Major projects dominate City Council agenda

Four major projects, some that have been in the works for years, are expected to take another step forward when the City Council meets Tuesday night.

The four projects – a new main entrance for Keesler, a beachside boardwalk in west Biloxi, a second pedestrian walkway over U.S. 90 and repairs to the Saenger Theater – are all on the agenda.

The biggest project, a new main entrance at Division Street for Keesler, incorporates a $5 million grant from the state into the city budget so that design work can begin on the new entrance.

The project to construct a beachside boardwalk from Rodenberg to Camelia south of restaurant row in west Biloxi, will see formal agreements considered between the city, county and Department of Marine Resources, which is overseeing the million dollars in Tidelands funds the state appropriated for the project. A total of $700,000 was awarded to the city and $300,000 to the county for the initial phase of the concrete, ground-level 12-foot-wide boardwalk. Construction is expected to begin in several months.

Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich is also asking the council to approve agreements with Coast Transit for evaluation of a proposed overhead bike and pedestrian walkway at the foot of Rue Magnolia, and an agreement to receive a $100,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to fund roof repairs at the Saenger Theater.

Trash issue: The City Council also will have a 4:30 meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss trash pick up. The public meeting will include a Q&A with representatives of the Harrison County Utility Authority, which oversees the countywide contract with Waste Pro.
See the agenda for Tuesday’s meetings

 

Farmers Market introduces loyalty card

Laura Gnuschke is the July winner of the Farmers Market Card drawing! By shopping at the Charles R. Hegwood Biloxi Farmers Market and completing a loyalty card, the Farmers Market regular was able to enter the monthly drawing and become the winner of a prize basket.

All shoppers at the Farmers Market also now have the chance to win a monthly prize.

Visitors to the market can pick up a Farmers Market card from any market vendor after making a purchase. Then, once the card is full, turn it for a chance to win in monthly drawings.

“Each time a purchase is made, the shopper will receive initials and the booth number in each box on the card from the vendor,” Parks and Recreation Director Cheryl Bell said. “Once 10 purchases and ‘punches’ have been made, the shopper has completed the card.”

Shoppers then turn the completed card in at vendor booth 39 to enter the drawing.

Drawings are conducted once a month at the market for a basket filled with fresh items donated by vendors at the farmers market.

“The card program has been in effect now for about two months,” city reservationist Tina Cowart said, “and the program has already proven to be very successful.”

The Charles R. Hegwood Biloxi Farmers Market is open every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visit the Farmers Market page

 

News and notes

New AHRC seated: Courtney Snodgrass was elected the president of the Architectural and Historical Review Commission when the newly-constituted board held its initial meeting last week. To see other developments in the city’s Fire, Police and Community Development departments last week, click here.

New AHRC agenda: The Architectural and Historical Review Commission will face an agenda of a dozen cases when it meets Thursday morning at 8:30 at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Municipal Building. By the way, City Historical Administrator Bill Raymond reports that the developers of the proposed La Quinta Inn & Suites are tweaking drawings and are scheduled to be be on the AHRC agenda for Aug. 25. To see the agenda for Thursday, click here.

Pokemon Go: Organizers of Pokemon Go report that the Biloxi Lighthouse, Biloxi Visitors Center and the public parking lot south of the Biloxi Lighthouse are being removed from the popular online game after the city raised concerns about safety and other issues at the venues.