An honor guard of Biloxi police officers and firefighters will be standing at attention during the funeral Tuesday afternoon for former Mayor Daniel D. “Danny” Guice, and Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said he expects a large outpouring from Biloxi citizens.
Guice, a three-term Biloxi mayor who has the distinction of serving in three branches of government, died last week. He was elected to the Mississippi House and later served three terms as Biloxi mayor (1961, 1965 and 1969) before becoming a county judge.
“Danny Guice was a beloved individual,” Gilich said last week on the city’s Facebook page. “He was a benevolent leader who made this city proud. Our prayers are with his family today.”
A visitation will be conducted this evening from 5 to 8 at the Bradford-O’Keefe Howard Avenue chapel, and on Tuesday from 11 a.m. 1 p.m. at the Dr. Frank G. Gruich Sr. Biloxi Community Center, where a funeral service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Burial will be in the old Biloxi City Cemetery, north of the CSX Railway.
The funeral procession, incidentally, will leave the Biloxi Community Center, pass Biloxi City Hall on Lameuse Street and proceed on U.S. 90, past the Biloxi Lighthouse, under a huge U.S. flag that will be draped from atop two extended ladders of Biloxi fire trucks.
See the Danny Guice obituary
Video: See Danny Guice on Camille
Gilich seeks OK for downtown ‘action plan’
The Biloxi City Council will meet at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday instead of 1:30 p.m., and when council members gather they’ll face an agenda that includes measures dealing with a host of long-discussed major issues.
Councilmembers have pushed back the starting time of the meeting by an hour in order to attend the funeral of former Mayor Daniel D. “Danny” Guice, who died last week. His funeral will be at 1 p.m. at the Dr. Frank G. Gruich Community Center on Howard Avenue.
During the 2:30 p.m. meeting, Mayor Andrew ‘FoFo” Gilich will be asking councilmembers to approve a measure to engage South Mississippi Planning and Development District to create an action plan for downtown development that includes the re-opening of Howard Avenue to two-way traffic, an issue the city has discussed for years.
“We’re not looking at spending $50,000 on another study,” Gilich said. “What we’re talking about is a plan of action that will take a number of factors into consideration. Obviously opening up Howard Avenue to two-way traffic is a big one, but it’s more than that. It’s making downtown more walkable in light of MGM Park and the talk of daily Amtrak service. It’s about looking at restoring the facades downtown to the look of old Biloxi, pre-urban development, and it’s about taking a holistic approach in looking at the opportunities and the challenges in the area bounded by I-110, Lee Street, Division Street and U.S. 90.”
The district’s proposal, which will be crafted after public hearings, is due to the city in four months.
In another issue that has been discussed previously, the mayor is asking the City Council to approve the $100,000 purchase of a three-acre site on old Miss. 67 for a fire station to serve east Woolmarket and as a location for a public park.
The agenda also includes a request for the council to approve a right-of-entry agreement that would allow city contractors to work inside the area where the proposed new Keesler main entrance would be located, at the western end of Division Street.
Representatives of Oscar Renda Contracting, the contractor rebuilding the Katrina-damaged infrastructure in east Biloxi, are scheduled to present a status report during the meeting.
See the council agenda and supporting documents
Shuckers see 21 percent increase in fans, national TV
The Shuckers ended their opening homestand on Sunday, and attendance through the first five games enjoyed a 21 percent increase over the opening series in 2016. A total of 14,806 fans came through the gates to see the Shuckers take on the Blue Wahoos, an increase of 2,577 fans from last season.
Read the inside story on the Shuckers
Exterior design approved for downtown Mugshots
The Architectural Historical Review Commission last week approved the exterior design for Mugshots, a new restaurant being proposed for downtown. The restaurant, which will be north of Patio 44 off Main Street, will include 201 parking spaces to be shared by both restaurants. Plans are now being reviewed by the city Planning and Fire departments before a building permit is issued.
See more in the Weekly Reports
News and notes
Clean up volunteers: The city and county are asking for volunteers, companies and groups to participate in the Biloxi Great American Clean Up this week with an organized cleanup set for Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. For more information, click here.
Park renaming: A ribbon-cutting will be held on Saturday for the renaming of the Lopez Park, soon to be called the Clare Sekul Hornsby Biloxi Lions Club Park, from 10 a.m. to noon. To see the flyer, click here.
