ADP program wins CEDA

HATTIESBURG — The greater Hattiesburg area was named a winner of a Community Economic Development Award (CEDA) in recognition of the Pinebelt in Bloom Program at the recent Mississippi Economic Development Council 2009 Summer Conference in Biloxi.

The CEDA honors communities throughout Mississippi for their efforts to advance their economic viability through economic and community development programs during the 2008 calendar year.

The Area Development Partnership organized Pinebelt in Bloom, designed to engage numerous organizations in an effort to enhance the area’s aesthetics. Launched in 2008, Pinebelt in Bloom involves many components including the planting of ginkgo trees, creation of an “oasis” of special landscaping at select high-traffic areas, planting of daylilies throughout Hattiesburg in seeking certification as a “Daylily Community,” commissioning of sculptures for the Festival of Swans, sponsoring flower-themed art exhibits and distributing 10,000 packets of black-eyed Susan seeds, to name a few.