As part of nearly $10 million in state-approved funds, Golden Triangle Main Street organizations are getting $880,000 for street improvements and new city signage.
On March 26, Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1854, which appropriated close to $10 million for the Mississippi Main Street Revitalization Grant Program. That funding will be used for 26 approved projects across the state, including in Starkville and Columbus, a Mississippi Main Street Association press release said.
“Mississippi continues its commitment to strengthening downtown areas across the state – a key component of attracting new businesses and creating vibrant communities where their employees want to live,” Bill Cork, MDA executive director, said in the press release. “Strong downtowns help drive economic development while improving quality of life.”
Columbus received a $380,000 grant, which will be used for planning costs for improvements at two intersections on Fifth Street and new location signage across the city to provide directions to key city landmarks and public buildings.
Barbara Bigelow, Main Street Columbus executive director, said she is thrilled that Columbus was selected. The funds, she said, will allow the nonprofit to build on its ongoing projects from last year.
“Beyond the immediate benefits, this investment will enhance the overall experience of being downtown, making it more welcoming, accessible and connected,” Bigelow said in a statement to The Dispatch. “We’re excited not just for the improvements themselves, but for the lasting impact they will have on our businesses, our community, and the continued growth of downtown.”
The grant requires a $95,000 match, $30,000 of which the county has kicked in, with the city currently on the hook for the other $65,000, City Engineer Kevin Stafford said. Those matching funds will be split between the two projects.
About $250,000 will go toward constructing signage throughout the city that will point toward important city landmarks and public buildings. The other $225,000, including the matching funds, is expected to fund planning and design for improvements at the intersections of Fifth Street and Main Street and Fifth Street and Second Avenue North.
Those plans would include adding new landscaping, traffic signal improvements and curb-and-gutter work on sidewalks and cost between $900,000 and $1 million in construction costs, Stafford said.
The city has applied for three federal grants seeking funds to close that gap, Stafford said.
“There’s no guarantee they’ll get any of the three, which is why all three have been submitted, but at least this is a start,” Stafford said.
Stafford said both the designs and the sign construction are expected to begin sometime after July once the state’s fiscal year begins and the funds are released.
Main Street Starkville
For Starkville, its $500,000 grant entails a $100,000 match from the city to be used for improvements along Jackson Street between Main Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, said Chris Williams, associate city engineer.
While there is no start date for those efforts yet, Williams expects they could begin by the fall if the grant acceptance process runs smoothly.
And once it’s begun, work should move quickly.
“It really will not be that long as far as the amount of work that’s to be done,” Williams said. “… I would say, it probably would be no more than a six-month project at the most, and that probably depends on material availability.”
Those improvements will include new road striping, pedestrian crosswalks and additional street lighting, said Paige Watson, Starkville Main Street director.
The completion of the project will only add to downtown’s appeal and walkability, Watson said. Her hope is to eventually address all other downtown streets connecting the two roads through future grant funding.
“Now that we have an even better Main Street, and we’re about to have an even better Highway 182, we want to make sure that our side streets are kind of up to par, to fill in the gaps of both the projects,” Watson said.
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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 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
