City of Biloxi, MS Videos with Mayor Andrew "FoFo" Gilich, 11 Jan 2023

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: Mayor Gilich speaks to Leadership Gulf Coast 1-11-2023

Description

Mayor Gilich speaks to Leadership Gulf Coast at Ground Zero Blues Club regarding the current and upcoming projects in Biloxi.

A

Trying to do as a downtown, so I'm going to go back a little bit. This is Howard Avenue. If you had a chance to see some of these pictures and in the past that's kind of you know when I was a kid and when I was kicking around that's what I remember.

A

First thing we did is I think 16 at Brick, walkway right, you see in the middle there's a uh uh streetcar tracks and it took you from all the way to Porter Avenue to the point and as Fred Hayes says, and you can look at these pictures and you see the neon, the lights and so forth, and you can get excited right.

A

I mean it looks like a vibrant, you know, uh but when you know uh Urban Magoo in the 70s came along and they tried to compete with malls and kind of made it one way, and it was just not cool, not a cool place, but I'm gonna go back a little bit. Don't let me go through any rabbit holes, but uh anyway that was close to traffic in 2015, yeah planners and couldn't keep things up and and looking really good.

A

But it was your opportunity to do what we're doing right now, uh I call it the dance floor. It reminds you of a good dance floor right, Fred Hayes talks about Biloxi being about 15 000 people up until 1941 and 15 000 people in shrimp, oyster and tourism. You know visitation is a big thing. The 41 came along, you know, after 1941 World, War, II, right and Biloxi pop from about 15 000 to almost a hundred thousand people overnight, and they keep these.

A

These Soldiers, the Air Force came along a couple of years later, but it was on the Air Force with soldiers and then Airmen, but almost overnight, 100 000 people came into town, they kept them in balance and it was intense and they let them lose them on the weekends. So that's pretty much why every form of entertainment? You know gaming and you know dancing drinking all illegal, not in some people's mind, but that was all on Howard Avenue, every form of entertainment, Fred Hayes, the original Biloxi boy right. You read his book, never painted curly.

A

uh He's such a story about about a hundred yards from here. Was the union Barn? That's see that there's a Regal sign up there and y'all can come. Take a look at a little bit later, but he said there were world-class pool games every Hustler. Every pool Hustler from Texas to Florida would come in here and try to get in these money games.

A

You see I learned geometry in a in a building, so you know uh in looking at again lots of grew up in the 60s and yeah uh just uh a lot of it was there and of course things were changing. You were hitting them all up there, but but you know the the places downtown like the union bar and the 406 Club. You see the 406 Club at Harris. You know uh Sports about anything.

A

Well that had these roots in in Biloxi, you know, 406 was a sports bet any venue, if you will uh so it all kind of related. It was enough people like me that remembered hey this. This is good, but when you look to God get excited every time you see the you know the the light, the lights I think that's actually from like 61 and 62, but this is 1940s. It's probably 6 000 people in the armed forces they correct, and uh so it was uh vibrant, I, think and and really really a cool spot.

A

uh So that vision, along with uh you, know the Waterfront yeah, the one in the center is actually you never know, because you only see about two steps right now on that beach, there's actually nine steps. If you go from you see the lighthouse in that picture, but there's nine steps and over the years same, has been pushed right up to that to protect us too. Well, that's it while not going anywhere. If you look at the construction, the road might go somewhere interested.

A

You know the rest of the the town might go somewhere, but that sea wall is not going anywhere and so a couple of projects we'll get through in in the uh they will show you. We constructed to have a an experience, a walking catching spill smelling and enjoying the beach. So those two things go to me in my 2020: look ahead so to speak after 2015..

A

So let me say this: if you have any questions, stop me I'll work best. You know in uh answering anything I want anybody puzzle, the puzzle, the looks or anything like that, but uh anyway, that that began wheels. Turning and understanding uh what could be done.

A

I think that was a sealed by two million dollar project when we actually did that the, but uh it's it's done and I think you can see the trafficking and the activity from uh you know, Sanger and from the barks building this building uh on down to you know, Community Bank, just invested was it about two years ago. uh You know a bunch of money, so it started to be you know the realization is coming it's here. You know any questions so far, so that's uh as far as development.

A

That was key in our mind to uh early on to make as much uh maybe just Direction and uh pointed it into what we need to do long-term. You know eye vision, you know living playing and eating doing everything you want and and doing business on, Howard Avenue again and again, Katrina did some pretty nasty as well.

A

As you know, Camille too, if you look at over the time, Camino send some challenges and Katrina's selling some real challenges, and uh uh so this is the beginning of the opportunity to go to the east, where I think uh the whole development you know with the uh living and and playing and working so uh getting back a little bit about where we are right now, I think in the 2020 census we were at 49 782.

A

right folks. Now that's 20 20.! Now you were talking about business development, one of the challenges we have as a city Biloxi has as a city. uh You know when you're trying to attract grocery stores or other businesses, they run on one metrics right and what is your your house count? What is your driving distance? You know what household income uh those kinds of things drop? Who will uh you know we'll open this open that a good bar challenge for development and uh is to let you know everybody understand this about Alexa?

A

Okay, with the end one mile away was hit, 7 000 hotel rooms and, if you ever try to you know a room one weekend: they're full okay. So do your Ribbon, 4.2 million visitors a year puts us in a situation where we're not 49 872 we're more like a hundred thousand. Because of that, so we need to in development and in some examples we've seen it every day. People are coming here and hey. What's going on, do you saw a report and all these other things that uh so yeah?

A

This is some place to received just recently uh the rebuilding of the tallest. You know manner to tell us a hotel that looks a little bit like the road water. Oh, it's shooting like the Buena Vista. So uh it's a it's really challenging, but you know I'm excited about you, as you can kind of see that you know this isn't like an addiction for me. Okay, so uh it's not a job I'm enjoying every minute of even playing banging on the piano a little bit. So but uh that's uh that's the sort of division! 2020.!

A

That's how it began to get with with uh Lee and Jeff. This is rolling out. You know. I just saw that the reader board at the sign, the theater will say, welcome soon sang the theater. We're almost finished with that exterior. Now. Our next step is to look at the functionality of the Interior we're going to visit the off him.

A

You know the often theater is in New Orleans right across from the Roosevelt and one of the functions that one of the special things that you do it's a theater, but in like 20 minutes it can rise. You know the floor can kind of match it just level up. Now it's a it's a dance floor or it's a uh you know, Mardi Gras, balls or wedding receptions. You know 455 that could be seated there. So it's another little aspect, we're not rushing. You know to just open the Sandy theater. We want.

A

You know as much function as we can. So that's all you know kind of wrapped together. You know what what you know we're not the biggest so to speak, but we want to have the the most functional and the most livable and and a favorite place. A lot of folks been. Maybe to uh Magazine Street in New Orleans, you know and that's a little bit of the look and feel the look The Comfort level. That's the main thing: Comfort safe, friendly and beautiful. So oh you're, flipping today very good, all right!

A

That's downtown and again, I think that that's the uh it's Bella the uh and that's a boutique 13 or 14 rooms and they're moving right along of course, assignment they're they're finished uh almost with it, with the whole exterior and in the Box building next door, again box building and a little bit more recent. And here we are right here: Ground, Zero and, of course, Community Bank in sort of the anchor store of what started. uh Oh go back to pickleball!

A

uh That's what we wanted me to pickleball our cabinets in that downtown. But it's part of what's working on that, go back over there, what you say and that's on Pop's Ferry. You know uh uh Road in north north of the Bay, uh the expansion we allocated about 200 000 in this budget to put the locker rooms in the the restrooms and all that sort of facility, but probably another next phase after we do this.

A

On your left hand, side we'll actually expand it to 24 pickleball courts and you would not believe you know the attraction, uh a pickleball but uh okay John. Okay, that's another out there going to debate. That's probably about five million dollar uh renovation into uh Halloween sports complex with with actually uh turfing himself. You know, brass Field's been updating all the facilities and again that's within the earshot.

A

We got you know the five uh softball and it can be converted into baseball and then the three soccer fields, as well as the uh youth, uh baseball, Little, League, baseball and so forth. So that's a again 20 something years: you're, not really any significant investment, but Sports tourism. Big thing, big thing and it's you know uh that's what passed the conversations last night about.

A

uh Of course, angel will help us too, but you know uh the different uh cheering uh the dance and those kinds of things you got to have those facilities, not so much that you know downtown and some other convention spaces. So uh that's on our radar for 20, 30., okay, that's Halloween! Yeah!

A

You heard about the road closures and bridges stop, and also this is part of the What's called the West contract, which is part of the long 344 million dollar project that it was started, and uh you know a BFF before faux folk was here, but you know, I mean I came on board. We hit 55 miles on the street coming up. What's called a North contract, it's north of the railroad tracks.

A

I mean it was seriously I learned more about construction than I really wanted to know, but this is uh where we're taken from the West, the Beach Road and bringing it. This is deep, sewer and uh water that we run about 20 feet, not disruptive, all the neighborhoods, but this is the third of the of four contracts and uh it's actually taken um and the ability to eliminate those other illustrations today.

A

So that's what's going on right now is the boring in some places and opening and putting those uh those lines deep and, and so the whole day, and the whole idea is to eliminate about 75 lift stations when we're complete, so we're about 30 million dollars left on that now keep on going.

A

That's another thing you might be hearing about on the 24th. You might uh almost gonna happen. There I'm not going to give you any sequencing, but uh somebody made a point of it. That's a huge space and we've been working on some options and I'll mentioned a little bit about attracting things. How people did get it, but let's go to the extension. Now you go back up one more, the extension there.

A

You have to back up one more- that's probably my top priority as far as 23rd, and you know that that is the extension of Pop's Ferry road across Pass road across the railroad tracks right to the west of the Coliseum. Now you heard about toll bridges and uh draw Bridges and enclosures and all that, but this now, basically that will allow our ferry to touch Highway 90, which then you know which was a major highway and yet puts us in a category. What's called State Road.

A

That means we can go off with some additional funding to uh that's. Actually, you know City Road in the city almost at Bridge too, so uh that's gonna put it when that happens, and again we're hoping to be getting that by March with my parents, March all of Miami has been uh acquisition and so forth, but that was a four-lane uh across popularity. I mean you didn't just do a tremendous amount for traffic flow.

A

uh If you ever try to turn left off a pass or go, you know North off of Paris Road, and you know three or four o'clock in the afternoon. That's going to eliminated all that. So it'll help the coliseum in your in your situation, but also uh just uh just make it just a much better situation for two things for us getting Federal funding of that road and possibly a new new bridge.

A

uh When we first started there was a to put a new popular events: four lane without a movable draw, that's about 75 million when we played the uh told game, 200 million. So that's what the you know in these astronomical uh numbers implementation, but uh that's that's our main surprise, probably major priority, so we're going to be moving rapidly.

A

We were in the Jackson this past week and meeting with the m God officials and and fell on board, and you know crunching the uh approvals and then we'll go to a big situation where we actually can we borrowing 14 million dollars, and seven of that is related to this. uh Let's bring this uh extension, of course, the main thing and we I think uh said you did uh took all the pictures.

A

I think we finally striped everything down to 37 million dollar inside outside, but that's been talked about since the 70s opening that new main gate and that's a big deal uh and so I think we actually put the files typing on that, the uh the turnabout some swerve about or whatever you want to call it.

A

But that is really you know, put keister in a mode that you don't have to worry about the security you know in the old days, uh White Avenue was was a bottleneck and then some bad things for my blacks and you know, bass, realignment closure situation. So that's going to minimize that you know that uh problem of security, the Post 9 11 security- was the name for us to to do this project now right there, where the old white Avenue gave me.

A

If that's that's on your lower left, White Avenue, it's the original way you get into the main gate. Now, there's something we expect a. uh We call it enhanced use agreement uh where they're actually gonna. You know the Air Force will designate that chunk of land to us and, to you know the state of Mississippi to put What's called the Mississippi five percent.

A

uh Airmen a year in cyber you know and dealing with these cyber attacks, that's a real Warfare kind of deal. This is again we're hopeful that we'll get another 30 million dollars from the legislation this year to actually put that building there. And what will happen now is that little chunk that you know right now. All of that in in that square is part of the piece of Air Force, Base, well, they're, going to turn it back to us we're going to build that facility which officially will be outside the bank.

A

Allow us to take probably called White Avenue drive up to just Seafood, so that will be another. You know uh addition to getting around in in you know in the city. So that's an exciting thing again.

A

Those are the kinds of things that are happening again, starting with downtown, and it's all over uh that again the extension and the uh the ability to to move traffic and- and uh you know, do the things that are pretty cool. That's a that's a picture of the old joke, actually the original board and some milk right and now it's uh Joseph I think they've got almost all of it. One apartment is laid back, they lay you all right.

A

I said, I played the piano right, but uh so again you know with the writer right down the road we've got. Some I think eight units that are possibly going up there.

A

This is on cabin Street in between Quality Seafood, on the on the east side of the seafood in the BL uh paint store, but uh I don't do not know, but there's a lot of rentals going on and there's there's uh the Elliott homes has a number of projects going all around the city, and you know the numbers, and you know economic conditions, I think they've got about 200 units client because also in the hotel situation is a.

A

This is the new one that had a lot of controversy about what you can put in a historical area, but that's moving forward and it has a unique look, but that's right, Bob the white house uh on on Highway 90 a little bit to the west of uh okay, that's a big play Arcade and that they're doing some cool things there. That makes an additions but again on play. I think we've reached some favorable decisions about what can be done. Tremendous arcade uh Vision, so up here may be constructed right to the south in between.

A

So that's something that really you know if we're successful and and uh some of the folks in the state of Mississippi, you said you can't do that, but we've got a Supreme Court decision that we're working from someone. Okay, well, we'll address that when we get that that call. But there are a number of things again, azteca's Mexican, that's right: they were the original Hooters right, Peter original Hooters and the train I was excited about the trampoline park going in so I'll.

A

Be you guys in there a little bit not watching my grandkids or something again, Oliver Landing! That must be right alongside the new. Well, not the new couple years ago, the Walmart neighborhood. So it was a TIF district that tax increment finance and the kind of uh added to what we were thinking so Walmart neighborhood schooling up there our store went up there and then uh I mean he goes for over I. Don't know how many units just about 200 units is that 224 2.4, okay, good uh yeah, but on Cedar Lake Road, another Marriott.

A

That will be going uh between Pop's Ferry or one City, Lake Road towards I-10, so again, yeah and Slim Chickens, where I opened a couple of weeks ago and I think it's been pretty good and you've got another RV talks out right now, I'm, not sure what stats of that, but that's a little bit further up towards Cedar Lake to the north if you've seen it gigantic flag.

A

uh That's the that's the place right to the north of the the bridge that you see on I-10, that's interesting too, along uh along Interstate 10, between World Market exit and towards the uh to the West there's about eight million dollar gun range and that's exciting and uh uh I'm, not sure with Margaritaville. You should see the the uh the ferris wheel lit up, and now you really can see it went a long way again. Some of the plans to the North of Highway 90 is the I think uh Gray Wolf Lodge.

A

You know kind of a concept indoor water park and that lights it up as far as tourism and opportunity. You know 24 7, 7 days a week, the whole years the indoors is pretty cool when I get the Marine were actually upgrading to the latest floating dock system. uh We we've got one Grant we're looking for two more to do the whole uh Marina with floating docks, and uh you know better situation with handling things like the uh billfish tournament.

A

That's coming at night with all these you know, hundreds of uh 10, 20 million dollar boats coming in to go search for billfish, go at the boardwalk. That's on the bank from Forest Avenue towards Kensington. Now we finished that and that's really cool. There was some very ugly rocks Debbie, you remember those a lot. Those rocks huh terrible rocks, I, don't know where they came from. You know, uh but uh you know agent orange couldn't grow.

A

You know, kill those things that was going on between so we put concrete over the top, but not too much problem and then uh between uh boat Street and uh the small craft office. You'll see a 10 foot boat built on that um see well with all the blessings of the Corps of Engineers. That's a unique thing where we actually put a 18 inch knee wall, On The Edge on two towards the beaches to actually raise the profile so that sand won't blow up over the top and onto the streets, which is a huge pain.

A

I would spending about a half a million dollars a year because of that sand. You know taking up now the last part it's bid, I think we've noticed or proceeded I think 25 000 tons of heavy duty sand. You know a micron is a millionth of a of a meter well and they're. Saying that's on the beach is like a hundred and something maybe 150 microns we're getting 400 Micron sand. So it's going to take more wind and longer endurance to plug that same.

A

So we've got some unique things that uh you know that we got. You know 11 miles of that Shoreline and poor Fred yeah, and you know what that is. That's crazy! That's right! Across from the uh Lighthouse and Fred I said, he's the original boy she bought, and uh so we built the Statue of him on top of a uh a base that looked like the Saturn fire.

A

You know and he's looking actually looking towards the alimony I've built right next to the visitor center, but these these uh seagulls have no respect, not at all yeah, but we have a solution, but but this is the last but anyway, basically our Public Works should have to go clean, pull Fred off every day, but we actually put a little ultrasonic collar on that uh go, see gold come and they don't like that. You know we ain't heard any just landed another place, so uh that's pretty much yeah yeah! Yes, sir.

A

Yeah well again, it's a billion three right. It's a lot of zeros, then you're. A couple hundred million short at this point, but they're moving day by day same thing with the titling, which is about a 700 million dollar project. They had some table. They had some challenges. For us. You know the state of Mississippi and suitable gaming and so forth, but yeah they're still on the radar. We're hopeful. uh Just like anything else. Everything seems to take three times longer than you would think, but that's a big number.

A

You know talking about Vision in 2020, right 15 to 20 who envisioned 20, 20 and 21. You know as far as pandemic and those things in Forest City of Biloxi.

A

30, something percent of your budget is what you know uh gaining revenue, and you have three months in a row with zero. Okay, it's a big deal so I. You know, I, didn't Envision that I, don't think anybody else invisible, but with them like a bounce. Back from that, we had two good. You know one billion dollar gross going to be Revenue years in a row.

A

Well, you know it really has time to heat up on people looking at not only just attaining, but everything else related to it. So uh yeah, it's still alive, I want I, want to say yeah I can give you a time frame, but we we're hopeful of that. Yes,.

A

Where the uh uh a little bit to the west of Cedar Lake behind the sign, for example,.

A

Yeah I think you know: that's that's on pop sharing that construction Car Wash yeah, but if you know kind of very short distance away from it. That's true I thought you was asking questions well. Y'all are easy, so far, I'm happy to to talk a little bit about our story and our plans and so forth, but like everything, Plains change, but uh in Fred's book like never painted girly, you know you got to process it and look at it from every angle and then make the call some.

A

You know most of the time you know look at it like that you can. It reveals itself to you anyway, yeah, that's all the Slime Guy huh all right! Well, I thank y'all and you know no questions. Y'all have a great day.

A

A