The City of Biloxi today cut its charter boat berthing fee in half, and Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said he expects the new rate to create more commercial opportunities at the public harbors and marinas, given the thousands of potential customers in nearby hotels.
The Biloxi City Council, during its meeting this afternoon, voted to reduce the berthing fee to $3 a foot for the three dozen charter boats at Point Cadet Marina and the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor. The fee is in line with other commercial rates charged at the city’s public facilities.
“This fee is also in line with other Coast cities,” Gilich said, “but when you consider the first-class facilities that we offer and the fact that we’re right around the corner from 7,300 hotel rooms, this should help increase commercial opportunities on the waterfront in Biloxi.”
The new fee, Gilich added, “is also designed to help offset the cost that these businesses face, such as the commercial insurance they must purchase, the state and federal permits and so forth.”
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Learn more about Biloxi’s harbors and marinas
See images from today’s council meeting
Fire Department to honor fallen firefighters
The Biloxi Fire Department will conduct two graveside memorial services Thursday to mark the 30th anniversary of  the deaths of Edwin Kurt Jacquet Sr. and Carl Ohr, two Biloxi firefighters who died in the line of duty.
The first service will be at 9 a.m. at the Old Biloxi Cemetery at Jacquet’s gravesite, and those attending will then travel to Southern Memorial Park, off West Beach, for a service at Ohr’s gravesite. Current and retired firefighters as well as the families of Jacquet and Ohr are expected to attend the ceremony.
It was on Oct. 20, 1986 when Ohr and Jacquet lost their lives while fighting a house fire on Reynoir Street. Â Ohr’s oxygen tank ran low, and, in an effort to save him, Jacquet threw his own helmet out a nearby window, a firefighter’s last effort to alert others of distress.
A small memorial is set up at the West End Hose Co. No. 3 Fire Museum off Howard Avenue for the two firefighters, Â as well as for Anthony Bernard Rousseau, who lost his life in the line of duty in 1951. The fire department’s Station 2, on Howard Avenue, is named for Jacquet, and the Back Bay station, Station 3, on Elder Street, is named for Ohr.
In its 133 years, the Biloxi Fire Department has lost three firefighters in the line of duty.
Learn more about the Biloxi Fire Department
Get a sneak peek of this year’s cemetery tour
Want to know more about some of Biloxi’s mayors or even see a character re-enactment or two?
Well, the Local History and Genealogy Department of the Biloxi Public Library will provide all that and more when it hosts the Old Cemetery Tours Sneak Peek on Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of City Hall.
“This year’s cemetery tour, the 10th annual, has a theme of ‘The Mayors of Biloxi,'” said Jane Shambra of the Local History and Genealogy Department. “The program will present a look back in time through Biloxi’s municipal history, and this sneak peek is a great chance for people to see what we have in store.”
The affair will feature displays and scrapbooks of present and previous City Hall buildings and a preview of a few of the actors.  Bill Raymond will portray Mayor F. W. Elmer, Cree Cantrell portrays Mayor Dr. Daniel Nash, and Boyce Deaton and Amber Dawn will portray R. Hart Chinn and Vera Dukate Bond Chinn, respectively.
The 10th annual Cemetery Tours, free self-guided, continuous tours, take place Sunday, Oct. 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Old Biloxi Cemetery, 1166 Irish Hill Drive.
See the sneak peek flyer
See the cemetery tours program
News and notes
Dinner at MGM Park: On Thursday, Oct. 27, the public is invited to “The Social Supper, An Edible Experience” at the MGM Park from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Â The four-course meal will be prepared by Chef Milton with Soigne by Bacchus in Ocean Springs. Â Tickets are $50 per person. Â For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Seniors Halloween lunch: The Parks and Recreation Department will hold its annual Seniors Halloween Bash on Friday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Donal Snyder Community Center, 2520 Pass Road. Â Adults age 55 and older are invited to dress in Halloween costumes and enjoy free lunch and music. Â To see the flyer, click here.
