Community theater, music and more on tap this weekend

You’ll find a host of headliners in town this weekend — Crystal Gayle, Heart, Loverboy, Merle Haggard, and a Garth Brooks tribute show – plus there’s Mississippi Surge hockey, public ice skating and the Top of the Hops Beer festival at the Coast Coliseum.

Meantime, two productions are on the boards at Biloxi community theaters: Biloxi Little Theater continues its run of “Boys Next Door,” and you’ll find “Fences” at Center Stage.

And, if you’re inclined to wet a line, the Biloxi Boardwalk hosts its second annual speckled trout shootout.

For details on these events and a host of others taking place this weekend, courtesy of listings from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, click here.

Asphalt work begins Monday on Jackson, Lameuse streets

Downtown workers and motorists: Be careful where you park and travel Monday and Tuesday.

The city’s Public Works Department on Monday morning at 8 plans to begin removing the top layer of asphalt on Jackson Street east and west of Lameuse Street before moving onto Lameuse Street itself Monday afternoon and Tuesday.

The work, weather permitting, should take several days, says Public Works Director Dan Gaillet, with the plan to have fresh asphalt down well ahead of the Mardi Gras Day parades.

Council to decide fate of proposed MGM Park Tuesday morning

The Biloxi City Council, in a special meeting Tuesday morning at 10:30, is finally expected to decide five measures involving the proposed MGM Park at Beau Rivage, including a resolution to borrow $21 million to construct the proposed downtown stadium and entertainment venue.

A vote planned for this week was postponed because Councilmember Felix Gines was out of town, serving with the National Guard.

The stadium issue, which has been intermittently discussed and negotiated for months, will headline the agenda, which was unavailable at this writing.

However, to see the previous agenda — which includes proposed agreements between the city, site owner Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, the baseball team owners, the state, architects and others — click here.

This week in development: Continuing to flourish in Biloxi

By Jerry Creel, Community Development Director

This week, economic development in the City of Biloxi continued to flourish with the opening of the New Hard Rock Casino Hotel
Tower.

The Community Development Department also issued Certificates of Occupancy for the new Blue Crab Restaurant
on Beach Boulevard, and the Firehouse Subs Restaurant at Pass Road and Beauvoir.


Construction and Renovations continue
on the New Maritime and Seafood Museum, and the Golden Nugget Casino in east Biloxi. Restoration continues on the White House
Hotel on Beach Boulevard which is expected to be completed sometime in May.

Building Permits for $1.6 million were issued this
week for renovations for the conversion of the Grand Casino-Biloxi to become Harrah’s. A clearing permit was issued this week
for the site work for the new Handy Lock Storage Facility to be constructed at the corner of Popp’s Ferry Road and Iron Horse.

Demolition crews continue to make tremendous progress in removing the concrete platform on the south side of Beach Boulevard
across from the Grand.

On Wednesday, the Development Review Committee approved site plans for the New Walmart Neighborhood
Market at Pass Road and Tara Lane, the new Thomas Genin Restaurant on Beach Boulevard between Shaggy’s and the Blue Crab, and a temporary
parking lot for Hard Rock Casino to be located on the old Windjammer condominiums property.
DRC also reviewed the site plans and elevation
drawings for the renovation and improvements to the Old Federal Courthouse in Downtown.

News and notes

Webcasting: Chief Administrative Officer David Nichols discusses the new Hard Rock Platinum Tower, the new bait shop at the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor, and baseball in this week’s City Desk webcast. To listen to the nine-minute program, click here. Incidentally, for a virtual tour of the new Hard Rock tower, click here.

Boil water notice: About 40 homes on Keesler Circle and the surrounding area are under a boil-water notice at this time, after a loss of water pressure. The Public Works Department said the notice could be lifted Sunday. Additionally, a boil-water notice is in effect for Yorkshire Drive and could be lifted as soon as Saturday.

Talking Mardi Gras: Super Talk Mississippi will broadcast its JT Show to a statewide audience, from a 40-foot mobile studio on the Town Green on Mardi Gras Day.

Employee honored: Willie Washington has been named the inaugural Public Works Employee of the Month in a program where fellow employees vote for the employee that best represents the City of Biloxi’s Public Works Department. To read more, click here.