STARKVILLE – On Tuesday night, the Starkville Board of Aldermen approved a measure that will get more use out of the Oktibbeha County Community Safe Room on Lynn Lane.
Proposed earlier this year and supported by the Parks and Recreation Department as well as Mayor Lynn Spruill, this agreement will add indoor recreation space for the public. Among the main uses for the 9,000 square foot building will be pickleball courts.
“I always thought that that particular facility ought to be used for more than just tornadoes and severe weather,” Spruill said. “It’s a very expensive facility that sits idle most of the time, so it makes no sense to me not to take full advantage of it.”
The $2 million facility, fully constructed in 2019, has room for 1,500 people and includes storage space, emergency equipment and two sets of bathrooms.
The agreement would be split between Starkville and Oktibbeha County, as the city would share the utilities bill with the county, coming out to about $5,000 based on last year’s bill.
Starkville Parks and Recreation Director Brandon Doherty has already scoped out the area for use, and after pickleball courts were recently finished at McKee Park, just across the street from the safe room, it would allow for a close walk between the two properties.
Temporary court markings will be used to designate what sports are being played inside the safe room.
“We understood that there was a need for space,” Doherty said. “With the limited space that we have, we’ve been trying to find numerous opportunities and that was one of them. We’ve been working on it for months now. … We should be able to fit in a couple pickleball courts, definitely use it for some of our younger basketball players. … McKee currently has six courts. We need to have more opportunities to provide.”
The parks and recreation department already has temporary netting available, and the courts themselves would be temporary to allow for other uses of the safe room.
The agreement is for two years.
Oktibbeha County supervisors now must approve the agreement for it to become official. That board meets again May 1.
“All we have to do is sit down and work out the details,” Board President Orlando Trainer said. “… I think this is one of the best things that could ever happen. The city and county ought to sit down and try to find as many ways to partner up and serve the citizens of Starkville and Oktibbeha County.”
Additionally, no hours of operation and days of the week have been agreed upon as the full approval/signing of the bill hasn’t been completed yet.
“I think it’s a win-win for everybody,” Spruill said. “Certainly, our pickleball community is pretty excited about having additional options for getting out there and playing because we have a standing room only kind of crowd.”
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 33 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 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion