by Keith Burton - GCN  9/22/08 

Contractors working on Biloxi's Small Craft Harbor near downtown Biloxi are nearly finished with rebuilding the harbor following Hurricane Katrina's damages over three years ago.

"In fact, the harbor would be open right now if it hadn't been for the flooding from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike," said Port Director Frankie Duggan today.

Duggan told GCN that the electrical contractors are refitting electrical boxes that had been installed prior to the recent storm, but the flooding required checks and replacement of some electrical components and that has slightly delayed reopening the harbor. Duggan said the additional work will take a couple of weeks.

The work to repair the Katrina-gutted harbormaster building and Port offices will take longer to complete. He said that FEMA is still reviewing the city's plans, but he knows that the first floor will not be reopened and that the offices will all go on the second flood. The same is true for the harbormaster office at the Point Cadet Marina.

The bait shops at both marinas will also have to be elevated to meet the new FEMA elevation requirements. He said that they will likely use steps and an elevator to help people get into them. Both harbor, however, will have a fuel dock accessible by the boats.

The new pilings at the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor are quite tall. Duggan said that the height of the pilings will enable boats to ride up higher during storm tides, which may help reduce the need for boat owners to evacuate during minor hurricanes and tropical storms.

Meanwhile, work on the Point Cadet Harbor, which has been in use, will likely get underway late this years. FEMA has approved the rebuilding plan by the city and the Biloxi City Council is likely to accept bids on the project at their meeting Tuesday. Duggan said the primary work at the Point Cadet Harbor will be electrical repair and some dredging. He said that the work at Point Cadet will be made in sections to help boat owners. The boats, he said, will be moved around at the harbor, or moved to the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor while work is underway.

The City has received broad criticism from boat owners at Point Cadet for not getting lights and electrical boxes working. Duggan said he understands the boat owner's frustrations, but the city has had to follow the FEMA rules to get the work paid for properly.

The city's commercial fishing dock on Back Bay is also slated to be repaired, but the city is still putting its plans together and awaiting FEMA approval on that project.

Some good news for landlubber fishermen. Duggan says that the city will be rebuilding the former fishing piers east of the Point Cadet Marina, although some of the amenities, such as several shops that were at the location prior to Katrina will not be returning. He said the new build height requirements make the shops impossible to rebuild, still, the pier was a great spot for fishing and a beautiful location for watching the water at the east tip of Biloxi.