Local organizers present $100K MLK beautification package, ask McComb for support

Kevin Brown presented a multi-component MLK Beautification Grant proposal and asked the board to add the item to next week's agenda for formal action. He said the initial project phases include a $25,000 pilot that paid local workers and vendors and a $50,000 grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council that would expand programming and design contests.

Brown said the program is intended to be community-centered and locally resourced. "This first phase, join the movement. And what I wanted to highlight about that is this was a $25,000 project, right? So what does that money go? We hired two kids to park cars," he told the board, emphasizing local hiring, venue rentals and arts partnerships. He described three pieces: street banners honoring local civil-rights figures, a mural at the Martin Luther King complex and interpretive work at the Allen Quinn house (noting the site already has a Freedom Trail marker and other preservation status).

Board members and staff asked practical questions about pole access, public‑works coordination and formal letters of support; Brown said the funding already identified would make the city a stronger applicant for additional grants. The board agreed to add the item to the agenda next week for formal consideration and possible authorization of a city letter of support.

The request now moves to next week's agenda, where the board can decide whether to authorize staff direction, letters of support or other commitments that Brown said are needed to secure the larger grants and local matches.