Reports - Mississippi Renewal

THE GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION REPORT | 83Education Center and at Infinityat Stennis Space Center. Hurricaneeducation can become a major drawfor visitors and create another identityfor the Mississippi Coast.■ Historic/Cultural Preservation. Theinitial inventory indicates that morethan 1,000 historic structures—bothpublicly and privately owned—weredamaged or destroyed by the storm. 13Due to lack of funds to rebuild andprotracted insurance negotiations,many of the damaged historical andcultural structures are standing unattended.Early estimates suggest a costof at least $8.5 million just to stabilizethose damaged structures so thatthey may be repaired or rebuilt inthe future. 14 Without restoring or rebuildingthose structures, Mississippiand the nation loses much of the historyand culture that defines this regionand attracts visitors. Addressinghistorical and cultural preservation iscritical to accomplishing the “senseof-place”goals.■ Capitalize on our National HeritageArea Designation. In 2004, the MississippiCoast became one of only 27congressionally-designated NationalHeritage Areas. The Mississippi GulfCoast National Heritage Area ManagementPlan, which covers the sixSouth Mississippi counties, shouldbe completed and approved by theNational Park Service, by February2006. The National Alliance of HeritageAreas’ annual meeting will beheld on the Coast in October 2007.A major part of the recovery planshould include supporting and seekingthe funding opportunities andother benefits as one of the nation’sfew National Heritage Areas.The GulfCoast’s economyhas beenparticularlydependentupon tourism.■ The 29 state-licensedcasinos, prime tourismattractors, providednearly 30,000 jobs andgenerated more than$2.8 billion in revenues.■ Before the hurricane,about 22 percent of alljobs in the three coastalcounties were in theleisure/hospitality sector,twice the state averageand more than twicethe national average.■ In Harrison County in2004, 28.7 percent ofall employment wasdirectly tied to tourism.In Hancock County,15.3 percent of jobswere in this sector.Sources:Bureau of Labor StatisticsMississippi Tourism AssociationMississippi Development AuthorityWhat We Can Do Right NowApplying those guiding principles,the Commission recommends the followingfirst steps:■ The Harrison County Sand BeachDepartment and Mississippi Departmentof Marine Resources, throughits Coastal Cleanup programs, shouldclean up the beach and adjacent waterways.Before casinos, the beach wasthe Coast’s primary attraction and instantlycan begin attracting touristsagain. This also will require cleaningthe shallow waters of the MississippiSound to remove debris visible at lowtide.■ MDOT should rebuild Highway 90and the bridges consistent with theprinciples of the Mississippi RenewalForum. MDOT must be sensitiveto regional needs and expectationsregarding transportation plans, andshould follow the transportation andplans recommended through theCommission.■ The Coast should capitalize on the“Voluntourism” market. In the modelof the aftermath of the Mount St.Helens eruption, thousands will visitthe Coast to witness the fury of natureand the spirit of renewal of SouthMississippi. Many will want to be partof that recovery. The Mississippi DevelopmentAuthority (MDA) shouldencourage such attractions to out-ofstatemarkets, and the CVB shouldmarket these sites to in-state markets.■ The state legislature should createa coast-wide Tourism PromotionCommission and fund it with newfunds and/or grants made available