Series 2881: PRBDD County Project Files. 1964-2018.
Planning and Development Districts (RG 114). Pearl River Basin Development District (SG 3).

Series 2881: PRBDD County Project Files. 1964-2018.
Planning and Development Districts (RG 114). Pearl River Basin Development District (SG 3).

      A large collection of county project files from the Pearl River Basin Development District. These records detail the numerous projects related to agency activities and include correspondence, memoranda, construction bids and quotes, and joint funding agreements. Much of this collection is related to the PDI program and the Equipment Grant Program. The District's Project Development and Improvement (PDI) funds were used for capital improvements to public recreation facilities. The District's Equipment Grant Program was established to assist counties with the cost of maintaining public parks, and assist with the purchase of grounds maintenance equipment. Due to the large size of the collection, further processing will be necessary in the future. As such the following box descriptions are illustrative rather than comprehensive.

      Agency History: The Pearl River Basin Development District was created by the Mississippi legislature in 1964 to serve as local coordinator for federal programs of water resource development including: pollution abatement, flood management, soil conservation, and water recreation. County membership in the district fluctuated over the course of the agency’s history but included the following counties: Attala, Copiah, Hancock, Hinds, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Marion, Neshoba, Pearl River, Pike, Rankin, Scott, Simpson and Walthall. The District was governed by a thirty-member Board of Directors. Two members were appointed by each county's Board of Supervisors, four appointed from major state agencies, and one appointed by the Governor. Notable projects initiated by the PRBDD include: The Pearl River Boatway (which consists of twelve parks stretching from Neshoba County to the Gulf Coast), the Shoccoe Dry Dam Project, the Highway 25 Clearing Project, and Riverside Park (now LeFleurs Bluff State Park) in Jackson.