STARKVILLE — Starkville’s intersections are about to get smarter thanks to cameras that track everything from pedestrian near misses to heavy traffic times to overall vehicle counts.
The board of aldermen voted Tuesday to spend almost $17,000 on a Currux traffic camera, an adaptable piece of equipment Starkville eventually hopes to install citywide. Capable of changing lights to let cars through during off hours and keeping live traffic counts, among other things, City Engineer Cody Burnett told The Dispatch Tuesday that installing them will be standard procedure going forward.
“Our long-term vision is to get these at most of the intersections around town,” he said. “They’re easy to replace if something goes wrong. … There’s also an upgradeable component to the software. The city could pay an extra fee to have an AI model update timings in real time based on traffic demand. And they can talk to each other to make it as optimal as possible.”
The camera the city is purchasing has been monitoring the intersection of Lynn Lane and South Montgomery Street since July, Burnett said. It was offered on loan by Temple, one of the city’s camera suppliers, in the hopes the city would choose to adopt it permanently, he said. The Lynn Lane-South Montgomery intersection was chosen for the pilot program because it is frequently busy, and South Montgomery is one of the only ways for people south of Starkville to make their way into the city.
Starkville will continue installing smart cameras as funds are available, either through grants or through the city’s general fund, Burnett said. He estimated a couple would go up each year.
Burnett said top candidates for cameras included the Highway 182 corridor, Main Street, University Drive, Spring Street and Russell Street.
While the Currux is more expensive than most simple cameras or detection devices, Burnett said it’s actually cheaper than other live traffic controls options. Pucks or loops under the pavement that detect vehicle weight cost up to $5,000 per leg of the intersection and have to be replaced each time roadwork tears them up. Radar detection devices can cost up to $50,000 per intersection.
The Currux cameras, meanwhile, can be installed near the intersection like a standard camera and synced with the traffic light, Burnett said.
“You have to compare apples to apples,” he said. “Actually the cost we’re incurring for this camera is relatively cheap on the detection end of the spectrum.”
It also comes with a host of other benefits, such as allowing the city to run cables to a centralized location that can monitor and respond to traffic issues citywide. Burnett said it takes weeks for his team to get usable traffic data if they collect it themselves, but automated cameras could give them a live count and an updated database when considering changes to traffic flow around Starkville.
Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill told The Dispatch after the meeting that the city would consider taking some of the 20 police cameras the city is buying this year and using those funds for Currux models. While she said Starkville would examine the possibility of eventually paying more to network several intersections with an AI model, it’s too soon to say how likely that adoption is.
“They’re more expensive than the (standard cameras), so we’re going to have to be strategic in our placement, but the goal is to monitor those high-intensity intersections so we can alter the flow of traffic if it’s backing up,” Spruill said. “We’ll look at (the networking option), like all potential opportunities. Over the next couple years I’m sure even more technology will come out. We’ll always be monitoring that.”
Police Chief Mark Ballard said his department is involved in the consideration and analysis of the pilot project. SPD has emphasized the importance of cameras in recent months, and Ballard said the Currux models would be used for investigations into both traffic and non-traffic crime.
He suggested the intersections of Mississippi Highway 12 with Louisville and Spring streets might be priority areas.
“We’ve worked hand-in-hand with our great stakeholders over in engineering on this,” he said. “At the end of the day, someone has to walk or ride to commit a crime. Vehicle identification has proven to be highly specific and very effective. You’ve got to have leads and many times these cameras provide them. They don’t get sick, they’re not biased and they allow a jury to see what you see and come to their own conclusion.”
$10 million Candlewood Suites approved
The board also voted 6-1, with Ward 5 Alderman Hamp Beatty the lone dissenter, in favor of countersigning a partnership with the county that will give up to $1 million in tax rebates for a new Candlewood Inn with 85 rooms between Academy Sports and the Hollywood Premier Cinema.
Spruill said Starkville’s hotel room shortage stands at around 300, frequently filling to capacity during sports games or cultural events.
Oktibbeha County’s board of supervisors agreed to the partnership Dec. 10, accepting a slightly larger share of the tax rebate burden than they initially expected.
The city’s share of the rebate will be paid from 50% of net new sales tax revenue at the site and 100% of net new property tax there. The county’s share will come from 100% of net new property tax collections at the site that would have gone to its general fund.
The deal expires after 12 years or if the $1 million is raised before then.
Beatty argued the demand from Starkville’s deficit should be motivation enough for developers without surrendering the city’s budget.
“We are not a destitute backwater town,” he said. “We are a Southeastern Conference host community. But we consistently concede large portions of our taxes on just about every project that asks us to. … At some point this board has got to stop, say no, hold our breath, and let the chips fall where they may.”
Spruill did address that point, arguing the current terms were the product of successful negotiations by the city and noting that Starkville hadn’t gotten much interest for a hotel in that area.
“We did (negotiate),” she said. “They came in with one proposal, we negotiated and came out with one that was more favorable to us. That’s something we’re obligated to do. But a hotel on that side of town is not something we’d seen anyone come before us inquiring about. So I think this is a real opportunity for Cornerstone.”
LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins previously told The Dispatch Candlewood is interested in building at the proposed site due to its proximity to Cornerstone Park, home of the city’s multi-million dollar tournament-ready baseball/softball complex.
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 35 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 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
