Council has meeting, but Jerusalem project will not be submitted for BP money grant program

The Picayune City Council’s Tuesday meeting was in essence a formality of opening and closing the meeting by Mayor Ed Pinero. The meeting agenda that was distributed on Monday showed only the following items: Consider request to approve the Resolution Authorizing Application for MS Gulf Coast Restoration Fund Grant Program and to consider request to approve the Resolution Authorizing Matching Funds for the MS Gulf Coast Restoration Fund Grant Program.

A revised agenda was distributed via email from the city of Picayune on Tuesday afternoon at around 2:21 p.m. that did not have any items to be discussed which dictated the actions taken by Mayor Pinero.

The resolutions on the original agenda for the council meeting were for the Jerusalem Avenue project that would widen the city roadway from Highway 43 South (Memorial Blvd). At the end of East Jerusalem Avenue, the biggest track of property, approximately 9 acres, is owned by Resurrection Life Ministries church (RLM).

The council first discussed this project on July 5, 2019, and approved applying for the grant pending the proposal package being finished and submitted in hopes of receiving money from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Restoration Grant program, a.k.a. referred to as BP spill money designated for economic development projects. During that meeting, the council voted to proceed with further development of the proposal to return to the council for review once the final proposal was completed and ready for submittal to the grant program.

Without a meeting tonight (Tuesday), it appears the city of Picayune will not be submitting a project for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Restoration Grant (BP money) program this year. WRJW News learned that prior to the council meeting, the project did not appear to have the four yes votes needed to be approved if it remained on the agenda and a meeting was held.