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A 5 ■ THE SUNAHE DAILY HERALD
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Waveland
Continued from Page A-l 24 years. Clare Clement has served as tax collector for about 30. Police Chief Donald Dorn joined the department 20 years ago and has served as chief since 1974. Fire Chief Donald McIntyre is a relative newcomer — he joined the department in 1967 and was appointed chief in 1981, replacing Kenneth Fayard, who died after serving 20 years in the Fire Department.
Waveland has about 100 full- and part-time employees. Longo is one of the part-timers. The only part-time mayor on the Coast, he is paid $450 per month.
"I believe that the continuity that has existed between the years that Garfield Ladner and I [served] has really enabled us to have a long-range planning program here,” Longo said. “We don’t — and haven’t ever — anticipated just doing something for this year or for next year, and then it’s over. [We look for] long-range progress,” he said.
While other communities try to cope with rising costs and diminishing revenues, Waveland has a surplus of about $400,000 In its coffers.
Longo says residents will see much of that surplus spent this year on street improvements, a new police station — for which the city is paying cash — and renovations at City Hall and the civic center. City officials also plan to bring the Fire Department up to “number one shape,” moving its rating from class 8 to class 7, which will reduce fire Insurance rates 15-20 percent, Longo said.
City status is fairly new to Waveland. The “Town Hall” sign was not changed to “City Hall” until April 1,1971, after the 1970 census showed that the population exceeded 2,500.
Although the Mississippi Research and Development Center in 1981 projected the city's population to be 6,000 by 1990, Longo estimates that Waveland’s population today is “right at 8,000, and in five years I look
for it to be 15,000, with 50,000 in Hancock County by 1990.”
This small city boasts a civic center, a library, a hospitality center, several neighborhood parks and two fishing piers, as well as a four-theater movie complex, a skating rink and two shopping centers. According to Longo, new housing construction has doubled In the last five years. Construction is well underway on a new 100-unit apartment complex on Waveland Avenue and work has begun on a 38-unit condominium project adjacent to the Coleman Avenue business area.
Zoning problems crop up throughout the city from time to time, but not along the beach. Waveland is the only Coast city that has maintained Its six-mile beachfront strictly as a residential area.
In 1969, Hurricane Camille destroyed more than 90 percent of the homes along Waveland’s beach. By 1971, the residents had not only rebuilt, but had voted by 5-to-l to float a bond issue to match a federal grant to build a multlmlllion-dollar sewerage system. In 1974, Longo signed Waveland’s portion of a contract to construct a 51.2-million sewage-treatment plant. The city of Bay St. Louis and other areas of Hancock County will eventually benefit from that system through the Waveland Regional Wastewater Management District’s plan to link other sewer lines and use the treatment plant to treat sewage from other areas.
Waveland continues to provide free garbage and trash pickup for its residents. Last fall, the aldermen voted to give a-5-percent discount to senior citizens on their January, February and March gas and water bills.
5 Many Waveland residents are retired senior citizens. Some are part-time residents who maintain weekend and summer homes here. Others commute to jobs in New Orleans, Slidell, La., or the National Space Technology Laboratories in Hancock County.
Civic pride is strong in Waveland.
In 1978, American Legion Post No. 77 donated 50 American and 50 state flags, which turn Coleman Avenue into an "Ave-
nue of Flags” on federal, state and city holidays.
The city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was initiated by the Waveland Civic Association, a men’s club organized in 1963 for "the" betterment of social, cultural, charitable and benevolent activities of Coast residents.” The association also sponsors an annual fireworks display.
Waveland's Krewe of Nereids will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year as the only women’s Mardi Gras krewe oh the Coast. The Waveland Players regularly present community theater productions at the civic center, which it shares with numer ous other community organizations.
At Christmastime, 18 families on Mollerc Drive rename their street “Christmas Card. Lane” and erect giant lighted Christmas i cards in their yards to greet passersby.
The sign says “City Hall” now, but Longo still runs his community like a small town. The aldermen’s meetings begin with handshakes, warm greetings and a moment of silent prayer. The board works from a written agenda, but no one is turned away. Drop-ins are invited to "pull a chair up" to the board table.
The mayor, a graduate of Loyola University, is a "hands-on” administrator. He has personally done much of the map work for the city’s proposed redistricting plan. His Southern Frosted Foods business keeps him “out of pocket” during much of the workday
—	when his business expanded to a four-state area in 1972 he attempted to resign his alderman’s post but was persuaded by public response to continue — but the citizenry has become accustomed to having their calls to the mayor returned very late at night or very early in the morning.
“I love the job, love the people, love the accomplishments. I never got in this for the money. If I had to sit here [as mayor] five or six days a week even when there was nothing to do . . . ,” his voice trails off.
“I’d rather come in and do the work and when it’s over, go do something else,” he said.