Here are some of the comments from Mayor A.J. Holloway on the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina:
— Biloxi is on a peninsula, and just about all of the eastern end of that peninsula is in a flood zone, which has presented challenges there. The things that make us a great place to live – like being on the water – also make it a challenge to rebuild. You’ll certainly see more green space in some areas.
— We’ve spent more than $50 million in facilities. People see the new visitors center and the new library and new civic center, but we also re-did City Hall, the Old Brick House, the Lighthouse, the White House Fountain, the Port Division administration building, and the Point Cadet and small craft harbors.
— We’re getting ready to re-do the working docks – the shrimp boat docks – and we hope to have them done by next shrimp season.
— Over the next several months, we’ll ramp up our infrastructure work. That’s the $355 million in work on storm drains, water and sewer lines in the areas of the storm surge.
— As for the future, I think you can see things coming together on west beach. The new Wal-mart is going to drive business in west Biloxi, we’ve got Margaritaville coming up in east Biloxi, and we’re reviving our work to create a great park on the Popp’s Ferry Causeway.
We realize that we seen progress here in Biloxi, and we realize that we have a ways to go. It’s like I’ve said many times since Katrina: We see a milestone – large or small – each and every day of our recovery and rebuilding.
