BAY ST. LOUIS- NEEDS GROCERY STORE

WLOX story - BAY ST. LOUIS LEADERS OK FUNDING FOR GROCERY STORE STUDY

On my trips to Bay St. Louis and Waveland, I found that the only place to buy grocery items was at Wal-Mart in Waveland. It's not that long of a drive, if you're already close in to town, but it's quite a hassle with all of the traffic.

If you think about it, it seems quite pathetic if your very own city doesn't have its own grocery store. For one thing, I'd assume that it would mean loss of taxes to the city itself. Certainly puts a strain on time management issues for the Bay folks when they need groceries. Perhaps this new "study" will confirm the need.

BAY ST. LOUIS- COTTAGES CAN STAY

FINALLY! COMING TO THEIR SENSES –

After many, many months of back-and-forth messing around, the Bay St. Louis City Council passed an ordinance allowing residents of the MEMA cottages to keep their homes. They must meet the requirements to buy their homes from the state but they can now keep them in residential areas. Initially, the council was only going to allow them if they were moved to a "trailer park" which was totally asinine and counter productive to recovery.

Councilmen still wanted to have their way with some of the items on the planning & zoning commissioner's list of recommendations, but they did ease up on some things. People in the cottages now have more time and less limitations on when and how they obtain the various required permits. Time has always been of essence to matters concerning recovery on the coast. It has especially been so with lower income, elerly, disabled, or single-parent families.

Originally, there were so many stipulations being applied to the cottages as permanent housing that it seemed people were being blatantly discriminated against. Recovery was being denied! Now though, the deadline for people to comply with the new "rules" is Aug. 31, 2009. . . FOUR YEARS AFTER KATRINA! About time, Council people!

REPRIEVE FROM FEMA FLOOD MAPS

BAY ST. LOUIS -

"The Bay" has been fighting FEMA's extreme flood maps which they created without the use of proper science or scientific tools. Those maps, had they become law, would have severely limited recovery from Katrina because they would impose ridiculously high elevation requirements.

In its appeal, the city of Bay St. Louis pointed out various issues that were problematic:
* the accuracy of wave models used by FEMA scientists
* mathematical errors
* mapping problems
* FEMA did not consider bottom composition elements in the Bay of St. Louis in calculating potential wave heights

The city's victory over FEMA means that the A Zones (flood hazard) were expanded and the V Zones (most volatile flood hazard) were shrunk.

FEMA’s proposed maps would have required buildings to be as high as 22 feet above mean high tide in some parts of the A Zones. That height will now be 18 or 19 feet. Additionally, almost 40% of the city was located in V Zones with another 40% in A Zones.

With the newest flood maps, the V Zones should account for only 10% of the city and A Zones expand to 60%. This larger A Zone area change will save residents and businesses thousands of dollars in flood insurance money. Some good news that everyone needed!

COTTAGES ARE MODULAR!

Beleaguered Issue Seeing Positive Resolution?

HANCOCK CO. attorney Ronnie Artigues received a letter from Balch & Bingham LLP, which represents the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, which stated that the MEMA cottage is modular housing. A copy of that Jan. 7th. letter was sent to Hancock Co. officials. By Jan. 9th., Bay St. Louis officials were seemingly of the mind that they will have to comply with the state's definition.

Now after all of this time, it just seems to me that any dunce could've looked up this concern on the internet! All anyone had to do was go straight to the horse's mouth: Mississippi Cottage. Google it for Pete's sake! Or. . . maybe they did. . . and they just wanted to play hard ball in order wear people out so that they would perhaps give up and leave the area altogether??? Something surely was up with this long drawn out deal which essentially smelled of exclusionism and discrimination.

According to a recent article in The Sea Coast Echo as far back as May 2008, the Mississippi Fire Marshal's Office's definition of a "modular home" is "a structure which is transportable in one or two sections; designed to be used as a dwelling when connected to the required utilities; constructed in accordance with a nationally recognized building code; and designed to be permanently installed on it's final destination on an approved foundation."

We can only hope that the state's official declaration on the matter WILL prevent Bay St. Louis City Council from condemning and confining the cottages to "trailer" parks. Pass Christian and Biloxi have been allowing the cottages within residentially-zoned areas as long as elevation, foundation, and setback requirements are met.

Cottage features include:
* A front porch
* Comfortable living areas
* Durability
* Wind resistant up to 150 mph
* Hurricane strapping
* Plenty of insulation for energy efficiency
* Design for maximum storage space
* Design style which fits Gulf Coast architecture
* 1, 2, or 3 bedroom models

There will also be an Eco Cottage which is currently in the planning stage.

SOCIAL INJUSTICE IN HOUSING ISSUES

THE THANKSGIVING and CHRISTMAS SEASONS are UPON US and the
MARCH 31, 2009 DEADLINE for REMOVAL OF MEMA COTTAGES

Coast Housing Director Gerald Blessey was appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour to help solve the ongoing Katrina housing crisis. When Blessey met with Bay St. Louis City Council, it came to light once more that the city does not like the cottages and does not want them to remain within "regular" housing neighborhoods. One councilman expressed "concern" that it seemed the MEMA rules for the cottage time line keep trying to be changed as each deadline for removal approaches.

From the very beginning of the idea of the cottages coming into play as a viable option for temporary housing to replace the constricting and formaldehyde-ridden FEMA trailers, councilmen in general have slammed the cottages as being little more than another form of trailers and said they belong in trailer parks and not where "real" houses are. This thinking is just plain prejudicial, narrow minded, and ridiculous.

One councilman wanted to know what to tell concerned citizens who are fortunate to live in a house, i.e. "real home" that a MEMA cottage was going to be next door. More unacceptable "thinking."

Another councilman said he didn't see any need for the cottages! I suppose he lives in a nice comfy house with no worries of where he will be living or what he'll be living in nor any sympathy or compassion for those who, through no fault of their own, have worried since August 29th. 2005 when everything they had was washed away.