Jackson Free Press

Sept. 6, 2011

The City Council voted today to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 and approved the next phase of repairing Fortification Street, but did not vote on the fate of an equestrian statue of Louis XIV.

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. issued a proclamation calling Sept. 11 a "day of solemn commemoration" in remembrance of the 2001 terrorist attacks. He asked people to observe a minute of silence and churches to ring their bells at noon Sept. 11 to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The U.S. Senate has asked all Americans to cease their work and observe a moment of silence at that time. The mayor's proclamation says that nearly 3,000 civilians were killed in the attacks and nearly 90,000 people today are suffering or are at risk of suffering negative health effects from the attack.

The mayor's office will also submit an application for grant money from the Mississippi Department of Transportation to build a "Museum to Market" bike trail. The trail will run from the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum along Riverside Drive and behind the water treatment plant. Part of the trail will follow a dirt path that formerly held a railroad track. It will end at the Farmers Market at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.

The council also voted Sept. 6 to approve $4 million in funding from the Mississippi Development Authority for the Fortification Street Improvement Project. The project will bring new pavement, sidewalks and lighting to Fortification Street. City spokesman Chris Mims said the project will slow down traffic and make the street more pedestrian friendly.

The council did not vote on where to put an equestrian statue from France of Louis XIV. The statue was displayed at the Splendors of Versailles exhibit at the Mississippi Arts Pavilion in 1998. Johnson proposed that the statue, which has been in storage since the exhibit, be moved to the east side of Thalia Mara Hall. Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell expressed concerns that the statue, which has been appraised at $500,000, might be vandalized. The council voted for the planning committee to discuss the statue's placement.

Previous Comments

ID

164852

Comment

In case anyone was wondering, I just talked to someone from the city who clarified that the statue was of Louis XIV, not XVI.

Author

lizwaibel

Date

2011-09-06T15:17:13-06:00

ID

164853

Comment

I thought Mississppi DOT was administering the Fortification Street project?

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2011-09-06T15:26:58-06:00

ID

164854

Comment

@Jeff - You're right. I have corrected the story to show that MDA is partially funding the project, not administering it. Thanks for catching that.

Author

lizwaibel

Date

2011-09-06T16:29:53-06:00

ID

164855

Comment

Really lost a great deal of respect for Quentin Whitwell today for trying to admonish the Mayor in such a condescending , nasty way when he complained that the council was not consulted on appointments to the Traffic Calming Committee. When the Mayor pointed out that Whitwell's appointment was one of the three that the councilman offered as a suggestion to the Mayor and that the administration in fact contacted all three of Whitwell's suggestions before bringing one forward, the red-faced Councilman could only say he "stood corrected". Maybe if he'd spend less time tweeting the same five tweets every freaking day and pay attention to the business of the citizens of Jackson...he'd remember which citizens he actually asked to be appointed to boards.

Author

thabian

Date

2011-09-06T17:32:53-06:00