$30 million retail project aims to be completed in fall

Economic development is well underway in the city of Starkville. Oktibbeha County is taking the next steps in improving the Oktibbeha County Lake Dam, while Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District has implemented changes to help the overall well-being of its students.

Economic development in Starkville

A new shopping center is underway in Starkville. Triangle Crossing, a 95,000-square-foot retail and grocery center, is being developed by Tennessee-based Rise Partners and Starkville developer Mark Castleberry of Castle Properties at the old Garan Manufacturing site, at the intersection of Highway 12 and Industrial Park Road. Construction began in October with expected completion being fall 2022.

Stores within Triangle Crossing will include Marshalls, Ulta Beauty Supply, Five Below, Rack Room Shoes, PetSmart, Sport Clips, Aspen Dental and Aldi Grocery. The project will cost $30 million to construct. Construction has generated 120 construction jobs. The shopping center will employ approximately 200 people, generating an estimated $35 million in annual retail sales.

The city of Starkville is moving forward with the redevelopment of Main Street in downtown. The Starkville Board of Aldermen approved a contract with North Carolina-based engineering consulting firm Kimley Horn to redesign Main Street to become more pedestrian friendly. The redesign will include eliminating the streets’ turning lanes, while extending the side walks to give the street more outdoor seating and allowing businesses to expand.

The redevelopment is in its early stages with Kimley Horn recently beginning the first stages of planning. After the firm completes a traffic study and survey and compares Starkville to other cities that have created similar streetscapes, it will work with the board on how to move forward with construction.

County infrastructure improvements

Poor House Road could see repavement in the coming months. Oktibbeha County has discussed repaving Poor House Road for several years. The Board of Supervisors accepted a bid in February for $1,595,441.79 to redo this road. While no timeline has officially been set, construction could begin in the coming months.

The board of supervisors is also moving forward with improvements to the Oktibbeha County Lake Dam. After several decades of issues, the dam purportedly fell into imminent failure in January 2020. The lake was drained and has sat virtually empty since.

The board hired Flowood-based Pickering Firm, a member of the Mississippi Engineering Group, in summer 2021 to complete an evaluation on the status of the dam. The study consisted of a geotechnical study, looking at different areas throughout the dam’s core. The county is awaiting final results of the evaluation.

American Rescue Act Plan

The city of Starkville received $6.3 million in American Rescue Act Plan funds, an economic stimulus package funded by the federal government to aid local governments in COVID-19 relief.

The city allocated the majority of its funds in September to dedicate $5.5 million to improvements to all city parks and two additional baseball fields to Cornerstone Park, the city’s new baseball/softball recreation complex. The Mississippi legislature is in the process of creating a matching program for ARPA dollars for projects involving water, sewer, infrastructure and broadband. Due to this, Mayor Lynn Spruill said she wants the city to receive as much funding for projects as possible, prompting the Starkville board of aldermen to reconsider its project allocation.

The board approved an expansion of allowable expenditures for various projects throughout the city. Some of these projects include the redesign of Main Street and the city’s BUILD grant Highway 182 infrastructure development, a project which would make the highway more pedestrian-friendly, while increasing broadband access and improving infrastructure and stormwater drainage through a $12.66 million federal grant funded by U.S. Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Transportation Discretionary Grant program.

The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors voted to allocate its roughly $9 million in ARPA funds to the improvement of the Oktibbeha County lake dam. While an official estimated cost of improvements has not yet been given, the board voted to allocate its funds to fix the dam, whether that be $2 million or $10 million. If any ARPA money remains after the cost estimate, the county will discuss other projects to fund.

County Court

Due to Oktibbeha County having a population of over 50,000 people according to the 2020 census, it must create a new court system. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves approved the creation of a county court in Oktibbeha County in January. County court is a midway court between justice and circuit courts with a jurisdiction of $200,000.

Three candidates have qualified to run for county court judge, and the general election will be in November. Once a judge is chosen, Circuit Clerk Tony Rook said he sees the county court officially starting in the months following.

SOCSD updates

The Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is officially moving to a modified calendar, beginning for the 2022-2023 school year. This decision came after nearly a year of discussion and one attempt to make the switch. SOCSD administration worked with stakeholders and community members to make the calendar happen.

The proposed schedule includes a shorter summer break but longer breaks during the fall, winter and spring. Along with break changes, the modified calendar will offer intersession courses to interested students. These courses range from culinary arts to robotics to aviation, allowing students the opportunity to learn skills that are not necessarily taught in the classroom.

The SOCSD board of trustees has a new member. Cassandra Palmer, a former executive PTO president, beat incumbent John Brown in November for the county-elected position on the board. Palmer assumed her role in January as one of the two board members chosen by voters who live outside the Starkville city limits.

The Ward Building at Henderson Ward Elementary School is receiving improvements throughout the entire facility. Through the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District’s facility revocation campaign, Building for Excellence, the district plans to make improvements to every school districtwide, beginning with HWS. Renovations include new roofing and HVAC systems, LED lights throughout the building, acoustical ceilings, energy efficient thermal windows with new flooring and new technology.

STORY BY TYLER B. JONES

OPENING PHOTO BY RORY DOYLE

OTHER PHOTOS BY DEANNA ROBINSON