FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 19, 2000
Contact: Karen Clarke
Tel: (202) 366-4043
FTA 23-00
Mississippi Delta Public/Private Partnership
CLARKSDALE, MS -- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today praised the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MSDOT), Greyhound Corporation (Greyhound) and FEDEX Corporation (FEDEX) for participating in an innovative public transit program that will enable currently unemployed individuals living in Clarksdale and surrounding Coahoma County, Miss., to reach much-needed jobs in Memphis, Tenn.
"President Clinton and Vice President Gore have long supported this kind of innovative public/private partnership," said Secretary Slater. "It is a key element in the Administration’s commitment to help people move from the dependence of the welfare rolls to the security, pride and self-sufficiency of payrolls."
Secretary Slater joined President Clinton last Saturday in Denver, Co. to announce the selection of this project for $150,000 in Job Access and Reverse Commute program funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Job Access program is significant in helping welfare recipients obtain and maintain employment and a key element of TEA-21.
The Clarksdale program will feature a partnership among CTAA, the federal grant recipient whose national JobLinks program will fund the project; MSDOT, which will administer the program in Clarksdale; and FEDEX, which will provide training and jobs for Clarksdale residents; and Greyhound, which will provide transit services from Clarksdale to FEDEX in Memphis, Tenn.
In total, $75 million in funds from the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program will help communities implement 218 transit projects in 39 states and the District of Columbia. The program is an innovative approach for providing transportation – bringing together transit providers, community organizers, planners and others committed to making the welfare reform initiative work. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration.
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