“I remember when Bay Springs was a place to hang out. I remember people walking down the street. I remember when we had five car dealerships and a movie theater. I watched Jaws in Bay Springs,” said Zach Buckley, a native of Bay Springs.

A movement has begun to revitalize the City of Bay Springs. In 2008, several Stonewall and Laurel residents (unfamiliar with Bay Springs) toured the town as part of a group called First Impressions. Their goal: to complete a study that shows Bay Springs what a visitor’s first impression would be of the area.

Now an offshoot of that visit, a Mississippi Community Action Team, led by Director of the Mississippi State Community Action Team Virgil Culver, will meet with the residents of Bay Springs on June 22 at 5:30 at the City Hall in Bay Springs. The group will present core improvement ideas. These ideas will range from ways to promote tourism, industry and improve the overall economy of a city that supports itself. A city whose residents do not have to travel out of town for various services.

The Bay Springs Moving Forward event is being sponsored by the newly formed Bay Springs Chamber of Commerce.

“We moved to Bay Springs ten years ago and have, over that time, come to consider Bay Springs our home. Our first impressions of the community when we moved here were nearly identical to what the "First Impressions" team found ten years later. After talking with Virgil Culver it became clear that these issues will continue unless we as a community develop a specific plan to identify and correct them,” said Bay Springs Chamber of Commerce President Brian A. Ely.

The MS Community Action Team is not the only team working on ideas to improve the quality of Bay Springs. CPR Bay Springs, which stands for the Committee to Preserve and Revitalize Bay Springs, has formed to brainstorm ideas to help beautify the town, according to committee member Suzanne Sumrall. She said, “We’re trying to get the ball rolling to help beautify this town so that it can become more and more of a town that we’re proud of. We want everyone to be able to say proudly, ‘I am from Bay Springs, Mississippi.’”

“I think this meeting is very important. We need some help. The government can’t do it all. We need input, suggestions and ideas from everyone. We want everyone to come out. Whether you’re from Bay Springs, Smith County or Jasper County, the growth and prosperity of Bay Springs is good for all of us.”

The goal is not to bring back the City of Bay Springs and how it ‘used to be.’ Chamber board member Jackie Thigpen said, “No, we to help move bring Bay Springs into the future, make it better than ever.”

June 22 will be an important date in the history of Bay Springs, but only if residents show up. All residents of Bay Springs and surrounding communities are urged to attend this meeting to give ideas about how to make improvements for the city. You are invited.