Cleveland, Merigold, Mound Bayou, MS

The primary purpose of this project is to create a regional hub of opportunity consisting of the three delta communities of Cleveland, Merigold, and Mound Bayou. The hub of opportunity will facilitate partnerships, address community specific needs and gaps, and allow the communities to build off one another’s successes to create a stronger local and regional economy. An ancillary goal of the project is to create a replicable framework based on this initial project that will be used to expand this concept to other delta communities. This project will foster partnerships that enhance the preservation of the community’s unique Delta heritage and will create links between people and institutions that will actively promote the improvement, protection and advancement of the participating communities. The framework will have a strong focus on sustainable economic growth, and by coming\ together, these communities can build upon their individual strengths to create a hub that will provide both regional and local success.

This project builds on the research previously done by the Small Town Center (STC) in creating regional hubs of opportunity focused on health, literacy, and the built environment. The STC and Mississippi Main Street collaborated on the design of this project and have also involved the Main Street Organization of Cleveland in the planning of this pilot project, which we hope to replicate in other delta communities in the coming years. This project addresses a need for economic and community building resources in small delta communities by creating intermunicipality cooperation and partnership building, focusing on the identification of regional assets, the identification of specific needs and gaps in services, and through the proposal of a solution to best align the community’s physical, cultural, human infrastructures.

This project will have significant economic, cultural, and social impacts to the participating hub communities when achieved. It will provide opportunities for growth for local businesses and arts and cultural organizations through the fostering of partnerships. This project will also have an impact on the growth of both local and regional economic sustainability through the reduction of overlapping resources and the sharing of local assets.