WEST POINT — Downtown West Point is only a few blocks from Highway 45 Alternate, but many motorists who pass through the Golden Triangle”s northernmost city don”t pull off the busy thoroughfare to see local attractions.
There”s downtown with its antique shops, The Ritz and Howlin” Wolf Blues Museum, while further east is the antebellum-era Waverly Plantation Mansion.
The West Point Clay County Growth Alliance is in the middle of several projects designed to beautify downtown and draw passers-by into the city.
A new, 7 1/2-foot-high sign will welcome people to West Point at the corner of Highway 45 and Highway 50. Black-eyed Susans and other native Black Prairie grasses and wildflowers also will be planted at the intersection. The sign is under construction and the flowers should be planted “any day now,” said Martha Allen, community director for the West Point Clay County Growth Alliance.
New signs also are planned at the intersection to direct people to attractions like The Ritz, The Civic and City Hall, among other locations.
West Point Ward 4 Selectman Keith McBrayer this week commended the Growth Alliance for the projects, which are being funded through grants and fund-raisers.
“So many people drive through our town, (but) they never get off Highway 45 and they don”t know what they”re driving through,” McBrayer said. “So, the more we can make the Highway 45 corridor attractive and help the downtown business district, it just benefits all of us.”
Allen echoed McBrayer”s sentiments Friday.
“Here in West Point, we have a lot of things to show off,” Allen said. “We just need to get people off the highway.”
Once motorists turn off Highway 45 onto Highway 50, they cross the Main Street bridge, which was closed for months before it reopened only recently. Decorative sides, which will give visitors and residents “a formal welcome to our community,” are being designed for the bridge, Allen said.
Drivers and pedestrians also may notice five new thermoplastic logos on city streets. The logos, which read “West Point” and feature images of the dome atop City Hall, are located downtown and in front of West Point High School.
“They help give us a sense of identity,” Allen said.
The Growth Alliance also plans to install 15 recycling bins downtown and around town, is seeking funding for new decorative West Point banners to hang from city light poles and plans to find grants to renovate a building for a blues museum.
The city”s younger residents also will benefit from the Growth Alliance”s efforts. Thanks to a $1,000 donation by American Eurocopter, a nine-hole disc golf course will be installed at Marshall Park, Allen said. New playground equipment also will be installed at Marshall Park and Zuber Park. Allen expects those projects to be completed this spring.
Among other initiatives, the Growth Alliance hopes to work with Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann to set up an entertainment district in West Point, which could give businesses tax incentives, but those plans are only preliminary, Allen said. The Growth Alliance also is looking into a bronze plaque and walking tour program, and is trying to arrange shuttle service between West Point and Starkville for Mississippi State University football games.
“West Point has been through some rough times,” Allen said in reference to the closures of Bryan Foods, Artex Factory Outlet and other businesses in recent years. “To have some positive things going on in your city to put your mind on is really important.”
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