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From YouTube: State of the City 2015
Description
Ward 6 Councilman and acting Mayor Kenny Glavan introduces the 2015 State of the City video, with a surprise appearance by former Mayor A.J. Holloway. The video was recorded March 12, 2015 duirng the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce State of the CIty luncheon.
B
A
You
know
from
the
broadwater
us
in
the
edgewater
mall
and
from
the
blogs
and
bridge
to
the
top
story
bridge
on
other
side.
There's
exciting
things
happening
in
today's
presentation,
you're
going
to
see
that
we
have
a
lot
of
great
things
happening
in
the
city.
At
the
same
time.
At
the
same
time,
we
faced
a
number
a
bit
of
advantages
and
challenges
as
we
move
forward.
A
A
A
A
B
A
B
Today,
as
we
take
account
of
the
state
of
our
city,
we
stand
on
the
cusp
of
a
milestone
year.
We
mark
the
10th
anniversary
of
Hurricane
Katrina,
so
many
wondered
how
long
it
would
take
for
Biloxi
to
return
to
Biloxi
how
long
it
would
take
for
our
city
facilities
to
be
replaced
for
our
roads
to
be
restored
for
our
homes
and
indeed
our
lives
to
be
rebuilt.
Looking
around
our
city
today,
you
realize
that
some
things
returned
quickly,
some
more
slowly
and
while
some
things
may
never
return,
others
are
better
than
ever
our
role.
B
Our
task
is
to
make
sure
that
we
restore
or
replicate
those
things
that
made
and
make
Biloxi
the
great
place
that
we
so
love
today.
The
state
of
our
city
is
a
profile.
In
contrast,
while
Biloxi
faces
some
of
our
most
challenging
financial
times
in
a
generation,
we
have
more
public
works
projects
underway
now
than
at
any
other
time.
In
the
history
of
our
city,
drive
almost
any
Street
and
you'll
see
the
signs
detour,
our
men
at
work
and
make
no
mistake.
They
all
say
that
your
city
is
on
the
move.
B
While
we
have
cut
our
Parks
and
Recreation
budget
by
ten
percent,
we've
unveiled
a
new
waterfront
park
adjacent
to
the
beautiful
maritime
and
seafood
industry
museum
together.
This
park
and
museum
provide
an
impressive
gateway
into
our
city.
They
tell
visitors
that
they
have
arrived
at
someplace
special
and
this
summer
will
be
opening
two
new
parks.
The
much
anticipated
MGM
Park
and
the
lighthouse
park
will
see
a
new
multi-million
dollar
Public
Works
facility
that
will
provide
our
employees
first
class
professional
working
condition
and
in
these
times
of
unprecedented
public
construction.
B
Remember
this
everything
built
in
this
city
goes
through
public
works
and
in
the
coming
year
will
come
tens
of
millions
of
dollars
in
infrastructure.
Work
will
embark
on
millions
of
dollars
of
even
more
work
and
will
host
media
and
visitors
from
around
the
world,
who
will
be
making
a
pilgrimage
back
to
Biloxi
and
the
Mississippi
Gulf
Coast
to
check
on
our
progress
and
our
rebuilding
at
the
10-year
mark
of
Katrina.
What
these
visitors
will
see
is
a
city
on
the
move.
B
They'll
see
a
city
of
contrasts,
they'll
see
a
city
where,
even
though
our
city
departments
face
spending
cuts
of
as
much
as
fourteen
percent,
we
are
working
with
less
and
providing
more
to
be
sure.
The
fiscal
soundness
of
the
city
has
cast
a
tall
shadow
over
the
past
several
years.
Controlling
costs
has
had
a
major
influence
on
decision
making
and
all
city
departments.
Let's
talk
about
finances
right
up
front.
The
city
spent
53
million
dollars
last
year
and
providing
you
the
day-to-day
services
that
you
expect
and
deserve.
B
As
taxpaying
citizens
of
Biloxi,
that's
not
counting
the
infrastructure
work
you
see
or
the
construction
of
major
city
facilities,
which
are
mostly
federal,
funded
and
bump
our
annual
spending
into
the
tens
of
millions
of
dollars.
But
the
fact
remains.
We
must
focus
on
managing
the
local
costs
of
government
that
53
million
dollars
and
local
money.
The
city
spent
last
year,
that's
more
than
a
million
dollars
a
week
are
close
to
150,000
dollars
a
day
of
your
money.
B
That's
what
it
costs
to
open
the
doors
pay
the
light
bill,
keep
the
streets
and
neighborhoods
safe
and
provide
parks
and
recreation
programs
at
ball
fields
and
community
centers
across
the
city.
Once
again,
we've
done
all
of
these
things
without
raising
your
city
property
taxes,
just
like
we've
done
for
more
than
two
decades
now
running
the
city
and
improving
the
city
has
dipped
into
our
cash
reserves,
which
right
now
are
the
lowest.
B
Mississippi
power
even
stepped
in
and
added
new
lights
and
improved
lighting
in
the
park,
and
thanks
to
agreements
with
harrison
county,
you
can
expect
to
see
a
walkway
and
bike
paths
connecting
hillier
park
with
the
neighborhoods
to
the
west
towards
Popp's
Ferry
Road,
the
Hiller
Park
work
is
far
from
done.
You'll
see
a
splash
pad
refurbished
restrooms
resurfacing
of
the
basketball
and
tennis
courts.
A
second
dog
park,
a
nature
trail
and
a
kayaking
trail.
B
Tidelands
grants
will
help
with
dredging
around
the
boat
launch
and
adding
a
boardwalk
that
will
front
the
back
bay.
This
is
what
it
takes
for
local
government
to
be
successful
in
this
day
and
age
vision
and
looking
for
new
money
and
new
partnerships.
We
see
another
example
in
the
Biloxi
fire
department,
which
appointed
a
veteran
firefighter
captain
Michelle
Crawley,
to
take
on
the
task
of
locating
and
securing
available
grants.
Captain
Crawley
had
quite
the
successful
year,
hauling
in
nearly
110,000
dollars
in
grants.
B
One
of
the
largest
grants
was
a
76
thousand-dollar
windfall
that
was
used
to
purchase
three
sets
of
Jaws
of
Life.
This
means
that
all
frontline
pumpers
in
the
Biloxi
Fire
Department
fleet
now
have
this
vital
equipment.
This
is
a
milestone
that
the
Biloxi
Fire
Department
has
been
striving
for
since
the
early
70s,
when
the
city
purchased
its
first
jaws
of
life,
the
fire
department
used
a
million
dollars
in
federal
funds
to
purchase
a
new
ladder
truck
to
help
fight
fires
and
buildings
of
10
stories
or
more
and
to
help
keep
our
aging
fleet
up-to-date.
B
That
truck
is
being
built
right
now
and
will
join
the
fleet
later
this
year.
We
need
top-performing
equipment,
because
last
year
the
Biloxi
Fire
Department
responded
to
more
than
6,000
470
calls
of
which
4,100
are.
Sixty-Six
percent
were
emergency
medical
calls.
For
the
first
time
in
years,
we've
seen
a
drop
in
medical
calls
because
of
a
reevaluation
of
non-emergency
calls
we're
working
with
AMR
to
reduce
the
number
of
non
emergency
transports,
but
make
no
mistake
if
you're
in
an
emergency,
dial,
911
and
rained
emergency
workers
will
respond.
B
Every
member
of
the
Biloxi
Fire
Department
is
a
trained
first
responder
and
today
we
have
36
nationally
registered
EMTs
and
two
nationally
registered
paramedics,
not
since
the
early
1980s
as
the
Biloxi
fire
department
had
paramedics
and
never
has.
The
fire
department
boasted
this
many
EMTs
among
its
ranks.
B
The
Biloxi
Police
Department
also
recognized
the
talent
within
its
ranks
and
embarked
on
an
18-month
process
that
resulted
in
the
largest
round
of
promotions
in
recent
history.
Two
majors
two
captains,
eight
lieutenants
and
12
sergeants-
are
now
providing
a
greater
degree
of
accountability
and
the
rank
and
file
of
the
Biloxi
Police
Department
and
despite
a
huge
number
of
special
events
throughout
the
past
year,
the
department
kept
overtime
within
budget
and
then
there's
the
issue
of
keeping
our
community
safe.
B
The
124
member
Biloxi
Police
Department
saw
aggravated
assaults
cut
in
half
and
traffic
fatalities
limited
to
five.
In
all
of
last
year,
the
police
department
responded
to
123,000
calls
for
service
made
7700
arrests
and
conducted
almost
17,000
traffic
stops.
Last
year
of
all
the
arrests
made
only
three
percent
required
forceful
means.
B
This
is
a
testament
to
the
discipline,
the
training
and
the
professionalism
of
the
men
and
women
of
the
Biloxi
Police
Department
in
parks
and
recreation,
continuing
the
concept
of
sharing
the
expenses,
the
city
partnered,
with
Harrison
County,
to
open
the
East
Biloxi
Senior
Center
at
the
or
o'keeffe
museum
of
art.
This
location
provides
a
gathering
spot
for
seniors
to
enjoy
fellowship,
create
arts
and
crafts
and
pursue
other
meaningful
activities.
Of
course,
the
big
story
on
Point
cadet
was
the
opening
of
the
seafood
museum
with
its
boat
in
a
bottle
concept.
B
B
These
types
of
outdoor
venues
are
important
to
showcase
Biloxi's
appeal
to
visitors
and
accentuate
our
great
weather
and
inviting
sense
of
place.
That's
the
concept
for
our
work
at
the
park
being
constructed
next
to
the
Biloxi
visitor
center,
where,
incidentally,
we
saw
another
twenty
one
percent
increase
in
visitors
last
year.
Many
of
those
149,000
people
who
walk
through
the
doors
at
the
visitor
center
will
welcome.
B
The
new
parking
at
the
lighthouse
park
will
also
have
an
elevated
nature,
boardwalk,
which
will
Traverse
a
children's
playground,
a
small
pond
native
marsh
plants
and
an
outdoor
open-air
pavilion
that
will
be
a
gathering
place
for
students,
studying
our
environment
and
a
great
venue
for
weddings,
family
reunions
and
other
special
events.
Our
goal
here
is
to
remind
our
residence
and
show
our
visitors,
our
unique
charm
and
colorful
history
of
Biloxi.
That's
why
you
see
a
first-class
Civic
Center,
where
we
hosted
dozens
and
dozens
of
special
events.
B
Last
year,
we
were
also
delighted
to
see
the
rebirth
of
the
White
House
Hotel,
where
owners
have
painstakingly
restored
this
gym
to
its
opening
day
charm
and
grace,
while
also
providing
the
sophistication
of
today's
world
Harris,
did
a
wonderful
job
in
removing
the
remnants
of
an
abandoned
construction
site
and
transformed
it
into
the
grand
lon.
A
magnificent
venue
for
waterfront
concerts.
B
We're
also
proud
of
the
tremendous
investment
that
Landry's
made
in
rebranding
and
restoring
the
isle
into
a
premier
resort
the
Golden
Nugget
and
we're
anticipating
a
forthcoming
announcement
for
exciting
plans
at
the
farmer,
casino
magic
site.
Of
course,
the
drive
for
more
development
in
Biloxi
continues
to
face
the
challenges
of
the
cost
of
insurance,
construction
and
elevation,
coupled
with
a
tight
market
for
private
financing.
Our
Community
Development
Department
reports,
111
million
dollars
in
construction
last
year.
That's
a
seven
million
dollar
increase
over
2013.
B
We
also
saw
101
new
homes
built
last
year
in
Biloxi,
with
new
homes,
accounting
for
20
4.2
million
dollars
in
permits
we're
continuing
to
be
encouraged
by
the
new
home
construction,
particularly
in
the
wool
market
area
of
the
city.
Where
elevation
is
not
an
issue
and
the
public
works
department
has
invested
millions
of
dollars
in
introducing
city,
water
and
sewer
service.
We
have
a
total
of
ten
residential
developments
in
one
stage
or
another,
at
the
present
time.
B
Of
course,
we're
anxiously
anticipating
the
renewed
interest
that
the
Biloxi,
shuckers
and
MGM
Park
will
spark
in
our
downtown
area.
You
already
see
the
salad
Mookie's
restaurant,
going
up
just
north
of
the
town,
green
and
speaking
of
development.
Keesler
Medical
Center
last
year
began
a
major
three-year
74
million
dollar
renovation
that
will
realign
the
outpatient,
specialty
clinics,
rework
the
surgical
floor
and
provide
state-of-the-art
operating
rooms
and
a
new
centralized
minor
procedure
sweet.
This
huge
project
will
provide
new
hematology
oncology
and
dialysis
suites
and
a
new
infusion
center.
B
It
moves
the
dental
and
mental
health
clinics
into
the
medical
center
and
replaces
nearly
forty
eight
thousand
square
feet
of
aging
infrastructure.
We
were
also
delighted
to
have
the
Secretary
of
the
Air
Force
Deborah
Lee
James
participate
in
our
popular
preservation
in
May
series.
Last
year
the
Secretary
was
able
to
find
out
about
the
great
relationship
that
has
existed
between
Biloxi
and
keesler
for
72
years
now.
Thankfully,
it
was
a
slow
hurricane
season.
B
Last
year,
in
the
Atlantic,
still
the
40
third
wings
world-famous
Hurricane
Hunters
flew
nearly
1000
hours
to
collect
tropical
storm
data,
in
fact
to
10-day
deployments
covered
three
storms
that
struck
Hawaii
last
year
and
at
the
end
of
this
month,
team
kisa
will
be
hosting
the
air
force
thunderbirds
and
the
Army's
Golden
Knights
parachute
team
and
many
other
flying
demonstrations.
It
will
be
a
truly
exciting
weekend.
There's
also
a
great
deal
of
excitement
at
biloxi
public
schools.
B
Let's
talk
about
what
we're
seeing
in
our
a
rated
public
school
district,
where
we're
number
three
in
the
state
academically
behind
only
pass
christian
and
clinton.
This
year,
the
prestigious
milk
and
foundation
awarded
a
twenty-five-thousand-dollar
grant
to
kagney
weaver,
a
fourth
grade
teacher
at
north
bay,
elementary,
our
Biloxi
high
school
and
partnership
with
the
National
math
and
science
initiative
offers
16
college-level
courses.
This
saves
parents,
thousands
of
dollars
in
college
tuition.
B
Another
appeal
of
Biloxi
Public
Schools
is
the
many
extracurricular
activities
offered
for
our
students.
Our
music
program
has
been
recognized
as
one
of
the
best
in
the
nation,
due
in
no
small
part
to
the
director
of
bands.
Travis
Coakley,
who
himself
has
been
named
one
of
the
top
50
band
directors
in
the
nation.
The
Biloxi
high
school
band
was
in
Philadelphia
for
the
Thanksgiving
Day
Parade
last
year,
and
this
year
they've
been
invited
to
the
national
cherry
blossom
parade
in
Washington
DC.
B
The
Biloxi
arts
program
offers
instruction
and
ceramics
and
pottery
visual
arts,
drawing
and
painting
art,
history
and
art
appreciation.
To
be
sure,
these
are
the
caliber
or
programs
that
you
would
expect
to
find
on
a
college
campus
and
they're
being
offered
right
here
in
our
award-winning
top
rated
Biloxi
public
school
system
and
here's
another
milestone
in
our
recovery
from
Katrina.
B
Nichols
is
now
home
to
a
growing
Head
Start
program,
with
seven
classrooms
and
more
than
140
children
from
Biloxi
and
throughout
Harrison
County,
and
today
we're
proud
to
announce
that
the
enrollment
at
biloxi
public
schools
is
5,000
714
students,
which
is
ninety
two
percent
of
what
it
was
pre-katrina.
When
you
think
of
Biloxi
public
schools.
Remember
it's
like
superintendent,
Arthur,
McMillan
likes
to
say
we're,
not
just
a
school
district,
we're
a
nation,
an
Indian
nation.
B
Last
year
we
told
you
about
Biloxi
regionals
plans
to
build
a
second
medical
center
north
of
the
bay
in
the
Cedar
Lake
area.
Work
on
this
effort
continues
to
make
its
way
through
the
regulatory
process,
but
meanwhile,
as
exciting
as
that
prospect
of
a
second
hospital
is,
let's
not
overlook
the
extraordinary
things
that
Biloxi
regional
is
accomplishing
on
a
daily
basis
having
quality
health
care
speaks
volumes
about
the
quality
of
a
community.
B
Consider
this
Biloxi
regional
is
currently
one
of
two
medical
centers
in
the
entire
country
and
one
of
three
in
the
world
that
is
using
a
revolutionary
piece
of
angiography
equipment.
It's
called
the
GE
discovery,
IGS
740
by
using
this
state-of-the-art
laser
guided
system.
Biloxi
regional
now
has
the
ability
to
offer
multi-discipline,
clinicians
and
unprecedented
diagnostic
imaging
tool.
Clinicians
can
now
address
a
much
wider
range
of
vascular
disease
using
endovascular
procedures,
be
it
cardiac
or
peripheral.
B
Another
area
where
Biloxi
regional
has
distinguished
itself
is
in
the
area
of
orthopaedics,
whether
it's
knee
or
hip,
replacements,
Biloxi
regional
was
the
first
and
remains
the
only
medical
center
on
the
Gulf
Coast
that
uses
a
Mako
robot.
This
allows
artha,
pedic
surgeons
to
use
pinpoint
accuracy
in
the
vital
areas
of
need
or
hip
replacement,
are
in
treating
spinal
issues
as
a
result
of
its
success.
Biloxi
regional
has
seen
its
number
of
orthopaedic
cases
double
in
the
last
three
to
four
years.
B
Biloxi
regional
for
three
years
in
a
row
now
has
been
recognized
by
the
state
as
a
top
performer
on
key
quality
measures.
The
hospital
is
also
taking
steps
to
give
patients
easier
access
to
services.
The
Luxy
regionals
first
floor
is
currently
under
construction
with
us,
1.6
million
dollar
project
to
renovate
the
registration
area
and
emergency
room
so
that
you
can
find
all
services
and
one
convenient
location
throughout
this
year.
As
we
draw
nearer
to
the
August
29th
anniversary
of
Katrina,
we
will
be
reminded
of
our
many
successes.
B
We
will
find
inspiration
in
the
resolve
and
resilience
of
our
people.
We
will
find
confidence
in
the
remarkable
recovery
of
our
community,
but
we
are
still
confronted
by
challenges
among
the
challenges
that
frustrates.
Many
is
the
length
of
time
major
recovery
projects
take.
It's
simply
reality.
A
decade
of
rebuilding
is
but
a
blip
in
time
for
a
three
hundred
and
sixteen
year
old
city.
Since
late
2008,
we
have
talked
about
the
city's
massive
355
million
dollar
restore
Biloxi
infrastructure
program.
B
Let's
talk
about
where
we
are
today
with
this
effort,
while
the
storm
struck
on
August
twenty-ninth
2005,
the
millions
of
dollars
for
our
infrastructure
work
more
than
three
hundred
and
fifty
five
million
was
not
fully
obligated
until
may
of
2011,
some
six
years
after
the
storm.
Since
that
time
we
have
designed
and
built
several
projects
and
have
a
number
of
others
underway.
Currently
more
than
20
million
dollars
in
construction
has
been
completed
and
another
156
million
is
now
underway.
B
You
will
also
see
the
edgewater
drive.
Balmoral
work,
a
1.8
million
dollar
project
completed
by
the
end
of
this
year.
All
of
these
construction
contracts
total
more
than
one
hundred
and
fifty
six
million
dollars
and
not
too
far
down
the
road
is
another
115
million
dollars
in
improvements.
The
centerpiece
of
this
will
be
the
so-called
South
contract,
which
is
the
area
south
of
the
CSX
railway
from
Point
cadet,
all
the
way
to
st.
Peter
Street.
B
This
project
went
out
for
bids
in
February
and
we
expect
to
award
a
940
day
contract
soon,
with
completion
expected
in
fall
of
2017.
The
final
phase
of
our
infrastructure
work,
known
as
the
West
contract,
will
be
to
install
new
utilities
from
st.
Peter
all
the
way
to
dobies
road.
This
will
be
a
720
day
contract
and
we
expect
to
advertise
it
later
this
year.
This
is
expected
to
be
a
30
million
dollar
project,
which
is
contingent
on
the
final
acquisition
of
easements
along
Highway
90.
B
These
efforts
will
continue
to
require
a
community-wide
partnership
and
patience
that
remains
focused
on
rebuilding
a
solid
foundation
from
which
Biloxi
can
grow
and
flourish
well
into
the
future.
We
know
that
we
are
building
to
improve
the
quality
of
life
in
Biloxi
for
this
generation
in
the
next.
We
are
setting
the
table
for
Economic
Development
today
we
can
confidently
say
that
we
expect
to
see
the
majority
of
this
infrastructure
work
completed
within
the
next
36
months.
B
We're
asking
residents
to
keep
in
mind
that
before
Katrina,
the
city's
typical
capital
construction
project
for
this
type
of
infrastructure
work
averaged
about
two
to
four
million
dollars
a
year.
With
this
infrastructure
repair
program,
the
city's
goal
is
to
complete
nearly
50
years
worth
of
construction
in
the
next
three
years,
but
this
year
this
benchmark
year
is
the
one
when
we
hope
to
turn
the
page.
This
is
the
year
when
we
will
ask
people
to
begin
focusing
on
our
recovery
more
than
the
tremendous
devastation
of
that
storm
ten
years
ago.
B
We'll
begin
telling
that
story
in
a
huge
way.
Later
this
month,
when
the
or
o'keeffe
museum
of
art
unveils
its
six-month
Katrina,
+
10
exhibition.
This
daily
showcase
will
be
a
retrospective
of
the
storm.
Yes,
it
will
discuss
the
catastrophic
devastation
from
one
end
of
the
coast
to
the
other,
but,
more
importantly,
we
will
advance
the
story.
We
will
bring
attention
to
the
inspirational
recovery
that
we
have
seen
from.
B
One
end
of
the
coast
to
the
other,
now
more
than
ever,
is
our
opportunity
to
tell
this
story
to
show
the
rest
of
the
country
and
the
rest
of
the
world.
How
Biloxi
and
the
Mississippi
Gulf
Coast
have
returned
have
rebuilt
in
an
innovative
fashion,
harder
and
stronger
than
before
and
built
in
a
way
to
minimize
damage
from
future
storms.
That's
a
testament
to
our
vision
of
being
guided
by
the
past
to
preserve
and
promote
and
perpetuate
the
things
that
made
so
many
people
fall
in
love
with
Biloxi
and
finally
generation
after
generation.
B
One
thing
stands
clear:
it's
something
that
we've
said
every
year
and
it
remains
true
today.
It's
the
people
who
make
Biloxi
the
special
place
that
it
is
the
people
who
work
so
hard
every
day
the
people
who
enjoy
life
here
in
Biloxi
the
people
who
keep
our
traditions
alive,
the
people
who
welcome
every
day
with
enthusiasm,
the
people
who
have
the
resolve
and
the
resilience
to
overcome
any
obstacle.
These
are
the
people
who
make
Biloxi
the
special
place
that
it
is
the
place
we
all
love
in
the
place
we
call
home.