Page 75 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2019
P. 75
PASCAGOULA
PASCAGOULA THRIVING WHILE RECAPTURING LOCAL CHARM
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of Jeff Baldock and The City of Pascagoula
PASCAGOULA MAYOR DANE
Native Americans, the Pascagoula tribe — a name that means bread eaters — were a peacful band that greeted the European settlers more than 300 years ago and gave its name to this Jackson County city. This bustling industrial city has a rich history and continues
to thrive. It’s home to Mississippi’s largest private employer, Northrop Grumman Ingalls Shipbuilding. Other industries include Chevron Refinery, Signal International, First Chemical Corporation, VT Halter Marine, Mississippi Phosphates and BP/ Amoco.
With a population of 24,000, Pascagoula saw increases in new housing in 2018, complimented by a record number of properties that were returned to the tax rolls, thanks to the
small business owners and retailers with the repaving of Market Street, and the façade grants of our Main Street Pascagoula partnership,” Maxwell said.
The goal of his administration is
to create sound processes so fiscal mistakes don’t occur, and at the same time chart a course for smart municipal growth and financial well-being. “As we finish the first 18 months of my administration, and despite some nearly catastrophic set backs, we are
on our way to being that charming
and vibrant coastal city that people remember and want.”
The mayor lists other important points:
• We passed the first legal, balanced budget in some time and have been working nonstop to get the city on secure financial footing.
• Our federal and state partners, from the EPA to the Legislature have enabled us to move important things forward, such as preparing for the infrastructure demands of re-opening the Ingalls east bank, and helping get the old phosphate mine cleaned up.
• Our citizens have been engaged, and working together with city leaders to do what is necessary and what makes sense.
MAXWELL Secretary of State. “These abandoned properties represent an opportunity for folks, especially first time home owners and developers,” Mayor Dane Maxwell
said. “Also, we are working with owners of blighted and abandoned properties to get them remediated and up to code, or declaring them public nuisances and tearing them down.”
The city is in discussions with big box retailers about building in Pascagoula and increasing shopping options. “Not to mention all we have done with our
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City of Pascagoula
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