STARKVILLE — The city’s potential master plan for park improvements is focused on pedestrian and visual connectivity.
The board of aldermen voted Oct. 19 to commission landscape company Kimley Horn to create a master plan of all parks throughout the city. After the city received $6.2 million from the American Rescue Act Plan, the board voted to allocate $5.5 million of its funds to park improvements and enhancements.
Kimley Horn landscape architects Henry Minor and Owen Harris presented the master plan to the board at Friday’s work session. The plan, which is divided into Phase 1 and future phases, totals to approximately $16 million for all proposed improvements, with Phase 1, the priority phase, expected to cost about $8 million.
Mayor Lynn Spruill said the Mississippi Legislature, along with Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, has discussed an ARPA matching program for local government projects. She said she plans to approach the Legislature with these design plans and ask for matching funds.
Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk said the $5.5 million the city already has from ARPA will fund most of Phase 1, and if the city can receive matching funds, all of Phase 1 can be completed.
“If they can match what we’ve allocated, we can chip off a lot of this,” Sistrunk said.
Planned changes to McKee Park
Minor met with all aldermen who represent each park, along with Parks and Recreation Director Brandon Doherty, to discuss the most important updates and enhancements needed for the parks.
Because of the creation of Cornerstone Park off Highway 25, Starkville’s new baseball and softball sports complex, McKee Park will not have a need for its ball fields. Minor said plans are to remove all of the baseball fields, lighting, buildings, concessions and existing parking and return it to its “natural state of green.” The design includes a flex lawn used for special events and overflow parking, a new fenced-in dog park, new parking areas, four tennis courts and three basketball courts and a walking trail throughout the entire park.
“What we wanted to create is what we’re calling an ‘iconic destination play area,’” Minor said. “This play area is about 70,000. That will consist of a large splash park in the southeast corner, and the rest would consist of large play towers with slides coming off of them and a multitude of play elements.”
Phase 1 would cost around $4.7 million, including the play area, pavilion, parking, flex lawn and dog park, while future phases would cost nearly $2.35 million for the tennis and basketball courts, outdoor plaza and walking trail.
Moncrief and J.L. King
New improvements to Moncrief Park, in Ward 5, include a new pavilion with restrooms and concessions, enhancements to the pool area to include more seating and shade, Starkville’s first skate park, which would be about 10,000 square feet, a new dog park, a new parking lot to add 45 spaces, a walking trail and additional lighting to create a safer, inviting environment, Minor said.
Phase 1 of Moncrief would cost approximately $1 million, which would include a new pool house, lights, new dog park with surrounding fence, pavilion, restroom, skatepark, enhancements to the pool and the walking trail. Future phases would cost around $3 million, which would cover an entirely brand new pool at Moncrief, along with a paved sidewalk.
J.L. King Senior Memorial Park is the city’s largest, located on North Long Street, but only half of the property is currently utilized, Harris said. The park’s main destination, the splash pad, would be expanded by 5,000 square feet through the proposed design, and there would be a grand entry into the splash pad to give more presence to the park.
Other improvements include new restrooms, more parking and a new building near the park’s football field. The back 20 acres, which Harris said is not currently used, would have a new pavilion with a wooden playground, surrounded by a trail system.
“Because the corner (where the splash pad is) is so popular and gets so busy, we saw a need for there to be an opportunity for another destination within the park to help alleviate some of the congestion and pressure on the corner,” Harris said.
Phase 1, which includes improvements to the splash pad and additional spray elements, and the new pavilion, restrooms and parking, would cost $725,000. Future phases, which are geared toward improving the rest of the park, are estimated to cost $1.9 million.
George Evans Park and Needmore Center
Harris said Kimley Horn would plan on refurbishing George Evans Park and the Needmore Center, located on Gillespie Street, together. He said many people cannot see George Evans Park from Gillespie Street, and as a result, Kimley Horn would move the Needmore Center over a bit to free the park’s view.
“The big change here is taking the Needmore Center, removing the existing facility and building a new 3,000 square-foot facility on the northwest corner of the property,” Harris said. “This really helps to open up the view into the park while still providing a space for community needs, whether that is public meetings or private events.”
Along with a new Needmore Center, the park would have new parking spaces, a 7,000 square-foot dog park, an iconic entry feature, a new restroom facility and a tree-lined sidewalk connection to Gillespie Street.
The estimated costs for this park and center would be $850,000 for Phase 1, which would include the new Needmore Center, new parking lot, new sidewalks and the tree-lined entry into the park. Future phases would cost around $680,000, which would include all other aspects.
Ward 4 Alderman Mike Brooks, who represents the ward Needmore and George Evans Park sit, pointed out the new Needmore Center design is half of the current building’s size. However, he noted he felt it would be sufficient.
“The size of the building should be ample to do what we want it to do,” Brooks said. “When I was campaigning, it was a big issue that this building was in tough shape, and the kitchen didn’t work right. People wanted to use it for gathering and stuff, but I think the 3,000 square-foot building will serve that purpose.”
Patriots and Josey Park
Plans for Patriots Park, located on Whitfield Street, include expanding the existing play area and adding a plaza, single-stall restroom, a pavilion, a new parking lot with American Disabilities Act accommodable spaces and lighting throughout the park.
The estimated cost for Patriots Park improvements is about $400,000.
Josey Park, a small neighborhood park located on Josey Avenue south of Armstrong Junior High School, would have increased greenery, including an open lawn for people to throw a frisbee or football, Harris said. There would be a new boundary with street trees to delineate the space and make it feel more enclosed and comfortable, he said, along with an evergreen buffer between the property next door to leave a little bit of privacy for the residents.
Sidewalks would be added on the perimeter, as well as curb and gutter to help define new on-street parking.
“As you come into the park you would come into a new 10-by-20-foot pavilion,” Harris said. “It’ll have lighting and picnic tables within it, and you would open up into a new playground facility that would have really one main feature place structure, and several free-standing play features as well for younger kids.”
Improvements to Josey Park, which is located in Ward 7, would cost around $370,000.
