STARKVILLE — District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer wants to move forward with demolishing the old Felix Long Memorial Hospital, even without Mississippi Department of Archives and History approval.
But other supervisors were less sure, deciding during Monday’s board meeting to engage legal advice before tearing down a building on the National Register of Historic Places.
“If the state auditor says we can’t do it, that’s different; or if the Attorney General’s office says we can’t do it,” Trainer said. “But I’m not concerned with what Mississippi (Department of) Archives and History says, because they’re not spending a quarter on this project. We need to tear that building down right now. Then when we get it torn down, we can decide what to do after that.”
Earlier this month, Ryan Ashford with Major Design Studios of Columbus presented the board with updated demolition and construction estimates and designs, with costs ranging between $24.2 million for a complete rebuild and $28.2 million for a partial renovation and additions to the facility. Supervisors voted Aug. 5 to send the provided estimates, but not the designs, to MDAH for the department to review.
Built in 1950, the Felix Long Memorial Hospital began serving as a county office building after OCH Regional Medical Center opened in 1973. After that, it housed the county’s Extension office, the Department of Human Services and Child Protective Services until those offices were moved in May 2022 to a county building on Lynn Lane. Felix Long has sat empty ever since.
The building is listed as part of the Downtown Starkville Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, meaning MDAH must approve changes to the structure. It is not listed as a state landmark on the MDAH website.
Since at least spring 2022, Oktibbeha County leaders have planned to demolish the building or otherwise repurpose it to make room for new county offices and court facilities.
During Monday’s board meeting, District 1 Supervisor Ben Carver updated the board on a recent trip he and Board President and District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard took to Jackson, where they presented those estimates to MDAH. Both said MDAH didn’t feel the documents provided were sufficient to decide between renovation and demolition.
At that, Trainer went around the table, asking each board member what they actually want to do with the building.
Carver said if it were up to him, the board would demolish the building entirely and build a new one, based on the current building’s condition.
District 4 Supervisor Pattie Little said she doesn’t know if the board has a “clear direction” on the building, but she believes the county has other priorities, like wastewater and drainage. She suggested the county could even relocate its offices elsewhere before investing so much money into Felix Long.
Howard did not give his opinion, instead saying there is a process to follow before the building can be demolished.
“You don’t have to follow the process,” Trainer interrupted. “… The board of supervisors of Oktibbeha County is the one that determines this. If we go over there and send (a county employee) over there with a trackhoe right now, today, and tear that building down, what are they going to do?”
District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams was not present for Monday’s meeting.
Trainer moved to authorize Major Design Studios to request proposals for demolishing the building, saying that it would be a less costly choice for the county to just remove the “eyesore” and “liability.”
MDS documents estimate tearing down the building would cost $550,000, with another $203,000 needed for asbestos removal.
Little said she was uncomfortable moving forward with Trainer’s plan without first consulting with an attorney about whether it was legal to proceed without MDAH input. Chris Latimer, the former Starkville city attorney sitting in Monday for Board Attorney Rob Roberson, told supervisors he wanted to research the matter before offering counsel.
Still, Trainer insisted demolition would be legal, since the county owns the building and is responsible for the project.
After more discussion, the board voted unanimously to follow the route Little suggested and first consult legal counsel before proceeding with demolition.
MDAH Board of Trustees Vice President Nancy Carpenter said she hopes the board reconsiders its options for the building and does its “due diligence” for future use of Felix Long, comparing the building to the renovation of S.D. Lee High School in Columbus, as that building was also once seen as a lost cause, but is now used “every day.”
“I would certainly encourage them to not hastily make a decision, but see what the possibility is for repurposing the building and using parts of it for offices, like they said,” Carpenter said. “… You never know until you really take your time and do your due diligence, what it really can become.”
Carpenter said if they are determined to demolish the building, the board should seek and receive approval from MDAH, along with any local historic preservation commissions and other permitting bodies.
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