If Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority Board President Jack Wallace has his way, the Mississippi Highway Patrol will move their district office into Cornerstone Park.
Other OCEDA board members backed Wallace’s opinion at their meeting on Monday.
Wallace said he recently showed the property at Cornerstone Park to the real estate division of the MHP. The proposed site sits off the Highway 25 and Highway 12 bypass in Starkville.
“We are just awaiting a reaction from them,” Wallace said. “I did tell them the board was in favor of trying to help them, though.”
The 227-acre commercial and industrial park is Oktibbeha County’s most recent attempt to prepare the area to provide prospective companies an appealing venue in the city.
“I think it’s an ideal location,” said Sturgis Mayor Walter Turner.
The current MHP Troop G District Office is located on Highway 182, across from Mississippi State University’s North Farm. But the land the office is located on is actually MSU’s land as well.
Wallace said he was unsure whether or not the MHP was paying rent to the university or not.
According to Wallace, MSU is asking MHP to vacate the property sooner rather than later, leaving the state agency to look for a place to relocate.
Wallace said he does not want to see the MHP move their district office to another county, and he said having the room for them already, is a big plus.
“When industry comes to you these days they want you to furnish land and the MHP is no different,” Wallace said. “They have other options on where they could move, but selfishly we want to keep them in Oktibbeha County.
In other board business, OCEDA received an audit back from the T.E. Lott Accounting Firm in Columbus. Tom Buckley, representing the firm, pointed to a 5.6 percent increase in the two-percent sales tax revenue as one of the most pleasant surprises.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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