Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

CALEDONIA—With funding from the Delta Regional Authority’s (DRA) State Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP), the village of Caledonia will begin addressing significant flooding issues throughout the village. Caledonia experiences flooding over its roadways and into structures that has increased over the years. The village’s small drainage infrastructure cannot process the amount of stormwater flow. The project would create a detention basin to retain flood waters for a slower release, creation of approximately 750 feet of roadside ditches along Webster Road and replace eight roadside culverts. 

These improvements will reduce significant flooding, thus significantly improving transportation access to the village as well as addressing safety concerns when flood waters cover Hwy. 21 and allow for a more vibrant business area that can generate new and expanding businesses to the community and surrounding rural areas. The total project will cost approximately $266,116 of which $256,000 will be covered by the DRA grant. 

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/.

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