As of 09/27/2013
Series 829: Military Installation Improvement MEIA Grant Files. 1993-2001.
Economic & Community Development (RG 76)
Files pertaining to the threatened closure and/or relocation of military installations in Mississippi, and the combined efforts of the state and the local communities near those installations to upgrade them so that they would be less likely to be shut down. Such upgrades could take the form of infrastructure improvements (such as roads or water and sewer systems), morale and recreation improvements (such as building USO facilities), military readiness improvements, or even relocating certain facilities in order to reduce military expenditures in the long run. The State of Mississippi’s Department of Economic and Community Development aided city and county governments in these efforts by providing matching funds through grants issued by its Major Economic Impact Authority (MEIA).
Folders are grouped together by county and military installation. Two of the folders, which concern general military base closure planning meetings and Mississippi Military Communities Council meetings, are of a general nature and do not pertain to any one particular military base or community. Oversize items have been relocated to appropriately-sized boxes or map drawers.
Researchers should note that not every MEIA-funded military base project is necessarily documented in these files, and neither were all of these projects necessarily funded.
ACCESS NOTE Access to architectural drawings is limited. Application for access, with justification, must be submitted to the Director, Archives and Library Division, or to the Department Director. |
| Harrison Co. - Keesler AFB Improvements: 1996-1997 | 29566 |
| Harrison Co. - Naval Construction Bttn. Center - Bldg. 79: 1995-1998 | 29566 |
| Harrison Co. - Port Authority Lay Berth: 1994-2001 | 29566 |
| Jackson Co. - Naval Station water system upgrades: 1994-1999 | 29565 |
| Jackson Co. - Relocation of Coast Guard Station: 1995-2001 | 29565 |
| Jackson Co. - USO Facility at U.S. Naval Station: 1996-1998 | 29565 |
| Lauderdale Co. - Naval Air Station - Closure planning: 1993 | 31697 |
| Lauderdale Co. - Naval Air Station - Hwy 45 Access Road: 1996-1997 | 29566 |
| Lauderdale Co. - Naval Air Station - Noise Abatement: 1996-1997 | 29566 |
| Lauderdale Co. - Naval Air Station - Stennis Drive: 1994-1998 | 29566 |
| Lauderdale Co. - Naval Air Station - The Partnership: 1994-1997 | 29566 |
| Lauderdale Co. - Naval Air Station Morale, Welfare & Recreation: 1994-1998 | 29566 |
| Lauderdale Co. - Naval Air Station Water & Sewer Upgrades: 1995-1998 | 29566 |
| Lauderdale Co. - Naval Reserve Center project: 1995-1998 | 29566 |
| Lowndes Co. - Columbus AFB - CAFB 2000: 1994 | 29566 |
| Lowndes Co. - Columbus AFB - Water & Sewer Upgrades: 1993-1998 | 29566 |
| Military base planning meetings: 1994-1996 | 29566 |
| Mississippi Military Communities Council meetings: 1997 | 29566 |
| Relocated oversize item [RESTRICTED] | 29573 |
| Relocated oversize items | 29571 |
| Relocated oversize items | 29572 |
Historial Note
With the breakup of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, which began in the mid-1980s and culminated in 1991, the United States government began downsizing its own military forces. An important component of this downsizing was the closure or realignment of military bases. Beginning in 1989, Congress established a series of bipartisan base realignment and closure (BRAC) commissions to compile lists of military installations recommended for closure, partial closure or realignment and submit such lists to the Pentagon. Obviously, the closure of a military base could have a devastatingly negative economic impact on local communities near the base and on the entire state in which the base was located. In Mississippi, counties and municipalities near these installations rallied to save “their” bases by attempting to upgrade them so that they would be less likely to be closed. Matching funds for such upgrades were made available through the Mississippi Major Economic Impact Authority, the economic authority created by the Legislature in 1989 to fund development projects that would “significantly contribute to the employment base and scientific and educational growth” of Mississippi citizens (Mississippi Code 1972 Annotated, §57-75-3).
