Heart of Belhaven Award Recipients

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At the Being Belhaven Annual Party on Monday, November 14 the Heart of Belhaven Award was presented to the Belhaven Mountain Bike Trails Group. The award was received on behalf of the group by Ty Hardy, Dallis Ketchum, and Wood Dale.

The Heart of Belhaven Award goes to a neighbor or group that truly represents the “Heart” of Greater Belhaven. This year’s recipient is a group who turned a dream into a reality. This year we honor the Belhaven Mountain Bike Trails group.

This group took the 38 acres owned by the Foundation between I55 and the Museum Trail and turned it into an amenity that will be used and adored for many years to come. They have put their own talents to work to build bridges, clear paths, clear out a never-ending supply of debris and litter through the woods, and have created a wonderful gift for the neighborhood. They never stop working and for that we are truly grateful.

Being Belhaven Annual Party is THIS Monday

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The Greater Belhaven Foundation invites you to come celebrate all the accomplishments of 2022. We could not have done it without you, Cheers to You!

Come enjoy food from Elvie’s, Lou’s Full Serv, Manship Wood Fired Kitchen, & Urban Foxes! Thank you to Kat’s Wine & Spirits and Fertile Ground Beer Co.

If you haven’t made your contribution yet for 2022, no worries! You can donate by clicking here or by bringing your gift to the party.

RSVP to ccreasey@greaterbelhaven by November 11!

Pumpkins in the Park is This Saturday!!

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Pumpkins in the Park is back! Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 8 beginning at 5:30pm at Belhaven Park located at 1000 Poplar Boulevard! Pumpkin decorating starts at 5:30pm and so does the music! TB Ledford and the Accumulators will be performing on the Watkins stage! Gabby Balloons will be joining us and we have a special guest, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones! Bring the kids out for a night of family fun! This event is free and open to the public! A Huge Thank you to Keifer’s Restaurant and the Mississippi Arts Commission for making this event possible.

Greater Belhaven Foundation Announces Slate of Directors and Officers

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Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to nominate yourself or a neighbor for a position on the GBNF Board of Directors. As directed by GBNF’s bylaws, the Nominating Committee has carefully reviewed the nominations and created a slate of directors for the two Board positions available for election this year. The nominating committee recommends:

John Scarbrough is a lifelong Jackson resident who owns a business, Paul Moak Honda, Volvo, and Subaru in Belhaven Heights. Scarbrough is a graduate of Jackson Academy and of Mississippi State University, and also holds a Master of Occupational Therapy from Texas Women’s University and a Master of Business Administration from Millsaps College. His prior board experience includes service on the board of Friends of Children’s Hospital, Andrew Jackson Council Boy Scouts of America Executive Board, and the City of Jackson Zoning and Planning Board.

Andy Hilton is a lifelong Jacksonian. He lived in Belhaven Heights for 9 years before moving to Belhaven, where he has resided for 6 years. He has been both a renter and a homeowner in Greater Belhaven. Hilton is a graduate of our neighborhood high school, Murrah. He holds an Engineering Degree from JSU, and works as a Hydraulic Engineer at MDOT. Hilton has experience as a Board member of the Business Association of Midtown. Hilton volunteers with Pearl River Keeper, the Jackson Trail Blazers (Museum Trail) and the Belhaven Mountain Bike Trails.

The Nominating Committee has created the following slate of officers to serve three-year terms beginning October 1:

Susan Garrard for the office of Chairman.
Margaret Cupples for the office of Vice Chair.
Sarah Skelton for the office of Treasurer.
Jennifer Welch for the office of Secretary.

Please join us at GBNF’s Annual Business Meeting at the Summit, 1054 Greymont Ave., on Tuesday, September 20 at 6pm to learn more about GBNF and its activities and vote on the proposed slate. Each taxable parcel in Greater Belhaven will be entitled to one vote on the slate; please bring identification. For more information, please contact CID@greaterbelhaven.com.

Greater Belhaven Community Improvement District Annual Meeting

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The Greater Belhaven Foundation Board of Directors would like to announce the date of the Annual Business Meeting as Tuesday, September 20 at 6:00pm at Summit Belhaven located at 1054 Greymont Street, all residents and property owners located within Greater Belhaven are invited to attend. At this meeting, new board members will be voted on. The vote will be done by paper ballot. Each parcel gets one vote in the election.
There is one Board position available to be filled. Nominations must be received by midnight on Tuesday, September 6. Nominations must be in writing and must include a statement in writing from the nominee consenting to the nomination and stating that they will fulfill their expected duties. Nominations can be submitted via email to CID@greaterbelhaven.com or to the Greater Belhaven Foundation office located at 954 E. Fortification Street.
Qualifications and responsibilities of a director are as follows:
All directors must be individuals and must be at least 21 years of age as of the time that they are elected. Directors must be registered to vote, own land or a business, or be the authorized representative of a corporation that owns land or a business, in Greater Belhaven. Provided, however, that at least two-thirds of the total number of directors must reside in Greater Belhaven. Each director is expected to support the Foundation financially, by donating at least the minimum giving level of three hundred dollars ($300.00) annually, or by securing donations in at least that amount from other individuals or organizations. Directors shall be elected annually for three-year terms beginning on October 1 of the year fiscal following their election. Directors may be re-elected for a second term at the end of their first. Directors may not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms. Directors are expected to be present at quarterly board meetings and to serve on committees.

Great Belhaven Fairy Hunt Starts Today

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The Great Belhaven Fairy Hunt is back! Beginning TODAY at 3pm you can begin searching the neighborhood for Fairy Houses! The houses will be out from Friday at 3pm until Sunday, April 24 at 5pm.
The contest for this year is a little different! We are asking the hunters to post a picture at the end of their hunt of their favorite Fairy House! The maker of the house with the most votes over the weekend will win a gift card to District Donuts! Be sure to tag @greaterbelhaven on Instagram and @greaterbelhavenfoundation on Facebook in your post for your vote to count!
Follow the fairy dust, tinging bells, or just this map https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1QsZD8oMs7gXx5hPpQdL5Iayg0pyQsFUo&usp=sharing to find all the locations in the neighborhood!

Greater Belhaven Voters Approve Community Improvement District

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The Greater Belhaven Foundation (GBF) is pleased to announce that voters have approved formation of a special local taxing district, the Greater Belhaven Community Improvement District (CID). The CID will generate approximately $200,000 in annual revenue for projects in Greater Belhaven. Based on preliminary results, more than 75.68% of voters cast ballots in favor of the CID. Election results are not official until five (5) days following the date of the election to allow for absentee and mailed ballots to be counted.
“We want to thank everyone who helped make this possible. We’re excited about the potential for CID funds to make Belhaven an even greater place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Margaret Oertling Cupples, CID Committee Chair. The special election allowed all registered voters within the district, including renters, to vote on whether to create the CID. Greater Belhaven, consisting of the Belhaven and Belhaven Heights neighborhoods, is comprised of over 1700 single family and multifamily homes as well as numerous businesses.
GBF began collecting signatures for the CID in October 2019. Despite the global pandemic, more than 60% of property owners in the district signed a petition in favor of the CID. Used throughout the United States and other countries, CIDs help enhance urban and suburban areas by helping fund landscaping, parks, sidewalks, lighting, security enhancements, infrastructure, and rehabilitation or sale of derelict properties. With these enhancement measures, many communities see a reduction in crime and blight as well as an increase in property values and increased job opportunities at local businesses.
“The funds that this additional millage will generate will be such a game changer for the neighborhoods,” said Casey Creasey, Executive Director of GBF. “I am so grateful for everyone who got out and voted in favor of this district.”
Legislation requires that a CID plan and funds be managed by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit neighborhood association, like GBF. CID funds are collected with the property owner’s taxes yearly by the City of Jackson and held in a special fund for the District. The City will annually disburse the proceeds of the special assessment to GBF. CID proceeds must be maintained separately from other GBF funds, with strict accounting, audit, and public disclosure guidelines.
CID funds can be used for various projects and also as matching funds for larger projects. The CID assessment is based on each property owner’s existing tax assessment; property owners will pay an additional 6 “mills” on that assessed value. A “mill” is equal to $1 per every $1,000 of a property’s assessed taxable value (usually a small fraction of the home’s market value). With each property owner paying a minimal additional tax amount, the CID will generate approximately $200,000 per year to improve Greater Belhaven.

Community Improvement District Special Election is April 5

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Thank you for signing the Community Improvement District Petition and for all your support!
Be sure to get out and vote on Tuesday, April 5th! Voters will vote at their usual polling location. This special election is open to all who are registered to vote in the proposed Greater Belhaven Community Improvement District. Find your polling location here.
Absentee voting going on now! To vote absentee you go to City Hall, 219 S President St., to the Municipal Clerk’s Office. You can vote any day this week from 8am – 5pm. Last day to vote absentee is Saturday, April 2 from 8am to Noon.
The proposed Greater Belhaven Community Improvement District would generate an estimated $200,000 a year to be used exclusively in the Greater Belhaven District for a wide array of improvements. The funds can be used for additional security measures, enhancements, regular clean ups, as matching funds for grants to handle larger projects, and several other projects that will greatly benefit our neighborhoods. For more information, please visit www.greaterbelhaven.com/community-improvement-district/ .

Pumpkins in the Park is This Saturday

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Pumpkins in the Park is Saturday, October 16!  Bring the family out for an evening of pumpkin decorating and live music! Starting at 5:30pm the Patrick Harkins Band will be performing on Belhaven Park Stage.  Pumpkins are provided for children along with a decorating kit courtesy of Keifer’s Restaurant.  Bring a chair or a picnic blanket and visit with neighbors!

Riverside Drive Project Goes Out for Bid on August 31

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It has been over five years since the City of Jackson invited the neighborhood to the Eudora Welty Library to discuss design options for Riverside Drive now the project is finally moving forward.  According to City Engineer, Robert Lee the project goes out for bid on August 31st.  A start date for the project has not yet been set.

The design that is being bid out includes Riverside being reduced to two traffic lanes, adding a multi-purpose trail, and retains the median with the oak trees.  A cross section of the design can be viewed above.  According to the City Engineer, Robert Lee an arborist has looked at the trees and has determined that they can remain.  There are up to six trees that may require removal once the project begins, but those are the only trees that would be removed.

Pete Perry with the One-Cent Tax Commission said, “The work will be between the I55 bridge and Peachtree, with the exception that there will be some waterline replacement between Peachtree and the water tower at N State, along with necessary road repairs in that section.”  Perry has provided this detailed list of what the project will consist of:

  • Remove the current road; excavate some six feet and replace with quality fill, including a barrier designed to mitigate the Yazoo clay impact; New pavement for a two-lane road – one lane north of the median and one lane south.  The median is to remain as it is currently, but with new curb and gutters.
  • Replace the 18″ waterline that basically feeds Belhaven and the water tower at N State.  The 18″ waterline is supposedly 100+ years old.
  • Replace the 36″ waterline that runs under Riverside to Peachtree (at that point it turns and goes to Woodrow Wilson and serves west Jackson.)  The 36″ waterline is approximately 50 years old.
  • Repair as needed the sanitary sewer line that runs under the current roadbed.
  • Replace/Repair the storm sewer lines
  • Construct a sidewalk along the south side of the new roadbed
  • Construct a walking trail along the north side of the new roadbed
  • Create a connecting walk from Myrtle to the bridge (created by the walking trail along the railroad bed project)

This project is being funded by the One-Percent Tax Commission.  The commission oversees the city’s one-percent infrastructure sales tax. Perry says the current estimate for the project is somewhere around $11 million – of which some $4 million is for water/sewer repair and replacement.