JANUARY 2022

INSIDE THE FLAGSHIP CITY

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF PASCAGOULA

MAYOR'S MESSAGE

The new year is upon us and we have plenty to look forward to in 2022. One thing in particular I'm excited about is the restoration of the historic Ice House on Pascagoula Street. The Ice House property serves as the gateway into Pascagoula and has sat vacant for many years. Developer Jourdan Nicaud has come in and is proposing a $14.6 million development on the property that includes townhomes, two restaurants, a coffee shop, and additional retail. A development of this magnitude will be a game changer for Pascagoula and the Highway 90 corridor. The City Council recognizes this, which is why we unanimously approved a Tax Increment Financing Plan (TIF) in December. As part of a TIF plan, a developer builds and funds a project to include improvement to public infrastructure. The TIF plan allows the developer to be reimbursed for some or all of the improvements to public infrastructure using the increase in ad valorem taxes or sales tax generated as a direct result of the developer's project. The TIF plan is a wonderful tool to help projects of this size move forward. I look forward to seeing the Ice House project come to fruition. The future is bright for Pascagoula and I hope you'll join me in spreading the excitement. -Mayor Jay Willis

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY 17: Bellamy Brothers @ Grand Magnolia, 7:30 pm
FEBRUARY 19: Krewe of Little Rascals Children's Mardi Gras Parade, 1pm, Downtown

BEACH BOULEVARD ASPHALT REPAIRS

Work on Beach Boulevard asphalt repairs is resuming. The contractor will repair three areas, with work to be done one area at a time. The first area to be repaired is just west of Oliver Street. Traffic control measures will be put in place on January 6 and work is scheduled to begin January 7. We appreciate the public's patience during construction.

TEXT MESSAGE SCAM ALERT

The City of Pascagoula has been made aware that several citizens have received text messages claiming to have an update on their utility bills. This is a scam and the public should not open any links associated with the message. The City of Pascagoula Utilities Department will never contact a citizen by text message.

PICKLEBALL COURTS AT LIGHTHOUSE PARK

The installation of pickleball courts under the bridge at Lighthouse Park is complete! The addition of the courts is part of an improvement project paid for through Tidelands grant funding from the Department of Marine Resources. Other improvements include parking additions and the addition of bench swings under the bridge. Landscaping work is still underway.

CITY EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

The city employee we're featuring this month is the true definition of a team player. Sharon Andrews has worked at the Pascagoula Police Department for 20 years. She's a custodian, but goes above and beyond to lend a helping hand. She doesn't hesitate to jump in and help set up for any of the events going on at the station. She is dependable and takes a lot of pride in her job as well as the city we all love. She is a joy to have around and we are so proud to have her as part of the team!

PARKS & RECREATION PROGRAMS @ RECREATION CENTER

Open Gym: Monday-Thursday (6 pm) $1 per person
Line Dancing: Monday (5:30-8 pm) $2 per person
Aerobics: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday (8-9 am) $12 per month
Kids Karate: Monday & Thursday (6-7 pm) $60 per month
Kids Ballet: Tuesday (12 pm) $30 per month

For more information on programming, you can call the Parks & Recreation Department at (228) 938-2356.

FULL CALENDAR @ PASCAGOULA SENIOR CENTER

If you're not taking advantage of all the Pascagoula Senior Center has to offer, you're missing out. Membership is free for City of Pascagoula residents and is available for those 55 and over. Senior Center programming includes jewelry making, exercise, canasta, bingo, line dancing, bible study, pottery, a community garden, and much more! You can find January's Senior Center calendar here and read the Senior Center newsletter here.

NEW BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Please help us welcome Italian Bistro to downtown Pascagoula! The Bistro is located at 641 Delmas Avenue and serves up authentic Italian food. Their hours of operation at Monday-Saturday from 4-10 pm. Give them a try!

PGSD ENGAGES COMMUNITY IN SEARCH FOR NEW SUPERINTENDENT

The Pascagoula-Gautier School District board members value the input of all stakeholders in the search for the new superintendent. Stakeholder surveys and meetings are offered as part of the Mississippi School Boards Association (MSBA) Search Service. Stakeholders include teachers, administrators, support staff, parents, community members, and business members. Your feedback will be used by the board members as part of the interview process and as a foundation for making the decision as to who will be the next superintendent for the Pascagoula- Gautier School District. Stakeholders have two opportunities to provide feedback:

1. Participate in the online, anonymous survey provided by MSBA.
           Access to the survey will be available at the Pascagoula-Gautier School District
   website. Results from the survey are sent directly to the MSBA Superintendent
   Search Manager who compiles the results for the board members. The online
   survey will be open for two weeks from January 7, 2022, to January 21, 2022.

2. Attend one of the stakeholder meetings hosted by MSBA on January 6,
2022, for various stakeholder groups. See the schedule below which includes times
and locations. Meetings will take 45 minutes to one hour.

January 6, 2022 – Pascagoula High Performing Arts Center

         10:00 a.m.    District  Administrators
(Principals, Assistant Principals, Directors, Assistant Superintendents)

4:00 p.m.     Teachers
           (Teachers, Assistant Teachers, Librarians, Counselors, All Other Staff)

6:00 p.m.    Parents, Community Members, Business Members

Thank you for your participation and feedback in this very important process!

RESURRECTION CATHOLIC SCHOOL ELIMINATES $1 MILLION IN DEBT

In 2019, Bishop Louis Kihneman, selected three schools from the Diocese of Biloxi to participate in a matching funds challenge. Resurrection Catholic School was one of the schools chosen for this challenge which stated that each school had 4 years to raise up to $500,000 to go towards debt relief. In return, the Diocese would then match dollar for dollar. As soon as Kristal Sisson became principal at RCS, she immediately got to work on meeting this challenge. She worked tirelessly with alumni, students, parents, and faculty to raise the money and retire this large amount of debt, most of which was associated with the Delmas Activity Center at the elementary campus and the middle/high school cafeteria building. Fundraising began quickly and student clubs, such as the Eagle Legacy Club, were formed to help with the challenge.

In December 2021, Principal Sisson announced that, with the support of the students and families of RCS, as well as the Eagle Legacy Club and Eagle Foundation, and many donations made in the memory of loved ones that had passed, RCS had met the $500,000 goal a year and half early! Along with the matching contribution from the Diocese, RCS has now eliminated $1,000,000 in debt. The retirement of this debt paves the way for RCS to focus now on improving existing facilities, upgrading technology and innovating curriculum

CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING

Need to get rid of your tree? The County has a Christmas tree recycling drop-off site at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. You're asked to remove trees from bags and take off all ornaments, lights, and stands before dropping off a tree. Flocked trees will be taken, but artificial trees will not be accepted. The County landfill processes old Christmas trees into composting material and it will be used to improve soil conditions at the landfill.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Are you forwarding this newsletter to someone who wants to subscribe to our mailing list? Subscribe to newsletters and other city alerts at cityofpascagoula.com.