2025 Municipal Candidate Questionnaire: Heritage Guild of Vicksburg & Warren County – The Vicksburg Put up

The Heritage Guild of Vicksburg & Warren County not too long ago requested municipal candidates for Vicksburg’s mayor and Ward 2 alderman for his or her place on historic preservation. The Heritage Guild is a volunteer group established in 2016 and open to all to hitch their efforts to champion the neighborhood’s historic belongings.

Candidates got questions on Could 12 and requested to reply by Could 22. Incumbent Mayor George Flaggs Jr. and challenger Willis Thompson responded to the questionnaire. Incumbent Ward 2 Alderman Alex Monsour additionally responded. Mayoral candidate Kasman Massey and Ward 2 challenger Vickie Bailey didn’t reply.

Query 1A: A major multimillion greenback alternative is coming to Vicksburg. The Vicksburg Civil Battle Guests Middle is a brand new partnership with the Mississippi Division of Archives and Historical past, Pals of the Vicksburg Nationwide Navy Park & Marketing campaign and the Nationwide Park Service. The Middle will home a world class museum with occasion area, school rooms, and state-of-the-art analysis amenities. Opening in 2028 the Metropolis has three years to arrange for the financial alternatives of the rise in guests to our State and Metropolis. Vicksburg and Warren County residents have lengthy expressed concern over the unkept look of our city and interstate I-20 as the doorway and exit to Mississippi. There’s blight, litter, vacant and poorly maintained properties on the corridors into our historic Metropolis. What would you intend to create a welcoming, secure and alluring environment for our city?

Flaggs: Exploring choices corresponding to including extra welcoming indicators at key entry factors and launching new beautification initiatives can be important to enhancing town’s look. Group-wide clean-up days, landscaping initiatives, and public artwork installations may play a big function in making Vicksburg extra visually interesting. Partnering with neighborhood organizations, neighborhood associations, and native companies will foster a collective effort to maintain our corridors and entryways enticing and alluring.

Thompson: I suggest making a welcoming environment by guaranteeing town is clear, well-lit, freed from blight, and adequately maintained with eye-catching and informative signage. The primary corridors ought to be enticing and there ought to be transit obtainable to navigate to factors of curiosity across the metropolis. There ought to be thought given to methods to exhibit variety and inclusion so all are welcome to be taught in regards to the wealthy historical past and tradition of Vicksburg. There can be a visual police presence with officers and all metropolis personnel demonstrating friendliness and hospitality. A avenue infrastructure mission would additionally complement these efforts and make town extra welcoming.

Monsour: As a board member of MML and a member of the Legislative Committee, I labored to assist get passage of HB 733. This can be a grant program that can enable the Metropolis of Vicksburg to pick out as much as 15 personal properties to wash up utilizing this grant. It will assist to make sure that we clear up the blight in our metropolis.

Query 1B: What can be your plan to handle and remedy these points with the Metropolis’s authorized assets?

Flaggs: Reviewing and revising Metropolis ordinances to ascertain stricter tips for property upkeep and blight discount is a precedence. This contains streamlining the condemnation and demolition course of for deserted and unsafe buildings whereas exploring partnerships with non-profits and grant packages to offer assets for property rehabilitation.

Thompson: The problems of litter and blight could be aided by constant code enforcement. For instance, the code ought to be reviewed and amended as wanted to help with enforcement and enchancment objectives. There ought to be motion taken, corresponding to looking for legislative authority, to resolve points which will impede the flexibility to implement the code, hinder the blight removing course of, or stop future blight.

Monsour: We’re going to have to interact with our residents on code enforcement. Our residents have to do their half in following town code in the case of taking good care of private property and cleanliness.

Query 1C: How will you have interaction property homeowners, organizations, and residents to boost our neighborhood to showcase the brand new Vicksburg Civil Battle Guests Middle?

Flaggs: Launching an adopt-a-street/freeway mission would encourage native organizations, companies, and residents to keep up particular areas, guaranteeing cleanliness and curb enchantment. Moreover, putting informational brochures and directional indicators all through town would information vacationers to the brand new Vicksburg Civil Battle Guests Middle and promote different key points of interest.

Thompson: The town ought to have interaction stakeholders by selling the positives of this mission. The Vicksburg Navy Park is essentially the most visited cultural web site within the state of Mississippi.The brand new Vicksburg Civil Battle Customer Middle can be an enormous asset to the neighborhood that not solely complement the army park and draw extra guests into town, however is an academic device that showcases the historical past of town. It will positively be a vacationer attraction that enhances alternatives to showcase Vicksburg to vacationers, historians, residents, and potential traders. Property homeowners, organizations, and residents can be pleased with having such an financial device coming into town that can instill a way of satisfaction and enhancement in training in regards to the historical past of Vicksburg.

Monsour: We have to do a greater job speaking with our enterprise and householders to point out them what our Civil Battle Park means to the Metropolis of Vicksburg in tourism {dollars} which additionally permits this administration to function our price range with out elevating taxes. In return we’d ask them to assist repairs their property and preserve our metropolis stunning.

Query 2A: The Metropolis’s Foremost Avenue program and the Architectural Evaluation Board have been integral in Vicksburg’s preservation efforts for over thirty years. A preservation skilled employed by the Metropolis might provoke greatest 21 century practices to packages corresponding to: complete preservation plan, catastrophe plan, liaison with builders/contractors on metropolis ordinances, and grant writing. This place might assist the prevailing Foremost Avenue Program and develop a separate Metropolis Historic Preservation Board to maneuver past that of evaluation/ implementing metropolis tips to at least one which is extra centered and engaged in growing and sustaining preservation efforts for our neighborhood. Would you assist an expert preservation workers place?

Flaggs: Sure, I might assist the institution of an expert preservation workers place. As Vicksburg prepares for the opening of the Vicksburg Civil Battle Guests Middle, it’s important to have a devoted skilled centered on complete preservation planning, catastrophe preparedness, and grant writing. This place would work carefully with the Foremost Avenue Program and a newly shaped Historic Preservation Board to make sure that our metropolis’s historic belongings are preserved, leveraged, and showcased successfully. By investing in skilled preservation experience, we’re not solely defending our heritage but in addition positioning Vicksburg as a premier vacation spot for cultural tourism and financial growth.

Thompson: I already envision hiring a metropolis planner for current land use, housing, and growth wants. A metropolis planner may create and implement zoning legal guidelines that defend historic districts and buildings, establish historic websites, and design tips for renovations. A metropolis planner would even be useful in securing state and federal preservation funds which can be essential in preservation efforts. This place can meet each wants.

Monsour: Sure, I might assist an expert preservation workers place.