Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich and members of the Biloxi City Council will be seated at the same table this morning in a workshop setting that the mayor hopes will encourage thoughtful consideration and discussion of policy issues.
The session begins at 11 a.m. at City Hall and is open to the public.
Among the issues Gilich wants discussed are strategic planning for capital improvement projects, policies and planning for tax abatements, municipal water rates, and a status report on the initiative to help deliver ultra-high speed Internet service to the area.
Typically, council members sit at a rostrum at the head of the council chamber, with Gilich at a nearby table, flanked by Chief Administrative Officer David Nichols and City Attorney Gerald Blessey. For workshops, Gilich prefers everyone at the same table.
“We used this type setting in the past, most recently to discuss funding for Coast Transit, and I think it worked well,” said Gilich, who became mayor 184 days ago, on May 18. “No votes are taken on issues at these workshops. They are designed to discuss facts, to share information, and make sure everyone has a better understanding of issues as we move forward.”
The City Council also will have its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
See agendas and supporting documents for both meetings
Police: Residents should use free online property service
The Biloxi Police Department is recommending that residents take advantage of a free, secure online service to record serial numbers and upload images for phones, electronics, and other valuables to help recover items that may be stolen or lost.
LeadsOnline, a service the police have used for years, has developed a new service, ReportIt, that allows residents to store serial numbers, item descriptions, pictures and scans of receipts so items may be more easily identified if stolen or lost. The record may also be helpful in filing insurance claims. Citizens wanting to participate in ReportIt can register for the free service at reportit.leadsonline.com and begin building their personal property inventory list.
“For years, the Biloxi Police Department has leveraged available technologies with the mission of detecting, identifying and apprehending criminals,” Sgt. Louis Moran said. “By registering these items, if they are sold to pawn or secondhand shops they are immediately viewable by participating law enforcement around the country through a variety of search parameters.”
See the ReportIt web site
Seafood museum design lauded by state architects
Biloxi’s Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum, the gleaming “ship in a bottle” museum on the eastern tip of the Biloxi peninsula, has been given the highest architectural design award by the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
The state AIA’s Design Awards Celebration “seeks to applaud architecture and design by bringing attention to all components of the program through an event which highlights the art in the architectural profession.”
The museum received an Honor Award, the highest level awarded by the panel of jurors, during the state chapter’s annual convention Nov. 5 in Jackson.
The presentation actually included two Honor Awards: a Merit Award and a Citation. Accepting the award on behalf of the museum was Robin Krohn David, the museum’s Executive Director; Daria Pizzetta, lead architect from H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture; and Walter T. Bolton, local architect from WTBA.
The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum opened its new facility in August 2014.The new building replaces the historic Point Cadet U.S. Coast Guard Barracks, which was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina.
The premier artifact of the Museum is the sloop Nydia, built in Biloxi in 1896. In fact, the main gallery of the museum is built around the Nydia, which measures 30-foot long and 40-foot high with her mast raised. The glass-encased main gallery creates a “ship in a bottle” effect, making the Nydia visible to U.S. 90 traffic, especially when dramatically lit at night. Other smaller boats are suspended in a triple-height gallery adjacent to the main gallery, allowing visitors to view the vessels from multiple angles.
The museum’s mission is to preserve and interpret the maritime history and heritage of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
