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The city of Atmore was awarded Delta Regional Authority funds to construct a new rail trans load yard to support the new peanut processing plant and other existing and new industries in the industrial park, according to Gov. Kay Ivey’s press office.

Ivey made the announcement today.

The project, Project Nautilus, Phase II, includes an investment that is projected to create 150 jobs and retain 200 jobs. The DRA investment is $307,071 with a total investment of $3,066,371.

“That’s a great step in the right direction,” Mayor Jim Staff said.

Staff said he believes the funding will help businesses in the park.

“It’s just great,” he said. “It came out of the blue, and it sure is nice.”
Because it’s from the DRA, the city of Atmore doesn’t have to match any funds.

The DRA’s total investment for the state is $3,448,973, and goes to boosting economic development and improves the quality of life for Alabama communities and residents.

The investment will be matched by $9.6 million and will attract an additional $440 million in leveraged private investment (LPI) into the Alabama Black Belt region.

The city of Atmore is one of 13 new investment projects going toward the improvement of water and sewer systems, updating transportation infrastructure and supporting entrepreneurship in communities across the Alabama Black Belt. These projects are expected to create or retain 1,091 jobs, train 200 individuals and affect over 5,100 families.

“Alabama is proud of our ever-important federal state partnership with the Delta Regional Authority,” Ivey said. “We look forward to seeing these funds positively impact and improve the lives of Alabamians across the Black Belt. With these thirteen new investment projects, communities will see improvements that are critical to economic growth throughout their areas.”

Funding for these projects is provided by the States’ Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP), which provides direct investment into community-based and regional projects to support basic public infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, workforce training and education and small businesses development with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, and the Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF), which targets physical infrastructure projects that help build safer, more resilient communities in the Delta region.  DRA coordinates directly with the Office of the Governor for the state of Alabama and six local development districts in the state for program funding implementation.