News - Politics

Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

Centers’ names will change

Buildings to be named for Lyman, Orange Grove

GULFPORT — The City Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to change the name of two community centers currently under construction.

Ward 7 Councilwoman Cara Pucheu proposed naming the community center on U.S. 49 the Lyman Community Center and the one on Dedeaux Road the Orange Grove Community Center.

Council members Kenneth Casey and Ella Holmes-Hines voted against the proposal.

The center on U.S. 49 was damaged in a fire in 2007 and will reopen in January.

It was known as the Orange Grove/Lyman Community Center. Mayor George Schloegel said the city was considering naming it the Highway 49 Community Center as a way of unifying the city.

But residents of those communities said they wanted to keep their identity and didn’t want the name changed.

“We would like to keep our heritage in Lyman,” resident Amy Galloway said. “The Lyman people who are left really would like to keep the name.”

But some said it will be confusing to have the center on Dedeaux Road named after Orange Grove when for years people have associated that name with the center on U.S. 49.

Ward 6 Councilman R. Lee Flowers said he thinks it will be good for the area to have two places to hold community events.

“This offered a new opportunity for us,” he said. “I’m excited that we’re going to have two community centers.”

In other action, the council voted to appoint Richard Smith as the environmental court judge for the city. The council also re-appointed Richard Matheny to the Gulfport-Biloxi Airport Regional Authority and John “Shorty” Sneed to the Harrison County Development Commission.

The council also made several appointments to the Planning Commission, including: Keith Williams, William “Prince” Jones, B.J. Sellers and Gerald Martin Warren.