news City Goes Month-to-Month on Boca Ciega Yacht Club Lease By Laura Mulrooney
“I just hope that everybody pays attention to family members and neighbors during this period of time.” – Councilmember Paul Ray
LAURA MULROONEY
It was a relatively full house at the Catherine Hickman Theater for the Tuesday, December 1 Gulfport City Council meeting, yet there was only one item on the agenda – renewal of the Boca Ciega Yacht Club lease. BCYC members of the past and present filled the seats and nearly the entire two-hour meeting with commentary on why they felt the club is essential to the community. Due to active litigation, the City of Gulfport and BCYC have not yet negotiated terms for a new lease for the club’s continued use of the waterfront property where the club has resided since the 1960s.
After a short discussion and many questions, council directed City Manager Jim O’Reilly and City Attorney Andrew Salzman to draft a month-bymonth agreement for BCYC to remain in place until the conclusion of the active litigation. Council did not discuss the details of the agreement as they have yet to be decided. Mayor Sam Henderson made a point to assure residents that Sea Scouts, the youth sailing program BCYC oversees, will still have a home in the community, even if the city does not agree to a longer lease for the club.
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“The city is going to support the Sea Scouts as long as there are people willing to do it; we have options to do that,” Henderson said. “That’s not something that will go away.” Bike Trails Near Completion Gulfport Public Works Director Tom Nicholls announced that the Osgood Point Bike Trail and the extended county bike lane are open and ready for use. Gulfport’s Osgood Point Bike Trail runs north and south of Gulfport with Council continued on page 6
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