MOSS POINT -- Monica Battle on today said residents working to make Moss Point a Main Street City intend to add youth to the program in the near future.
"Whatever we are doing is going to affect them immediately ... and it's going to affect them in the future," she said.
Battle, director of the Moss Point Main Street Development Taskforce, was among city and county residents and officials who attended a ceremony this morning that officially designated Moss Point as a Main Street City.
The event was held at the Downtown Clock Plaza on Main Street, where officials with the Mississippi Main Street Association and the Mississippi Development Authority spoke during the brief ceremony at 11 a.m.
Gray Swoope, executive director of MDA, presented Mayor Xavier Bishop with a plaque for the designation.
Alderwoman Nancy Norvel and Shirley Leroy mingled with the crowd before the ceremony began. Leroy, who has been working to bring the Main Street program to Moss Point, opened the ceremony and introduced Bishop.
"This is exciting," said Norvel. "Bringing back Moss Point."
Bob Wilson, executive director of the state's Main Street Association, congratulated Moss Point for becoming the only city accepted into the Main Street Program for 2009. He said nine other cities also applied for the designation.
Moss Point is now one of seven cities in South Mississippi to receive the designation from the Main Street Association.
"Main Street is about the community and people coming together and representing every part of your city," said Battle.
Moss Point's development taskforce has been working for about a year to earn the Main Street designation. Battle said now that it is official residents working with the taskforce will begin training from the state to implement the program.
