Tim Doherty

American Staff Writer

The plan to return two-way traffic to Hattiesburg's downtown streets may be on hold, but other projects near the Hub City's hub are in the docket or underway.

Funding has been secured for the first two phases of the "Downtown District" of the Gordon Creek Park project that when finished, will follow and criss-cross the meandering waterway from the Leaf River to the Woodley School area.

The Gordon Creek project will link nine "districts" that will act as a complement to the Rail-to-Trails bike/pedestrian path that eventually will run from the University of Southern Mississippi gate throughout the downtown Hattiesburg area, including the Hattiesburg Zoo and Bobby Chain Park.

"We want to take advantage of our resources, and that includes our waterways," Mayor Johnny DuPree said.

First-phase construction on the Downtown District has begun near Town Square Park. The second phase will extend the district along the southwestern edge of downtown, past the Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center and Veterans of Foreign Wars headquarters.

Hattiesburg chief financial officer Connie Everett said funding for the $337,500 first phase was secured through a Pat Harrison Waterway District grant.

"That has to be spent by June 30 or else we lose that money," Everett said of the work that started last week.

Funding for the second phase will be provided by the non-profit Hattiesburg Landmark Preservation Inc., though that work will stretch into the 2014-15 fiscal year.

"We'll have until June 2016 to spend the money coming from Landmark, so it will definitely go into the next fiscal year," Everett said.

The city also budgeted about $60,000 to construct a permanent stage at Town Square Park, which hosts Live at Five concerts Fridays in April and October, as well as other events during holidays.

"Our crews have to put one up and take one down any time we have an event, and that's just something that we need to put our personnel to better use," Everett said. "The budget was an issue in the past, but we were able to budget for it (this year)."

The work at Town Square will include landscaping, steps leading to and sidewalks along the creek, an irrigation system and a bridge over the creek that will provide direct access to the park from neighborhoods to the south.

The anchors along each bank have been built, and the bridge bed is scheduled to be put in place Wednesday.

The second phase will include steps leading to the creek-level pathway, lighting and water detention ponds.

All told, the Downtown District project is expected to cost about $930,000, with the city contributing about $200,000, including such "in-kind" contributions as land site preparation.