City Receives $650,000 for Downtown Restrooms

By Royce Armstrong
It may not be a spreading chestnut tree and it will not be a village smithy, but the huge old oak tree at the downtown intersection of Mill and Main streets may soon spread above a visitor’s center and informational kiosk, part of a $650,000 community revitalization grant. The project will include renovations to the pavilion in the city park.
Governor Haley Barbour announced $97.2 million in grants for projects along the Mississippi Gulf Coast on May 10, according to Jennifer M. Spann, with the Communications and Marketing Division, Mississippi Development Authority. The Community Revitalization grants primarily provide millions of dollars for projects in the three coastal counties. Included in this list is the grant for the Lucedale downtown project.
“I don’t know of anything we can do to the downtown that will be more beneficial than this project,” Mayor Dayton Whites said. “Our downtown area and our city park are among the most beautiful in Mississippi. The one thing that has been lacking is decent restroom facilities."
“We need to appreciate that the Governor has worked hard to get money for development and revitalization in the six coastal counties,” Whites said.
The project will include building the visitor’s center on what is now a school district parking lot, building a new public parking lot on the north side of Commerce street east of Mills street and renovating the restroom facilities in the city park.
The project came together through the cooperation of the county board of supervisors, the school district and the city.
Although approval of the grant has been announced, no timetable has been set for disbursement of the funds to the cities.
“We hope to start this project soon,” Kathy Johnson, Lucedale City Clerk said. “All bidding procedures will be followed."