What's Up, Waveland? - February 2018

2/1/2018

Waveland Alderman Jeremy Burke reports on the Mid-Winter Municipal League Legislative Conference, the Nereids Parade, the Nicholson Avenue bike-path/pedestrian project - and gives a round-up of 2017 building in the city.

Waveland Goes to Jackson

Waveland Mayor Mike Smith, Alderman Bobby Richardson, public works director Brent Anderson and I recently attended the Mississippi Municipal League’s 2018 Mid-Winter Legislative Conference in Jackson, Mississippi.

Along with approximately 600 municipal leaders from all over Mississippi, we participated in discussions of current legislative issues and their impact on local governments, attended economic development classes, and solicited help from a number of state agencies about current and upcoming Waveland projects.

This year Waveland and Bay St Louis are hoping that a ‘golf cart bill’ will be passed and signed into law making golf carts legal on selected local roadways.

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We also networked with legislators and business leaders at the Gulf Coast Legislative Reception at the capitol to provide them important feedback on issues that are critical to Waveland.

Attending the MML's Mid-Winter Conference and visiting the capitol during the legislative session are valuable components of Waveland’s progress forward.

Nereids Parade

Shoofly photo from the 2016 Nereids Parade by Brenda Comer

Mark your calendars for the annual Krewe of Nereids parade on Sunday, February 4, at noon. The parade begins in front of the Hancock County Governmental Annex Building in Bay St. Louis and rolls west on Highway 90, ending at the intersection of Auderder Street and Highway 90 in Waveland.

Both lanes of Highway 90 in Waveland will be closed from the Bay St. Louis-Waveland city line to Waveland Avenue. Please read the notice below regarding the Nereids parade. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

PUBLIC NOTICE FROM THE CITY OF WAVELAND

• There will be no parking of vehicles, trailers, or recreational vehicles before 12:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon February 3, 2018. Any vehicle parked on the right-of-way at any time that obstructs the view of traffic for cars going into or out of businesses will be towed.

• There will be no marking or reserving parking areas along the parade route with tape, rope or other means of “marking a spot.”

• Underage consumption of alcohol will not be tolerated. There will be plain clothes officers enforcing the law.

• There will be no sale of silly string &/or Snap and Pops on the parade route.

• There will be no skateboards, hover boards, skates, scooters, bicycles or any unauthorized modes of transportation, including motorized forms of the items mentioned above, on the parade route. Any one of these will be removed from the parade route.

• There will be no drones of any kind on the parade route.

• There will be no reptiles or pets of any kind allowed on the parade route.

• There will be no glass containers on the parade route.

• There will be no parking on the median or ladders or scaffolding.

• Please be courteous and use the trash containers provided along the parade route.

Nicholson Avenue Project

I have received a number of phone calls recently asking, “What are all of those orange flags doing along Nicholson Avenue?”

The answer is that Waveland is now in the beginning stages of designing another pedestrian-friendly transportation route located on Nicholson Avenue.

The project will widen Nicholson Avenue to allow the installation of a bike path from Highway 90 to the railroad tracks. As part of the project, Waveland will repave the deteriorating Nicholson Avenue.

The total cost of the project will be around $1,000,000, but 80% of the project will be funded by MDOT. Nicholson Avenue is currently being surveyed. The design of the project should be complete by the end of the year and the construction of the project should begin in early 2019.

2017 Waveland Building Report

One of the most positive notes in Waveland for 2017 was the amount of quality building that is taking place. The Waveland Building Department issued permits for over $10 million of construction projects in 2017. Of the $10 million worth of construction, 36 were new residential home projects. I’m happy to report that the fastest growing area in Waveland is in Ward 1 south of the railroad tracks.