Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich on Tuesday evening will ask the City Council to move forward on several proposals that have been on the agenda for a couple of meetings now, and a multi-million BP-funded project that has been in the works for years, completion of a waterfront park at the Popp’s Ferry causeway.
The City Council meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at Biloxi City Hall, will include measure involving the water and sewer rates for Biloxi residents and businesses, and regulation of motor vehicles for hire, issues that have been discussed for weeks.
But a new, revived initiative involves the final phase of a Popp’s Ferry causeway park that has been in the works for more than a decade. Gilich is asking the City Council for approval to engage an engineering firm, Seymour Engineering, to turn conceptual drawings into construction documents. Design work could be completed in six to eight months and construction could be underway by the end of the year.
The project would be funded with $4.2 million that the state provided through BP, which sought shovel-ready projects after the BP oil spill.
The city had already conducted public hearings and workshops years earlier on the Popp’s Ferry project and had moved forward with the initial phases of the improvements, including a waterfront boardwalk, lighting and an upgraded boat ramp, but stopped short of the final phases for a lack of funding.
Plans call for additional boardwalks and an open-air pavilion, where exhibits would describe the native plants and wildlife found in the Popp’s Ferry marsh, as well as a botanical garden. The work would be on the west side of the existing Popp’s Ferry bridge, while a proposed new Popp’s Ferry highrise would on the east side of the existing bridge.
The Popp’s Ferry causeway park proposal is one of nearly 20 measures on the City Council’s agenda Tuesday night.
See the original plans for the Popp’s Ferry causeway park
See a map of the site
See the City Council agenda and supporting documents
News and notes
Children’s parade: More than 300 youngsters, with parents in tow, paraded through downtown Biloxi Saturday for the annual Mardi Gras Children’s Walking Parade. To see dozens of photos from before, during and after the parade, click here.
A ‘FoFo’ first: Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich will go down in history as the inaugural guest on WXXV’s new “Midday Show,” which made its debut today at noon. To see photos from the “Midday” virtual set, green screen an all, click here.
