The town of Jonesboro has been a recipient of a grant for infrastructure improvements. The new funding will allow for one of the water wells south of town to be completed and brought online. 

“As we get our system updated with generators and this new water well coming in, and take a more proactive approach, it will alleviate a large majority of the water issues we are facing in the future,” said Jonesboro Mayor J. “Spike” Harris.

The water well located near Industrial Road was built in 2017, but it wasn’t completed. Harris says the new improvements will meet the needs of the growing community.

“We couldn’t get it at a better time. The senior housing community is looking at being completed by February. The new parish jail is already up and running, and we have a prison there already.”

The $573,000 grant, funded by the Delta Regional Authority, will help complete and upgrade the existing system. Harris says the project will be matched by using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The total cost is estimated to be $700,000.

“According to our engineering firm we have to pay up to $250,000, and maybe a little more,” said Harris.

Harris says no date has been set yet for the project to begin, but it would take a few months to be completed.