On Tuesday, July 12th at 6 p.m., Starkville will host a town hall meeting to present a preliminary concept for meeting our public facility needs. I am writing to encourage full public participation at this important event.
In January of 2010, the Board of Aldermen and I spent two days together in a retreat to create a strategic plan for the future of the City of Starkville. In that process, we recognized that the failing condition of our police, municipal court, and city hall facilities poses a substantial threat to the future safety and prosperity of our community. Accordingly, we worked to establish the following roadmap to provide a remedy:
A. A municipal complex committee will be formed among the Board of Aldermen.
B. The Board committee will work in conjunction with a citizen group and a consultant to determine feasibility and recommend a site for the municipal complex.
C. A preliminary concept will be presented for public comments and input.
D. The final project will be placed before the public.
Later in 2010 a Board committee and a citizens” committee were formed to work with a consultant to determine feasibility and recommend a site for the municipal complex. A couple of months ago, the citizens” committee made a recommendation to the Board of Aldermen. The committee recommendation consisted of: (1) building a police station at the corner of Jackson Street and Highway 182 and (2) renovating and adding to the current municipal court and city hall facilities.
On Tuesday, the preliminary concept for achieving the recommendation of the committee will be presented for public comments and input. The presentation will include a construction timeline and budget, financing strategies, and a panel discussion.
From the outset, it has been the goal of city leaders that this process be publicly inclusive. I was amazed by the effort that the volunteer citizens” committee waged over a six-month period to provide a thorough and thoughtful recommendation. In doing so, the committee held numerous public meetings and solicited feedback from the general public at every opportunity. Their efforts have left us with a project recommendation that is sound. I believe wholeheartedly it is achievable.
Tuesday”s town hall meeting provides an important opportunity to gain further public input before presenting a final project. Over the past 18 months of discussion on this project, the citizens of this community have consistently stepped up to provide the insight and opinions necessary to guide it along. On Tuesday night, we need you to do so again. If you can spare an hour or two, please come and invest some time in the future of your community.
Parker Wiseman
Wiseman is the mayor of Starkville.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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