BOLTON, MISSISSIPPI – Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced that the Department of Justice Community Capacity Development Office has awarded a $150,000 Weed and Seed Continuation Grant for the towns of Greenville, Metcalfe, and Leland in Washington County. 

The Greenville, Metcalfe, and Leland Weed and Seed sites first received Official Recognition in FY 1997 and were re-certified in September 2003 for expansion into Leland’s Black Dog Community.  Now the designated areas include the Amy Covington neighborhood in Greenville, the town of Metcalfe, and the Black Dog Community in Leland. 

During this funding cycle, law enforcement will focus on “weeding” out criminal elements and negative influences and preventing their return to these designated areas; reducing levels of drugs and violent crime; and improving relations between law enforcement and community residents to develop solutions for community problems.  Neighborhood restoration goals include revitalization and improving the quality of life in the designated area by implementing strategies for housing code enforcement, trash reduction, infrastructure improvement, continuous development, and neighborhood clean-ups.

For more detailed information on the Greenville, Metcalf, and Leland Weed and Seed Program activities contact Paul Watson, President of the Washington County Board of Supervisors at (662) 686-4179.