MPA/MPS Press Releases

For More Information Contact:
Tina Bruno @ 210-559-5277

As the state’s schools grapple with rising costs, some superintendents recently said it is time to shift the start of school to the end of August. A new coalition of parents agrees, and plans to ask the Mississippi legislature to consider setting statewide parameters for public schools to begin classes on the fourth Monday in August and end classes in May.

“It’s too hot in early-August,” said April McDonald, a Richland parent and supporter of Save Mississippi Summers. “Children have a difficult time focusing in the classroom, family vacation time is cut short, and temperatures are dangerously high on playgrounds, sports fields and buses. Add in the cost of cooling our schools during the hottest time of the year, and it just does not make sense to begin school in early August,” she said.

Harrison County Schools Superintendent Henry Arledge said a late-August-to-May calendar could work in Mississippi. The key would be to push back the date for state standardized tests by three weeks in the spring. “If all public schools begin classes on the same day and take the standardized tests on the same day, it creates a system of fairness across the state,” Arledge explained. “A uniform calendar allows us to more accurately analyze test scores and best practices.

“In sports, we insist that all participants begin at the same starting line,” Arledge said. “We need to apply this consistent approach to school start dates and testing dates as well.”

Arledge said pushing back the school start date should also reduce school cooling costs, since early August tends to be the hottest time of the school year. Utility savings could be used for instructional programs, such as better preparing children to start kindergarten. “I think most administrators and teachers would agree that shifting money from air conditioning to student achievement makes good sense,” Arledge said.

Last year, a number of Texas schools saw dramatic savings after a new state law passed requiring schools to begin on the fourth Monday of August. The Dallas Independent School District cut its electric costs for August in half, and saved more than $2 million.

Andi Rushton-Oustalet, mother of three in the Gulfport area, said those kinds of cost savings should get the attention of Mississippi lawmakers. “School districts are strapped, and taxpayers are already overburdened with high gas prices, food costs and energy bills,” she said. “If a simple change in the school calendar can help reduce non-instructional costs, the state has an obligation to look into it.”

Rushton-Oustalet points out that a number of other states have shifted school calendars after hearing from parents, educators and businesses. Wisconsin, North Carolina, Michigan, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas, Iowa, West Virginia and Minnesota all have laws governing school start dates on the books. Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio all have grassroots movements underway to push back the start of the school year.

McDonald said Save Mississippi Summers is trying to spread the word that changing the school calendar is a practical way to cut non-instructional costs and give families a full summer together. “Starting school at the end of August is a win-win situation for Mississippi families and schools,” she said.

Those interested in joining Save Mississippi Summers should log onto the groups’ web site at www.SaveMississippiSummers.org .

For more information:
Contact: Stacey Corso
Communications Department
(925) 953-1716

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has opened a new office in Jackson, Miss. Matthew M. Fitzgerald has been appointed to supervise the Jackson office as its regional manager. The new office is located at 617 Renaissance Way, Suite 200, Ridgeland, MS 39157. The phone number is (601) 856-4706. The fax number is (601) 856-4763.

“The opening of our new Jackson office marks the first time a national commercial real estate brokerage firm has entered the state of Mississippi,” explains Fitzgerald. “Marcus & Millichap will serve a segment of the Southeast investment community that has been overlooked in the past. We opened this office to meet the growing demands of local and out-of-state real estate investors. We plan to target investment real estate in Mississippi’s dynamic growth areas, including DeSoto County, Downtown Jackson, Madison/Ridgeland and, particularly, along the Gulf Coast.”

Brent Yurtkuran and Brad Barham, multi-family investment specialists, will lead the new office as senior associates. Yurtkuran and Barham join Marcus & Millichap from Jackson-based Real Estate Solutions, a real estate services firm founded by Yurtkuran in 2001. Harry Noble, formerly of Noble Development Properties Inc., has also joined the firm as a retail and single-tenant net lease investment specialist.

Yurtkuran and Barham have been involved in the commercial real estate industry for nearly six years. As such, they have experience selling multi-family properties throughout Mississippi on behalf of local and out-of-state investors.

“Mississippi is long over due for a national specialized commercial real estate brokerage firm,” says Yurtkuran. “Marcus & Millichap will fill a major void in Northern Mississippi and along the Gulf Coast. Investors will now have the opportunity to tap into Marcus & Millichap’s extensive pool of nationwide investment capital,” he adds.

“Our markets are stable and well positioned for future growth,” notes Barham. “The arrival of Marcus & Millichap is direct evidence of the strong opportunity in this relatively untapped market.”

Yurtkuran and Barham are Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) candidates.

With the opening of the Jackson office, Marcus & Millichap expands its already strong presence in the southeast region of the United States, including offices in Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala; Greenville, S.C.; Louisville, Ky.; Lafayette, La.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Williamsburg, Va. The firm also has offices in Charlotte and five offices in Florida.

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With more than 1,300 investment professionals in offices nationwide, Encino, Calif.-based Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services is the largest commercial real estate brokerage in the nation focusing exclusively on real estate investments. In 2007, the firm closed $20.7 billion in transactions. Founded in 1971, the firm has perfected a powerful system for marketing properties that combines product specialization; local market expertise; the industry’s most comprehensive research and analysis capabilities; state-of-the-art technology; and established relationships with the largest pool of qualified investors nationally.

www.MarcusMillichap.com

CONTACT: Virgi Lindsay, Executive Director, 601-352-8850

Set among twinkling lights along historic Carlisle Street, five stages will feature local musicians during the end-of-the-summer celebration, Bright Lights, Belhaven Nights, 6-9 p.m., Saturday, August 16.

The street festival schedule is as follows:
• Inside Basil’s of Belhaven – 6-7 p.m., Noah Thompson; 7-8 p.m., Bob Gates
• Carlisle Street Main Stage – 6-7 p.m., Jackson Jug Revival; 7-8 p.m., Curves; 8-9 p.m., The Weeks
• Porch at 1020 Carlisle Street – 6-7 p.m., Tim Avalon & Friends; 7-8 p.m., Jim Kopernak & Howard Jones
• Outside New Stage Theatre – 6-7 p.m., Signals; 7-8 p.m., Los Buddies; 8-9 p.m., The Rounders
• Inside New Stage Theatre—6-7 p.m., Mississippi Improve; 7-8 p.m., St. Brigid’s; 8-9 p.m., Eric Stracener & The Frustrations

Bright Lights, Belhaven Nights has been named a Top 20 Event in the Southeast for the month of August by the Southeastern Tourism Society.

The street festival highlights Greater Belhaven, a unique near-downtown neighborhood. It is casual, family-fun event including exciting children’s activities, art, music, theatre and food.

“We are pleased that we are still able to provide an event for the metro area and beyond where a family of four can attend with such a reasonable cost” said Virgi Lindsay, executive director of the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation (GBNF).

Admission to the festival is $3 for those 13 and older; $1 for children ages 12 and younger. Parking will be available at New Stage Theatre, along Belhaven streets and at the parking garage adjacent to Baptist Health Systems Medical Arts East at the corner of North and Carlisle Streets.

The festival begins at McDade’s parking lot and will extend up Carlisle Street to New Stage Theater. Within the festival there will be a children’s area which will include a balloon artist, train rides, space jumps, and arts and crafts. Children will also be invited to help paint a permanent mural designed by local neighborhood artists.

Vendors from the Belhaven Market will be selling a variety of items including foods, arts and crafts. Beverages, including soft drinks, beer and bottled water will be on sale as well. Belhaven merchants will be offering a variety of gifts and coupons as door prizes for all who attend.

Vidal Blankenstein is the featured artist of this year’s festival and her original artwork will be featured in festival promotions.

“This is a great way to enjoy a summer evening,” said Lindsay. “This is the most fun you can have in hot weather and not be in the water. It’s wonderful to come out on a summer evening to experience many fun activities for the entire family in our Capitol City.”
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The Foundation, which is a non-profit group governed by a board of directors with representation from Belhaven and Belhaven Heights, works to improve and revitalize the area through long-range planning, economic restructuring, historic preservation, green space enhancement, and improvement of Fortification Street, the major east-west corridor between the two neighborhoods.

Editor’s note: Images available upon request.

For more information contact:

Two Lakes For Mississippi Foundation
P.O.Box 55809
Jackson, MS 39296
601.987.1039

“The Two Lakes Plan is not dead and never was,” John McGowan said today. McGowan is chairman of the Two Lakes for Mississippi Foundation and spoke in response to claims by some Rankin County politicians that the project was finished.

Two Lakes is a comprehensive project that will provide flood control, spur economic development along the Pearl River and improve recreational opportunities that can make Jackson and the tri-county area a true destination.

“Contrary to the claims made by those who oppose the plan, we are moving ahead with a project that will drastically reduce flooding in the area,” he added. McGowan went on to say that so far 30 of the 87 property owners are participating in an effort to find private financing arrangement for the landowners. The Hinds County Board of Supervisors also strongly supports the Two Lakes Plan. The only plan yet offered as a replacement for Two Lakes, improperly called a lake plan, will only provide marginal flood protection for downtown Jackson. In reality this is a levees-only scheme, offering no meaningful recreational or economic advantages. Further, even the U.S. Corps of Engineers says that it is inferior to the Two Lakes Plan as a flood-control measure.

“It’s this simple,” said McGowan, “Our taxpayers can blow hundreds of millions of dollars on an illegitimate boondoggle, or they can participate in a privately run venture that will provide jobs, tax revenue, recreation, and which will cost the same as the plan Levee Board’s proposes.

A recent editorial in the Northside Sun noted that the Corps of Engineers envisions paying $3,576 to clear one acre of land. McGowan’s real-world estimate is $1,000.

John McGowan, an oilman and native of Jackson, has foresworn any personal gain from Two Lakes. “I just want to do something for the city and the state,” he said.

Please log on to our website for more information. www.twolakesms.com or contact Robert Muller at 601.987.1039, 601.982.3444 or at twolakesms@mcgowanwp.com

Mississippi House of Representatives
Jackson, Mississippi

STATEMENT OF HOUSE SPEAKER BILLY MCCOY, AUGUST 1, 2008

House Speaker Billy McCoy on Friday said his leadership team is fully aware of the public’s frustration over the cost of the current special session.

McCoy said that Gov. Barbour has limited the legislature’s options during the special session. “If we had all tools available to us, we could reach a consensus fairly quickly,” McCoy added.

He said allowing an increase in the tobacco tax as part of the mix would dramatically improve chances of a reconciliation.

“The public supports such an plan, the medical community advocates it, and, if allowed to vote, I predict a sufficient number of senators would support the measure,” McCoy said.

“Governor Barbour is putting on his ‘magician’s costume’ raising hopes that he can pull off a ‘trick’ to lessen the harm to our state’s 600,000 citizens who depend on Medicaid,” McCoy added. “If he comes up with some method to get more federal funds to reduce or eliminate his unreasonable tax on hospitals and sick folks, I assure him that the House will accept it.”

Rumors have spread around the Capitol that Barbour has been able to access additional federal funds to reduce or eliminate the Medicaid deficit.

House proposals have included a compromise that would combine a cigarette tax with a reduced tax on hospitals to prevent any cuts in services. In a floor vote, the Governor’s plan to tax hospitals was overwhelmingly rejected by the House.

Contact Speaker McCoy at 601-359-3300.