The Golden Triangle Development LINK is ready to become more vocal about city and county decisions that could impact the economy of the area.
LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins presented a report by economic development expert Bill Fruth to government officials and industry leaders who gathered on Wednesday morning at the East Mississippi Community College Communiversity. One of Fruth’s recommendations, Higgins said, is for the LINK to “more closely monitor” issues that could impact the region’s business climate.
“We can’t fix all of this, but we can be the catalyst to try to make it happen and push and push and try to be more vocal than we’ve been,” Higgins said.
Higgins offered examples of situations where the LINK should have been more active, including Columbus’ proposed annexation and with the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District’s potential new high school.
Columbus City Council voted in March to begin the process of annexing two areas south and east of the current limits. That process is being adjudicated in Lowndes County Chancery Court, with a trial expected in spring 2025.
According to a LINK study, annexing those two areas would decrease the city’s median household income, disposable income, labor force participation and housing values while raising the poverty rate. But Higgins said there were other ways the LINK should have been more active in the conversation.
“We thought the stealthy way to do it was to let the folks know that it wasn’t a good deal, that it didn’t really bring anything to the table, that it was kind of a problem,” Higgins said. “And guess what? That didn’t fit the narrative. Well, we probably should have been more vocal.”
Mayor Keith Gaskin told The Dispatch Wednesday afternoon that he is opposed to annexation for a number of reasons, including it not being a good economic decision. He said he agrees the LINK needs to speak out more in those situations, with consideration for others involved.
“I think it’s very important that they give us their expert advice,” Gaskin said. “Now, how that’s delivered impacts how it’s received. And the city and the county can be more proactive in seeking their advice sometimes, too. I think we need to find ways to work together on that.”
Being more vocal about SOCSD’s fledgling plans to build a new high school, Higgins said, could help land a potential 550-lot neighborhood development for east Oktibbeha County near Hickory Grove. Higgins asserted the high school plan includes a $90 million facility to be built near Mississippi State University, which would affect the neighborhood development.
“What’s fixing to happen is, the region is fixing to miss its boom,” Higgins said, referring to the dearth of public information shared so far about the planned high school. “You’re going to miss a chance for 550 houses to be built, to take advantage of a new high school down the street, 15 minutes from the major employers. That’s sad.”
SOCSD has not released a specific location, price tag or design for the high school, as the project is still in “the development phase,” according to SOCSD Communications Director Haley Montgomery.
“We are actively pursuing building a new high school, but until we have any hard information, we’re just opening it up for speculation for the public,” Montgomery said. “And certainly we don’t want to put out any potential sites and then shift gears. I think that doesn’t foster trust with our public.”
Continued site development
While a more vocal LINK was one of Fruth’s recommendations, the report also included suggestions for expansions of megasites in Clay, Oktibbeha and Lowndes counties.
In Clay, Fruth recommended the expansion of the Prairie Belt Power Site, Higgins said. The site is currently 135 acres, and it is located at Yokohama Boulevard and Barton Ferry Road, according to LINK’s website.
In Oktibbeha, the report shows that the county should continue development in Northstar Industrial Park with more pad sites, Higgins said. Since the report was created, the LINK has already started developing two new 200,000 square-foot pads at the industrial park, he said.
For Lowndes, Fruth recommended developing the Cinco megasite and designating a new area near the Golden Triangle Industrial Megaplex around the regional airport to address the service needs of employees, like food services, banks, dry cleaners and pharmacies.
Workforce development and business climate
The report also recommended changes for the area’s workforce development and business climate, Higgins said.
While the report showed that poverty has also decreased in the region over the past 10 years, most drastically in West Point – which has gone down 8-10% in 10 years – it also showed that 34% of the working age population in the Golden Triangle is not employed. Of those, 4,700 to 5,500 people between 18 and 27 are choosing not to work, Higgins said.
Combatting that issue, Higgins said, will include further workforce development programs for area students, exposing them to potential career paths.
While the Communiversity (which Higgins noted was developed based on Fruth’s recommendations in a 2014 report) has helped increase workforce development, Higgins said even more can be done – like the development of a facility similar to a children’s museum at the Communiversity or creating new programs that bring industries to the schools.
The report also showed that non-Triangle residents working in the area have increased by 6% over 10 years, Higgins said, with the general population of the Golden Triangle decreasing. The only city growing in its population, he said, is Starkville.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 29 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
