Time’s up for Whispering Woods; city should act to take it down now
Published 10:24 am Thursday, March 16, 2017
Enough is enough.
City officials have worked ad nauseum with the owners of Whispering Woods Apartments to come to a plan that would allow the apartment complex to be renovated.
It’s time the city take whatever steps necessary
Whispering Woods Apartments for all practical purposes are in ruins. Vicksburg Fire Fighters have had to respond to fires at complex on several occasions recently.
Further, the city has condemned the property and placed it under the city’s slum clearance.
Astonishingly, some of the apartments at the complex continue to be occupied. The last time we check, those occupied apartments continued to have electrical service, but Entergy is refusing to connect new service there. Further, the city’s water department has cut water service to the complex.
The city’s community development department has tried to work with Whispering Woods LLC, a Delaware-based company that owns the complex to no avail.
The city has asked that the owners present a construction schedule with a start and completion date, an estimate of the cost of the entire rehab plan, a plan to improve and upgrade fire protection at the complex and to prove it has financing in place for the project.
Despite multiple opportunities to present such a plan, the company has not done so.
It’s time the city moved ahead with the process of taking over the property and getting it cleaned up. Some speculate nothing will happen with the Whispering Woods property or several other issues before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen until after this summer’s election. We hope that’s not the case. Our elected officials don’t get a pass until after the election.
Their terms aren’t over and we expect them to do their jobs without hesitation.
Many people and organizations are busy at work in Vicksburg to promote our city as a prime location for economic development and to enhance our attractiveness to tourists.
We expect our city officials to take action on this issue post haste.