Mayor A.J. Holloway next week will ask the Biloxi City Council to expand the Hurricane Katrina debris-removal efforts to include more private property in east Biloxi.
The issue is one of several on the agenda for the City Council meeting on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting is open to the public.
As part of its debris-removal plan, the city is currently in removing storm debris from private property on Point Cadet and in Eagle Point, and expects to begin removing debris from private property in the Holly Hills area, after a hearing with Holly Hills homeowners on Monday at 1:30 p.m. at the Harrison County Courthouse in downtown Biloxi.
The proposal to enter private property in the area north of the CSX railway and east of Oak Street would include a 14-day period in which the city would publish a list of properties it has deemed as a threat to public safety and public health, and to also place notices on the individual properties. Property owners would then have a chance to appeal the city’s intentions.
Among the other issues on the council agenda Tuesday: appointment of outside legal counsel for the city, municipal court judges and prosecuting attorneys, and approval of the city’s federal housing programs, which have a budget of nearly $1 million.
To read the entire agenda and available resolutions for the meeting, click here.
Free meals offered Saturday at Biloxi Community Center
Members of the Pleasant Home Baptist Church will be serving hot meals in Biloxi on Saturday, Nov. 12 beginning at 11:30 a.m.
The group, which is near Laurel in Jones County, will be in the parking lot of the Biloxi Community Center, 591 Howard Ave. The meal will consist of fried catfish or barbecued chicken, potato salad and cole slaw.
The meal is open to the public until supplies are exhausted.
Christmas in City seeks vendors for Dec. 3 event
Biloxi’s Vieux Marche and Rue Magnolia will become an outdoor gallery Dec. 3, when the city, Main Street Biloxi and other groups host the annual Christmas in the City celebration.
The weekend will also see Biloxi’s traditional Christmas on the Water celebration, which customarily includes the Lighting of the Town Green and the Children’s Parade.
Among the organizations already signed up for Christmas in the City are the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, March of Dimes, Friends of Tullis-Todedano Manor, Gulf Coast Symphony, Biloxi-Ocean Springs Junior Auxiliary, Biloxi Lions Club, Biloxi Regional Medial Center Auxiliary, Mercy Cross High School Band and the Mental Health Association.
Interested vendors – such as artists, antique dealers or chefs – can learn more about the event or reserve booths for $60 each by contacting Kay Miller via e-mail at kmiller@biloxi.ms.us or at (228) 435-6339. Vendors, incidentally, will be competing for $1,000 in cash in a contest to determine the best-decorated booth.
Webcast: U.S. 90 and debris removal efforts
You can hear about repair work on major roadways in the city and the status of the city’s debris-removal efforts in this week’s “City Desk” webcast.
To listen to the 30-minute program, which is hosted by Gary Michiels and taped weekly at The Bay Press, click here.
News and notes
Basketball registration: Registration for Biloxi’s youth basketball league – which is open to ages 6 to 15 – will take place Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon at the softball fields at Hiller Park. There is no fee for registration.
Soccer registration: More than 800 soccer players have signed up for Biloxi’s youth soccer league. This total represents about two-thirds of the number of registrants from previous years, and, according to Parks and Recreation Director Nathan Sullivan, surpasses the city’s goal of signing up at least half of the players from last year’s season.
Katrina collectibles: The City of Biloxi has begun production of a full-color commemorative photo album and companion DVD to chronicle the story of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction in Biloxi and the city’s ensuing recovery efforts. Production is expected to be completed in mid-December, but Christmas pre-sales will be announced shortly. Proceeds will benefit the City of Biloxi Katrina Relief Fund.
