Page 92 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2020

C I T YCLOSEUPS LONG BEACH
2019 IN THE FRIENDLY CITY
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photo courtesy of City of Long Beach
2019 was a big year for the Friendly City, a fact that Mayor George Bass is proud of. At his most recent Breakfast with the Mayor event, Mayor Bass shared some of last year’s highlights as well as some projects that are in their beginning phases.
“Long Beach has three big economic development projects currently in the works,” Mayor Bass said. “The Gateway beauti cation project, a planned casino on Highway 90, and the Beatline Road expansion plan.”
The city is currently in negotiations with the developer on that planned casino development, and Mayor Bass says the concept drawings for it look fantastic. “I told them we’ve got to have something that will match our harbor, our community, that’s going to be di erent from everyone else.”
Beatline Road is another project
that Mayor Bass hopes to see come to fruition. The idea is to increase the road to four lanes that would run from Highway 90 to I-10. “Long Beach,
Pass Christian, Harrison County would bene t from it,” he added. “It’s a good project and it’s a much-needed project.”
Also in 2019, the Fetch Dog park was opened, and Long Beach School District celebrated yet another ‘A’ rating, continuing its 4-year streak.
City of Long Beach
228.863.1556 www.cityoflongbeachms.com
PASS CHRISTIAN A RESIDENTIAL OASIS
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photo courtesy of City of Pass Christian
City of Pass Christian
228.452.3311 www.pass-christian.com
92 | January 2020
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Lovingly known by locals as “The Pass,” Pass Christian boasts a rich history and was the state’s rst resort community.
“At that time, rail was the only
way of going or coming, but the dynamic changed drastically with the construction of Highway 90,” said Mayor Leo “Chipper” McDermott. “Since the beginning, residential living has been our bread and butter, and now, 200 years later, that’s still a key factor in our economy.”
Even after Hurricane Katrina destroyed many of the stately beachfront homes, Pass Christian picked up where it left o and started
rebuilding. Today the city is thriving, and McDermott comments that the homes seem to keep getting bigger and better with residential areas extending from Scenic Drive to the perimeters of the approximately seven-square-mile city.
“The amount of both residential
and commercial building permits have increased every year, so things are trending the right way,” he said.
In 2019, the city continued to grow. While it’s a small community, the locals and businesses who call The Pass home couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. “It’s a great place to live, that’s for certain,” McDermott says.