Xavier Bishop

With the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina looming I’ve noticed that nearly everything we do here on the Coast, no matter how large or how small, gets measured against Katrina. 

Can’t remember when something occurred? Measure it against Katrina. “Let’s see, it was right before the storm, so that means it was almost two years ago.” 

Trying to remember how old someone is? Measure it against Katrina. “Well, he was born after Katrina, I remember that. So that means he’s not quite two-years old.”  And so it goes.

The same is true with local government.  Nearly two years out from Katrina people want to know why it’s taking so long to make much needed repairs and why it’s taking so long to start on much talked about projects.

In Moss Point many of the loans and grants we applied for after the hurricane are finally starting to come in. Loans and grants that were earmarked for everything from infrastructure repairs, to downtown and neighborhood redevelopment, are only months away from arriving. Now comes the hard part – getting things done.

Having said that, I’m reminded that fourteen months ago when we were still assessing the damage from Katrina, it seemed like the hardest part of our rebuilding effort was going to be finding the money to rebuild. Over time however, hard work and luck have produced varying sources of revenue to help get the rebuilding ball rolling. In retrospect getting the money now seems easy compared to the task of sorting out the myriad projects, prioritizing them and getting them started.

If all goes as planned this year we can expect some major advancements in our city’s rebuilding.  Chief among them is the replacement of miles upon miles of century-old drainage lines that were further damaged by the storm.  After the work begins we expect other transmission lines (gas and water) to also need replacing and so in some cases small projects could easily become large projects.  Once begun however, the full replacement of those lines will take many years to complete. My projection is this: expect spot repairs through the first half of the year with major work commencing near year’s end.

Plans are in place to make major repairs to several of our city’s water towers once the funds are in hand. These too are repairs that are long overdue. When completed the water towers will begin serving a cleaner, better source of water thanks to the forthcoming reverse osmosis water treatment plant scheduled for completion later this year.  While on the books prior to Katrina, the reverse osmosis project has been adversely affected by the storm by way of higher than expected material and labor costs. Projection: expect work on the water towers to begin by third quarter ’07, while the reverse osmosis plant should be fully operational by year’s end.

Looming in the shadows of the many infrastructure projects are some definite plans for downtown and neighborhood redevelopment.  That’s right, downtown AND neighborhood redevelopment.

By early summer we expect to have on hand funds specifically targeted for downtown redevelopment.  While current plans call for everything from a new city hall and fire station, to an expanded waterfront park and boardwalk, before the actual work begins we’ll need to sharpen our focus by identifying specific locations, timeframes and costs, a process we hope to have underway by the time the funds arrive. Projection: Expect movement on the downtown redevelopment plan by early 2008.

Meanwhile, quietly plans are being formulated to change the face of our neighborhoods.  Suggestions brought about by the community meetings from last summer will slowly come to fruition. Everything from beautification, to safety and more greenspace are in the works for the coming year.  Projection: By mid summer the pieces will be in place to bring about visible changes. Expect ongoing improvements throughout the year.  

In 2007 we’re expecting changes and improvements on a scale not seen here in generations.  Once underway however, I suspect the work will in some way get measured against Katrina: “How long ago was it they started on that project? Let’s see, I think it was around two years after Katrina.”