Wiggins plans for downtown boardwalk
Last month, the City of Wiggins received a $1.25 million grant from MDOT for a downtown boardwalk.
The grant was first reported by the Stone County Enterprise. The boardwalk will run from the base of Pine Avenue extending to Stone High School.
The purpose of this is to create more foot traffic in the area to promote economic development, but not everyone agrees that the boardwalk should be a priority at this time.
Alderman Damian McKay said, “I am not against the boardwalk. It would be a nice addition to downtown. The city has to match funds over $300,000 for the grant. I am opposed to spending money for a project not a priority. We should reconsider the plans for more immediate infrastructure issues and the changing of Stone County High’s location.”
Mayor Darrell Berry says coming up with the matching funds could also be problematic. “The project has been in city plans for a while. The challenge for the boardwalk is the matching funds. We are actively pursuing other grants to cover the matching funds. I feel strong about our chances.”
The total cost of the grant is over $1.5 million. Mayor Berry says the grant for non-interest funds is $1.25 million. They can control how much of the project is funded to lessen the matching funds of the grant.
The City of Wiggins has until June 30th to design the boardwalk and be approved before losing the grant money.
