Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman and Dist. 37 Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, both said they’re hopeful state lawmakers will help fund two Oktibbeha County-specific projects this legislative term.
The city is seeking roughly $500,000 from the state’s landmark restoration program to help subsidize ongoing efforts converting Starkville’s former administrative home on Lampkin Street into a permanent base of operations for its police department.
Additionally, a new Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop G substation could be built in Cornerstone Park as local lawmakers are expected to once again lobby for its funding this term after multiple failed requests.
“We’re keeping an eye on both requests,” Wiseman said. “There are meetings (on both lobbying efforts) coming up in the next couple of weeks, but we won’t know much until March or April, when the Legislature begins finalizing the state’s overall spending.”
SPD request
If fully funded, the SPD renovation request will allow Starkville to add back portions of the project previously cut to help reduce costs.
Specifically, Wiseman said the city could spend the money on external security items — the construction of a sally port and installation of a secured wall for SPD’s parking lot — and tend to renovations to the former youth court space.
SPD Chief Frank Nichols told aldermen Tuesday renovation efforts are about half complete and should conclude in May.
Aldermen unanimously tasked Weathers Construction Inc., of Columbus, with the $4.48 million project in August after summer bids for the full scope of renovations came in well over budget.
The board previously authorized $5.4 million in combined bonds to pay for the project, fixtures, furnishings, fees for attorneys and bond writers and a $230,000 reimbursement to the city’s general fund, which previously covered architectural fees.
A 1-mill tax increase championed by Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins will roll off the books once the project’s costs and fees are fully satisfied.
Last year, Starkville was unsuccessful in seeking $1.5 million in state-level funding for the project.
MHP project
Since the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority donated a Cornerstone Park parcel to MHP in 2013, lawmakers have been unable to fund the project through the state’s bond bill.
In last year’s request, local lawmakers sought $6 million in one-time proceeds to build and furnish the new substation. Debt relief on the project would have been spread across 25 years.
A similar request is expected to come forward soon, Chism said.
“We may have a chance this year,” he said. “It’s definitely due.”
Troop G’s current headquarters, located at the intersection of Highway 182 and East Lee Boulevard, was last updated in the 1980s and has not received upgrades or renovations in the last rounds of statewide troop station projects.
In addition to serving as the area’s MHP base of operations, the building also provides residents with driver’s license renewals and permits for firearms, among other services. Officials last year said a new substation could also offer commercial drivers’ licenses for the area.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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