The Mississippi Department of Transportation this week will begin collecting pre- and post-Katrina photographs for possible use in the ceremony and materials marking the November opening of the new Biloxi Bay Bridge.
“The people of Biloxi, Ocean Springs and the surrounding areas have tremendous stories of courage and hope in their journey to rebuild their lives following Hurricane Katrina,” said Southern District Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown. “We want to help them share those stories as we mark a major milestone in reconnecting the Coast.”
Photos taken by local residents will be used as part of a slide show that will launch the bridge-opening ceremony. Selected images may also be used in print pieces, including a book of stories and images of the Coast’s recovery from Katrina. Contributors will be asked to sign a release authorizing uses of their photographs.
“We are particularly interested in photographs of the Biloxi Bay Bridge before Katrina, as well as before and after shots of other roadways, bridges, and buildings in Biloxi and Ocean Springs,” Brown said, “and we’d like to showcase neighborhood cleanup and rebuilding efforts that convey the resilience of the people of the Gulf Coast.”
Photos will be scanned and immediately returned.
Photos will be received between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 29 and Sept. 5, at Biloxi City Hall, and on Thursday, Aug. 30 and Sept. 6 at Ocean Springs City Hall. Digital files may be e-mailed before Sept. 7 to sdking@mdot.state.ms.us. Submissions should include a few words identifying the subject of the photo and any thoughts the contributor would like to share.
Details: Carrie Adams, MDOT Outreach Division, at cadams@mdot.state.ms.us or (601) 359-7656.
News and notes
Council meetings: The Biloxi City Council meets twice on Tuesday, at 10 a.m. for on-going discussions of the FY ’08 budget and at 1:30 for its regularly scheduled meeting. Among the issues for the 1:30 meeting: re-zoning of land at the northeast end of Lee Street and a $246,000 appropriation for the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum. To see the complete agenda and available resolutions for both meetings, click here.
Katrina +2: A half-dozen clergy members will take part in the city’s Katrina memorial observance Wednesday morning at 8 on the Biloxi Town Green. Scheduled to participate in the 30-minute ceremony: the Our Mother of Sorrows choir, Bishop Thomas Rodi of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, Rev. Eric Dickey of First Missionary Baptist Church, Rev. Harold Roberts of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Lori Beth Susman of Congregation Beth Israel, Pastor Lindsey Robinson of St. Paul United Methodist Church and Pastor Argile Smith of First Baptist Church of Biloxi.
Photos and videos: See an online collection of Biloxi images — videos and photos from before, during and after Katrina — by clicking here.
