 
Gulfport Mayor Delivers Brick and Mortar State-of-the-City
Speech Story and Photos by Keith Burton - GCN 3/11/08 Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr stepped up to the podium Tuesday evening before a half-empty auditorium to deliver what was described as a "brick and morter" State-of-the-City speech. The audience attending the speech at Gulfport High School was attentive and came to learn what the Warr administration had accomplished over the past year and what was to come. Warr began, "We’ve been looking forward to tonight for some time. This evening is our third State of the City presentation since Hurricane Katrina, and I will report to you stability and growth and what we have accomplished during the year. We are officially calling this presentation; and this year for that matter "the Year of Bricks and Mortar".
During his presentation, Warr praised his staff and city employees for the dedication and hard work. He particularly singled out his Chief Administrative Officer Dr. John Kelly, who introduced Warr, and Police Chief Alan Weatherford, noting that violent crime had been reduced by nearly 60 percent over the previous year. In Dr. Kelly's introduction of Warr, he explained that the attendance was expected to be fewer at the high school as the mayor will be making similar presentations at five locations throughout the city Wednesday. High points in Warr's presentation included a variety issues. Warr said that full funding for the harbor and Jones Park have been found. Warr promised that $24.8 million in work on the harbor would begin by June. He also said that the city will soon begin work on historic Grass Lawn, which was destroyed by Katrina. He outlined that the city has begun work on restoring most of its fire stations. A new public safety center and municipal complex is also nearing a point where construction should begin this year. "Of the 149 damaged city owned facilities, 42 are repaired today, 67 are under construction and 40 are under design as we speak," Warr said.
Warr also described more of his vision for the former Veterans Hospital site and Gulfport Sportplex.
"The VA Hospital site can be a unique place with a resort conference hotel, dining, and green space, and retail, cultural and residential experience for tourist, neighbors and residents of the entire coast. And the Gulfport Sportsplex can be the finest recreation and sports related retail development in the entire south," Warr said. What was clearly missing, however, was a statement on when the city will begin work on restoring City Hall. For some observers, Warr appeared very subdued throughout his presentation. There were no anecdotes about his life, or moments of levity. The speech lasted about a half an hour and at times Warr seemed to be hurried to complete it. His voice, even with amplification, hardly discernable during portions of his presentation. The were few opportunities for the audience to respond or that enticed the audience to clap, but people were genuinely interested and listened intently to his presentation.
A particularly important achievement was also noted by Warr dealing with city water services. "We recently settled a 13 year old issue that makes me proud to say that Gulfport now owns every utility company within our city boundaries. This is very important. When Gulfport annexed the Orange Grove community we promised city services. Now we will be able to deliver on those promises," Warr said. After the speech, Warr met with some residents as they departed from the auditorium. He was not surrounded by staff or by a crowd of people trying to speak to him. Residents also did not comment about Warr's presentation to each other as they were leaving. All of the City Councilmembers were in attendance at the speech, as well as several political figures including District 2 Supervisor Kim Savant, a former Gulfport councilman, and opponent during Warr's mayoral election. Also in attendance was a representative from Sen. Roger Wicker's office. For the past two years, Warr had given his State-of-the-City speech in a purchase-ticket luncheon at the Orange Grove Community Center. But that location was unavailable as it had been damaged by fire last year. The city actually doesn't have a large meeting hall at this time. As in the past, the city's Chamber of Commerce sponsored the Tuesday evening speech, but this one was free of charge to attend and didn't offer a meal. Upon leaving the high school, Warr walked only with his family back to his home in the nearby Woodglen neighborhood. His residence is across the street from the school. More Information: Additional
State-of-the-City Community Meeting Locations, Wednesday, March 12: Related Information: Text of Warr's 2008 State-of-the-City Speech - .pdf file Warr's 2007 State-of-the-City Speech - GCN Elephant in the Room: Investigation into Warr's Homeowner Grant Continues - GCN
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What
Warr did not comment upon was the announcement nearly three weeks ago that
a federal grand jury was investigating Warr's receipt of a state Homeowner
Grant from the Mississippi Development Authority. At no time did Warr
comment on his personal life.
Warr
said the project to install street lights on U.S. 90 should be complete by
the end of April. To this statement, Warr received one of the few
spontaneous moments of applause from the attending audience.