Two public hearings will focus on a proposed balcony and staircase at a planned lounge above downtown eatery Burger Village.

The Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday set a hearing for 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 23, for Lisa Ashcraft, who is developing property across from the proposed lounge at 1220 Washington St. Ashcraft, who also lives at 1221 Washington St., is challenging an Oct. 13 ruling by the Vicksburg Board of Architectural Review, which approved a second story balcony to be installed for the lounge.

Charles Ross, prospective manager of the lounge, is also challenging the architectural review board’s Oct. 13 ruling, which included the denial of his request to install a staircase on the balcony to allow for direct access to the second story. His hearing is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, during a regular mayor and aldermen meeting. Ross has said he intends to open the lounge, tentatively called End Zone Lounge and Grill, by Nov. 15.

At the Oct. 13 meeting, architectural review board members initially agreed they could not approve the second story balcony because city ordinances forbid a balcony from being added to any building in the city’s historic district that did not formerly have one. However, after Mayor Paul Winfield spoke in favor of Ross’ application, the board voted 5-3 in favor of the balcony, but not the staircase.

Ross had originally secured an appeals hearing on Oct. 9, to challenge a Sept. 1 ruling by the Vicksburg Board of Zoning Appeals rejecting his application for a nightclub. However, Ross withdrew the appeal due to a change in the business application.

The original application identified the business as a bar or nightclub, which is a restricted-use in the C-3 zone according to downtown regulations approved in 2007. Ross has said he will instead apply for a full service restaurant business license, which the downtown zoning ordinance allows for as long as 60 percent of the business floor is set up for restaurant dining use and alcohol sales are “incidental to food services.”

Paula Wright, in the city planning department, said Monday Ross’ business application for the full service restaurant has not yet been received. Wright said the license will have to be accompanied by approval from the state health department and a liquor license from Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control if it is to be approved.

Also Monday, the mayor and aldermen swore in seven new officers for the Vicksburg Police Department, bringing the force to 76 officers. Police Chief Walter Armstrong, who had struggled since taking over the department in July to raise the department’s ranks, said VPD should be fully staffed with 80 officers by the first of the new year. Recruiting and retaining officers has been a struggle for years. Armstrong became chief in July.

“I’m not sure what has changed, but I’m pleased with the numbers,” Armstrong said.

The officers who took the oath of office Monday were Dewayne Powers, Robert Arnold, James Bell, Kevin Leem, Walter Harris, Africa Freeman and Garland Ward. Six of the officers are new recruits, while Ward is a transfer from the Jackson Police Department, where he worked homicides for the past decade.

The seven appointments come just two weeks after officers Jonathan Tillman and Terence Ware — who transferred from Grenada Police Department and JPD — were also sworn in.

“We’ve had officers interested in transferring to Vicksburg from departments all over the state, so many so that we are not going to be able to accommodate all of them,” said Armstrong. “We’ve had at least five transfers over the past four months. It’s saving us thousands of dollars and a lot of time to get officers who already have training and experience.”

Three potential officers are in the training academy, set to graduate on Nov. 19. Armstrong said after doing their field training, the officers should be ready to join the force by the first of the year.

The department had 71 officers on the force, including patrolmen, detectives and administrators, when Armstrong was selected by the mayor and aldermen by a 2-1 vote to replace former Chief Tommy Moffett. When Moffett took office in the fall of 2001 the department had 105 officers — an all-time high — which he pared down to approximately 65 officers in short order, claiming the department had become too top heavy. Armstrong has said one of the biggest surprises he encountered after taking over the ranks was the difficulty in finding qualified candidates.

*

Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com