The City of Hazlehurst, Copiah County Board of Supervisors, Copiah Water Association, the Copiah County Medical Center, and Mississippi as well as the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District received a 2017 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for the Infrastructure Improvements to Support the Copiah County Medical Center.
The total project cost was approximately $17 million. The Copiah County Medical Center invested $16 million through private bank loans to construct and equip the new facility. The City of Hazlehurst utilized Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) and Delta Regional Authority (DRA) funds to supply sewer infrastructure to the site, which cost $400,000. Water infrastructure was supplied to the new facility by the Copiah Water Association. The Association was awarded $385,000 by the Economic Development Authority (EDA) and provided $278,000 in private match to complete the necessary work.
CNADO is a Washington, DC-based membership association of regional development organizations that promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities, and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery, and comprehensive strategies. The association’s Innovation Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and their partners for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities. 2017 marked NADO’s 50-year anniversary of supporting regional economic development across the country.
