STARKVILLE — The Mill at MSU reached a major milestone earlier this month — it was certified for occupancy — but there was no ceremony.
Instead, work continues.
On Monday, landscapers were busy planting dozens of plants and flowers around the exterior of the massive old Cooley Building, a 1902 structure that will be a unique blend of old and new. On the second floor, IT specialists were busy installing more than 60 terminals for Mississippi State’s National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center, the facility’s largest tenant, which will occupy the entire second floor.
On the first floor, Steve Langston, owner of Sullivan’s Office Supply, was supervising the delivery and set up of office furniture for nSPARC, which plans to be in operation at its new home on Aug. 7.
Everywhere, it seems, there is a flurry of activity, most of it along the lines of finishing touches.
The facility ballroom is all but finished, as are the first-floor meeting rooms. Throughout the building, fixtures are going up, artwork (all from Mississippi artists) is being hung.
On the first floor, the office space is still in rough form.
“That’s by design,” said project developer Mark Castleberry. “We want to work with the tenants on that design, since each tenant has its own needs. When we get the design, we’ll start construction.”
In addition to nSPARC, New York Life and Bluefish Design have also leased space in the building.
Castleberry said while 83 percent of the available office space has been leased, another 13,000 square feet of space is available.
While the parking garage is complete, work on other projects continues or has yet to begin.
“The wet spring really put us behind schedule with the hotel,” Castleberry said of the 105-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel that is being constructed just south of the Cooley Building. “We plan to have heads on beds, as they say, by Oct. 7.”
Work on a fine-dining restaurant, which will be located on the west end of the property, and a combination condominium/retail/casual dining complex on the northwest part of the property, has yet to begin.
“We expect work to begin on both of those in 90 days,” Castleberry said. “Hopefully, we will have those complete around this time next year.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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