-1-1 dispatch in the county and equals $1.1 million, that will be used to purchase new 9-1-1 system equipment and software.
The $2.7 million total is something the county has not seen in a long time. “We’re going to do complete hardware and software upgrade inside the 9-1-1 Center. New phone lines, new internet lines, new fiber optic lines, all the computers and software that go with it. Shoot, we’re even going to get new chairs for the dispatchers. It’s going to be a complete renovation and redo of our 9-1-1 Center.”
Flanagan expects to break ground in summer 2025 and be ready to go in October 2025 for the George County Fair. “So, it’s a lot of timeframes already. I have told our congressional delegation that we’re going to try to set a record and spend this federal money as fast as possible.”
The Board of Supervisors says the brunt of the work was done by state congressional officials.
