Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

EDGAR SPRINGS—With funding from the Delta Regional Authority’s (DRA) State Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP), the city of Edgar Springs will begin improvements to Broadway Street, which is the main street in town that accesses small businesses and organizations serving the community and surrounding rural areas. Broadway Street connects Highway 63 to state routes ZZ and H. The project will address drainage issues that causes localized flooding, repave the driving surface, install storm boxes and storm pipes, add concrete and granular paving and complete asphalt repair with a chip and seal. 

These improvements will decrease flooding and create a more resilient surface to withstand local and truck traffic. The total project will cost approximately $272,680 of which $267,500 will be covered by the DRA grant, which includes administrative costs. 

The DRA was established in 2000 as a formal framework for joint federal-state collaboration to promote and encourage the economic development of the lower Mississippi River and Alabama Black Belt regions. To fulfill this purpose, DRA invests in projects supporting transportation infrastructure, basic public infrastructure, workforce training and business development. DRA’s mission is to help create jobs, build communities and improve the lives of those who reside in the 255 counties and parishes in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. There are 27 Missouri counties in the DRA eight-state service area, including Dent, Crawford, Phelps and Washington counties within the Meramec Region. Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) is the designated Local Development District (LDD) for the four Meramec counties in the DRA. To learn more about the Delta Regional Authority’s programs and initiatives, visit www.dra.gov. 

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. Osage County Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin serves as chairman of the board. A professional staff of 24, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities. MRPC staff assisted the village of Caledonia with the application and will assist in grant administration.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.

-30-