The Mississippi Municipal League honored Starkville with the overall Municipal Excellence Award at its 85th annual conference in Biloxi this week.
The city submitted its award application under the economic development category, Mayor Parker Wiseman said, but was chosen as the conference’s overall winner. Specifically, the Starkville’s award application focused on the public-private partnership with developer Mark Castleberry to construct The Mill at MSU conference center.
“It was a tremendous honor to be recognized with the award in front of our peers,” Wiseman said. “The conference has 3,000 attendees, who are elected officials and municipal government staff members. It’s a great opportunity to spread the good news about the great things happening in our community.”
Castleberry’s $40 million project renovated the 113-year-old former Russell Street cotton mill and transformed it to a state-of-the-art conference center, complete with office space and a dining option. Castleberry also constructed a new hotel adjacent to the property, and a federal earmark funded a 450-space parking deck that services the area.
“(The award) highlights the importance of collaboration between public and private organizations,” said Ward 5 Alderman Scott Maynard. “The Mill project would not have been possible without Castleberry’s vision and his willingness to work with the city and MSU to make it a reality.”
Castleberry and the Mill at MSU were also recognized by the Mississippi Main Street Association last month.
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