Pascagoula parks being built thanks to food and drinks tax

Pascagoula, Miss. (WXXV)- Parks are where childhood memories are made, from splash pads to summer ballgames.

In Pascagoula, those memories are being built one meal at a time.

A 2% tax on restaurant food and drinks is funding parks and playgrounds across the city.

A trip to the splash pad turned into a memory Charlotte Jerde won’t forget — her granddaughter’s first birthday at beach park.

“There were a lot of people there,” said Charlotte Jerde, a Pascagoula resident. “Just fun to watch her experience that for the first time and interact with other kids. She really enjoyed it.”

That splash pad — along with parks across Pascagoula — exists because of a 2% restaurant tax on meals and drinks.

The tax has brought in about a million dollars each year since 2013 — and funded everything from playground equipment to a ten-million-dollar sports complex.

“It was to go towards the 2012 parks and recreation master plan,” said Justin Larsen, Pascagoula’s city manager. “That plan was to upgrade parks. We built a sports complex — that’s kind of the big deal.”

The complex now hosts weekend tournaments, with dozens of teams bringing business and energy to the city.

“Those are people that are coming into Pascagoula, and that helps the economy here,” said Larsen.

But many residents didn’t know where the money was going — until now.

“I knew about the tax, but I did not really know what it went towards,” said Jerde. “If it’s going to fund stuff like this… I would say, yeah, that’s a good reason to impose a tax.”

For Pascagoula families, these parks represent something bigger than a splash pad or a playground.

“Just the memories with my children and spending time with them here. With my grandchild coming here now, we’re kind of carrying on the tradition.”

City leaders say the tax also covers things most people don’t see — like field maintenance and lighting.

And with over a dozen parks to manage, that extra 2% goes a long way.

“Every 15 years, you have to completely rehaul these playgrounds, and Pascagoula has a lot of playgrounds — so that money goes towards those,” said Jerde.

And for families who use them, the value is clear.

“I would encourage anybody who hasn’t made it out here to just come check it out. I think they would be impressed, and they would enjoy it.”