Historic Preservation Award

The Mississippi Heritage Trust will present the Heritage Award of Excellence in Preservation Education and Media to the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation for its architectural tour booklet at a luncheon Friday in Oxford. The award, one of nineteen, is presented as part of the Experience Mississippi Historic Preservation Conference in Oxford. (Read the Full Story Here)

Fountains, Water Bills, & Lakes

Belhaven College dedicates its new Entergy Pavilion and fountain today.

The City of Jackson warns Belhaven water bills will include and extra $20 charge this cycle.

The Northside Sun writes, "THE LEFLEUR LAKES flood control and economic development plan was first introduced in 1996. With it, came the promise of nearly ending flooding in downtown Jackson while offering the capital city a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cash in on the Pearl River. Twelve years and $2.8 million later, the river looks exactly the same. The LeFleur Lakes plan has been shelved and Jackson is no safer than it was before the Easter Flood of 1979." (Read the Full Story)

Entergy Pavilion

On Friday, April 4, Belhaven College will unveil its new Entergy Pavilion on campus. The ceremony will feature a performance by the Belhaven Dance Department, a solo by well known Mezzo-Soprano, Lester Senter Wilson, and comments from Belhaven College President Dr. Roger Parrott and Entergy Mississippi CEO, Carolyn Shanks. The Entergy Pavilion will provide outdoor performance space for theatre, dance, and music. When not in use, the pavilion's fountain’s dancing waters will be synchronized to music.

Belhaven Market Returns Saturday

From the Clarion Ledger, "The Greater Belhaven market is set to open for the 2008 season on Saturday. The open air, producers only market features a variety of fresh produce, baked goods and condiments as well as arts and crafts and is open from 9 a.m. until 1 p m. on Saturdays in the parking lot of English Village shopping center on Fortification Street. Tim Avalon & Friends will perform at the market on Saturday."

Belhaven Park

Not Laurel Park, but Belhaven Park - located as Kenwood deadends into Poplar - will be getting some real attention and improvements soon.

This story in the Northside Sun: Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation Executive Director Virgi Lindsay envisions transforming the park between Poplar Street and Moody Creek into a large green space with park benches, sidewalks and places to meditate. Plans also call for adding a new fence. “It will be a great outdoor space for people to read and meditate,” she said.

In addition, she expects many professionals, like those working at Baptist Hospital just up the road, and college students from Belhaven and Millsaps to frequent the area. The park, although open to children as well, won’t feature any playground equipment, Lindsay said.

Once the city finishes its general cleanup, the foundation will begin the real work. Foundation Consultant Corrine Fox said crews will have to remove a concrete slab where a home once stood and grade the land in some places to level it. The foundation will also have to repair sidewalks and add benches.

Architect Overton Moore has provided artist renderings for the park free of charge to the group.

The foundation hasn’t received an estimate for the improvements. Last year, though, officials had collected more than $100,000 in pledges to make improvements.

The Belhaven Foundation began their efforts to restore the park and enlarge it last year. The foundation purchased a small piece of property opposite of Kenwood Place, a street that dead-ends halfway into the park. Then, they received approval from the Jackson City Council to close off the roadway, which doubled the size of the park, Lindsay said. Kenwood is now blocked off by wooden flower planters. (Read the Full Story Here)