Former Biloxi Mayor Gerald Blessey, who in the 1980s led a move to draft a Point Cadet Waterfront Master Plan, will lead a “Katrina +10” discussion this week on the future of east Biloxi and Point Cadet.
“The Future of East Biloxi and Point Cadet,” which is free and open to the public, will be held Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. at the Slavonian Lodge, at 159 Maple St., a block east of Oak Street. The session is part of “Katrina +10,” the Ohr-O’Keefe’s six-month retrospective on Hurricane Katrina and its impact on south Mississippi.
The panel discussion will focus attention on east Biloxi, particularly Point Cadet, which was once the bustling focal point of Biloxi’s thriving seafood industry.
“The shorelines of old east Biloxi were lined with factories and the streets were lined with a collection of shotgun houses that were home to a melting pot of shrimpers and seafood workers,” said Kevin O’Brien, director of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. “As the seafood industry diminished in favor of waterfront casinos, east Biloxi has seen its share of ambitious plans — before and after Katrina. And, today, after the ravages of Katrina, Biloxi’s east end remains generally barren and void of residents. What’s the future? What will work?”
Blessey, whose ’80s plan sought to provide more waterfront access, will moderate a panel of stakeholders, community activists and involve the audience in the discussion.
Invited panelists include former Isle of Capri manager and casino developer Bill Kilduff; Carol Burnett of Moore Community House, seafood plant manager Richard Gollott, home builder Clay Gutierrez, property owner Thomas Vu, and NAACP President James Crowell. (Slavonian Lodge President “FoFo” Gilich has agreed to withdraw from the panel since he has since become a mayoral candidate.)
“This conversation is a very important one,” O’Brien said. “It involves the most historic location in the city, and one that is plagued by a number of post-Katrina familiar issues. We’ve all heard them before – the cost of insurance, when you can get it; the cost of construction; and, on Point Cadet, how the flood elevations impact development.
“The most important thing at this point is to have a conversation about what’s next, what’s doable for east Biloxi and Point Cadet.”
Visit  “Katrina +10” website
