From press and staff reports

Thirty-two preservation and restoration projects from Corinth to the Gulf Coast have been awarded nearly $4 million in the fifth year of a grant program administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

The Community Heritage Preservation grant program, authorized and funded through the Mississippi Legislature, helps preserve and restore historic courthouses and schools and, in Certified Local Government communities, other historic properties.

The Choctaw County Courthouse will receive $169,200 for exterior restoration, including window replacement and installation of an HVAC system.

This project will go hand in hand with the renovation project already underway at the courthouse which includes extensive drywall repair.

Choctaw County Supervisors decided a few months ago that the upstairs, which houses the forestry department, needed renovation and repair work done. The area has extensive water damage that has occurred over a period of time that needs to be repaired.

The entire renovation project includes drywall work, painting, electrical wiring, installation of air and heat, installing dropped ceilings and installation of new flooring. The project would also include the establishment of an area to serve as home for the county's Law Library.

The current renovations are being made through the Law Library Fund and the General Fund.

Twenty-nine of the thirty-two properties receiving awards are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Department of Archives and History received sixty-seven applications. Over the life of the program, the department has awarded more than $22 million in Community Heritage Preservation grants to 121 projects.

"This program has been crucial in preserving historic structures across the state, and we are grateful to the Legislature for continuing to fund it," said H.T. Holmes, director of the Department of Archives and History. "The response from the public has been overwhelming, and we only regret that we could not have funded more of these worthy projects."

The Board of Trustees of the Department of Archives and History determined the grant recipients at a special meeting on December 15. In evaluating the grants, the board attempted to balance the geographical distribution of the awards.

Grant awards are paid on a reimbursable basis upon the successful completion of the entire project or at the time of the completion of pre-established phases of the project. A cash match of at least 20 percent must be provided, and prior to application all buildings must have been designated Mississippi Landmarks.

Only county or municipal governments, school districts, and nonprofit organizations granted Section 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service may submit applications. In reviewing and evaluating the grants, the Board of Trustees of MDAH attempted to balance the geographical distribution of grant awards.

To become a Certified Local Government, a community must adopt a preservation ordinance establishing a preservation commission in accordance with federal and state guidelines. Once the commission has been established, application for CLG status may be made to the National Park Service through the Department of Archives and History. MDAH works closely with local government officials and citizens to help them create and manage a workable local historic preservation program.

----Staff writer Laura Sandiford contributed to this report.