The Grand 14 Theatre opens in Hattiesburg

Southern Theatres manager for Hattiesburg Theatres LLC recently announced that the new Grand Theatre 14 will open its doors to the public in June. The new 2,200-seat, 14 screen theater is a stadium-seating complex.

The 46,000-sq.-ft. Grand Theatre will feature 14 wall-to-wall screens, all digital sound, high back rocker chairs and all theatres will have the latest digital surround-sound. The stadium seating features an 18-in. height difference between each row for unrestricted view of the screen from any seat in the auditoriums.

Louisiana based MAPP Construction is the general contractor on the project.

"We are very excited to be opening this new stadium seating movie theatre in Hattiesburg," said George Solomon of Southern Theatres LLC.

Crow's Neck receives grants for environmentally friendly walking path

Crow's Neck Environmental Education and Conference Center in Tishomingo, Miss., recently chose pervious concrete to create an environmentally friendly walking path.

Crow's Neck is a retreat used for educating children and adults about nature and the environment. Visitors benefit from the hands-on experiments, teambuilding programs and educational activities offered by the center.

To help turn the new walking path into reality, the Mississippi Concrete Industries Association provided a grant to the center by raising funds through a Count on Concrete Bike Ride, "Building Access for All Americans," in summer 2004.

The bike ride began as an effort to spread the word about the environmental benefits of concrete. To build awareness, a group of bike riders peddled their way from the Santa Monica, Cal., to Ponte Vedra, Fla.

The nationwide program was supported by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and The Conservation Fund, along with various state and corporate sponsors. Together, the groups raised more than $47,000 in funds for local projects in participating states.

Since the Mississippi Concrete Industries Association (MCIA) was a state sponsor of the event, a grant of $5,159 was awarded to help build the concrete path at Crow's Neck.

Once complete, the lodge trail will have a texture similar to a rice cake. Since pervious concrete uses a mixture of gravel or stone, cement, water and minimal sand, an open-cell structure is created. The voids allow air and water to pass through the pavement, simulating natural ground cover.

Pervious concrete models natural ground cover and provides a natural filter. The open-cell structure also provides a media for aerobic bacteria that break down pollutants such as oil and other hydrocarbon liquids that seep from parked cars.