The city of Starkville is set to become the 50th member of the Mississippi Main Street Association.
On Sept. 9, the Mississippi Main Street Association will officially designate the city of Starkville as a Mississippi Main Street Community. As a result of the designation, the Mississippi Main Street Association will work with Starkville Main Street representatives on plans to revitalize and promote the downtown area. A Mississippi Main Street resource team will conduct a design program in Starkville and give recommendations for a long-term master plan for the downtown area.
“Being part of the Mississippi Main Street Association will allow Starkville to network with other communities facing similar challenges and opportunities as us, as well as gain access to a vast amount of resources to better help us in our efforts to revitalize and restore our downtown area,” said Jennifer Gregory, vice president of tourism for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, who will oversee the Starkville Main Street program. The Partnership”s Robyn Cain will serve as the Starkville Main Street program coordinator.
The Starkville Downtown Business Association now will transfer its duties to Starkville Main Street. President of the Downtown Business Association, Melissa Dixon, said recently the move would be good for businesses downtown because the Downtown Business Association had a slim budget and a “limited” amount of volunteers.
The Starkville Main Street program will have paid staff on hand to coordinate promotions, organize events and perform other tasks.
Jan Miller, Mississippi Main Street Association central district director, has conducted training for committees based on the Main Street “Four-Point Approach”: organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring. Miller and MMSA staff will work with Gregory, Cain and the Main Street committees on workplans for downtown Starkville revitalization efforts.
“The City of Starkville is in an ideal position to join the Main Street program,” said Bob Wilson, executive director of the Mississippi Main Street Association. “We look forward to working with the current city, university and county leaders, as well as other local and regional partners who are investing in downtown Starkville to make it an even better place to live, work and play for residents, students, alumni and visitors.”
A ceremony will be held 10:30 a.m. in the Greater Starkville Development Partnership office, located at 200 E. Main Street, in downtown Starkville.
The Mississippi Main Street Association is an economic development program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Mississippi Development Authority with many strategic partners. MMSA provides several membership levels and works in more than 70 cities and towns in Mississippi to provide training and technical assistance to the local revitalization programs. Since 1993, MMSA has provided more than $4 billion in public and private re-investment back into Main Street communities. For more information, visit www.msmainstreet.com.
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