Pearl River County is moving forward with the development of its long-anticipated Technology Park, a 30-acre site located along Runway Road across from the Picayune Municipal Airport.

In January, county officials received nine bids for the first phase of site clearing and development. The contract was awarded to John C. Lee Enterprises, whose bid came in 35.53% below the engineering estimate. Before clearing, the site was heavily wooded and overgrown with vegetation.

The concept of the Pearl River County Technology Park dates back to the 1990s, spearheaded by former development groups including Partners for Pearl River County. In 2021, ownership of the site was officially transferred to the county through a partnership involving the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District and Partners for Pearl River County.

Since acquiring the property, the county has collaborated with the Mississippi Development Authority, state and local legislators, the City of Picayune, and other economic development partners to craft a long-term plan for attracting technology and aerospace-related industries to the site.

The park’s Master Plan outlines ten 10,000-square-foot buildings, each expandable to 20,000 square feet. The goal is to provide a flexible, scalable environment for advanced manufacturing and technology businesses.

“Pearl River County has steadily focused on our economic development efforts to create sites suitable for both manufacturing and technology-related businesses,” said Malcolm Perry, president of the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors. “We are incredibly thankful for the partnerships at the local, state, and federal levels that allow us to develop both the technology and industrial parks. The first phase at the technology park shows how important site development efforts are to ensuring we have a suitable site to recruit a new industry or business.”

As the county prepares for the next stage, two bidding opportunities have been announced. The first, “Pearl River County Tech Park Buildings ‘A’ & ‘B’,” covers the construction of the site’s initial two buildings. A second bid package, “Pearl River County Technology Park – Phase 1 Utilities, both will be bid out on June 17.