STARKVILLE — Every day after school, 150 students file into Ms. Smith’s Educational Services at the Needmore Community Center in Starkville.
Providing the students with snacks, help with homework and constant hugs, Niya Smith said her after school program’s goal is to ensure the students not only have the resources they need to be successful in the future, but also know they are loved.
“We try to make sure that our kids are well-rounded, and we take care of the whole child,” Smith said. “We give them experiences so that they want to further their education.”
Housed at the Needmore Community Center since 2014, the program will soon have to find somewhere new to go.
As a part of the city’s park renovation plan, the Starkville Board of Aldermen voted in March to move forward with improving George Evans Park, which includes the Needmore Community Center. The plan includes tearing down the current building, which is approximately 6,000 square feet, and replacing it with a brand new, 3,000-square-foot building.
The board met with landscape architecture firm Kimley Horn on Thursday to discuss the planning and construction phases of the park’s improvements. Mayor Lynn Spruill said the board has not made any official decisions regarding the renovation but hopes to see construction begin by 2023.
“This phase will put us having a new area, hopefully, in the next year and a half,” Spruill said. “It will tear the building down and replace it with a more functional building, a more attractive building, and improve the landscape, visibility and openness, so (George Evans Park) is not hidden.”
The No. 1 priority Ward 4 Alderman Mike Brooks, who represents the area in which the center resides, had when running his campaign last year was to improve the center, he said. He said the building is run down and constructing a new one will be beneficial to the city.
The city rents out the current building for events such as family reunions, parties or church events, and Brooks said he would still like to see this happen. The building also serves as a voting precinct for Ward 4.
“Buildings are expensive,” Brooks said. “We’re going to make it as functional as a building as we can for as much money we have.”
Kimley Horn presented its initial park improvement proposal for the city in December, which laid out plans not only for the center, but for George Evans Park, which is located behind the center, as well. This proposal would eliminate the park’s current basketball courts and put in a 7,000-square-foot dog park, restroom facility and tree-lined sidewalk.
Citizen push-back
Four members of the Needmore Community spoke out against the proposed plans, especially the dog park, at Tuesday’s board of aldermen meeting, citing that a dog park would contaminate the air and bring in people to the area who do not appreciate Needmore’s culture. The Needmore Community consists of Spruill Place, Hancock Circle and the parts of Spring and Hancock streets in between.
Needmore resident Ethel Shine, who has grown up in the community, said she takes pride in the park and having a dog park there would cause health issues for the residents who live merely feet away.
“African American people in general have sinus issues,” Shine said. “We have allergies. We have asthma. This dog park is going to contaminate the air, and it would cause us health issues, complications with breathing.”
Brooks has spoken with the residents about their concerns and said the proposal for a dog park is not set in place at the current moment. The improvements to George Evans Park will be in Phase 2 of the park plan, and he said the city can reevaluate what to put inside the park once the time comes. For now, he said his main priority is getting a new community center.
“I was looking at the proposal and I said, ‘What’s this?’ and (the architects) told me that they had some open green space and figured a dog park would be a good addition to the park,” Brooks said. “I said I wasn’t sure, but that is not what I’m focused on right now.”
Ms. Smith’s next plans
Although Brooks said he wants the community to use the center, the size of the proposed building will not have enough space to house Smith’s afterschool program. Spruill said the city has notified Smith regarding this situation, informing her the program’s “time is growing short” and she will have to find a new location, but Smith — who pays the city $900 a month in rent — said she has not received any official notice from the city.
Smith said she feels this is the first time the city has taken an interest in improving the center. Any new developments the center has had over the past eight years, Smith said she has done herself with the help of community friends and churches.
Along with providing after school services, Smith said she and her staff also homeschool some students, as well as offer General Education Development assistance. One proud moment of Smith’s at the center was helping a 75-year-old woman obtain her GED diploma.
“She never gave up hope,” Smith said. “We called the (Mississippi) Department of Education once we got her GED-eligible. They allowed us to give her an honorary diploma.”
While Ms. Smith Educational Services may have to move, Smith said she is hopeful God will provide her somewhere to go. She said she is proud of the work her team has put into the center and the park, citing that she feels this program has helped eliminate drugs, alcohol and loitering in the community.
“Whether we stay here or not, I believe we have helped bring this community back to a community again,” Smith said. “We’ve gotten everything cleaned up. You don’t see beer bottles anymore. I want to continue to see people become better.”
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