Golden Triangle Development LINK officials are expected to discuss new industrial park options with Oktibbeha County supervisors and Starkville aldermen next month, but steering committee members responsible for deciding on a new site say the group has not yet decided how to move forward.
Both Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman and County Administrator Emily Garrard said LINK officials are seeking executive session meetings with each board in May. Those discussions should focus on the three industrial sites selected by the LINK for future expansion, but Wiseman, who serves as a city representative on the countywide steering committee, said previous meetings have not yet yielded a preferred site.
“A consensus is not the way I would characterize our status at this point,” he said. “Details of the proposals are still materially the same, but I think it’s too early to rule one site in our out.”
Last month, the LINK identified three sites for future industrial development initiatives and investments, and asked county stakeholders to create a steering committee to pick a path forward.
The sites – land north of the Highway 82-Highway 25 juncture; 16th section land south of George M. Bryan Airport; and Cornerstone Park – represent what could be the home of a renewed LINK push to make the county more viable for economic development projects.
Two of the proposed areas represent new potential sites, while the fledgling Cornerstone Park has been under OCEDA control for more than a decade.
The cost of each proposal varies greatly.
The Highway 82-Highway 25 area, dubbed the Strange, Stanley and Waldrop properties, carries an estimated $30 million price tag and represents the largest potential economic development site. Land acquisition and investments associated with the combined 16th section and Cornerstone projects is estimated at $6.23 million.
The Strange, Stanley and Waldrop project represents a 400-acre site and could also tend to a significant issue: extending natural gas infrastructure. LINK Chief Executive Officer Joe Max Higgins previously said 4-County Electric Power Association has committed to a $4 million, 60-megawatt investment at the location, and plans to construct a speculative building by a private company could also come to fruition.
For about $6 million, the city and county could establish about 200 acres for development south of the city’s airport. A majority of the estimated costs would go toward buying the properties and constructing a road allowing trucks to enter the park via Highway 25.
The LINK’s third option – investing in the existing Cornerstone Park – simply involves clearing a large number of trees from undeveloped areas of the development district for about $225,000.
Higgins previously told city and county leaders to consider a combined 16th section-Cornerstone investment if they balked at the Strange, Stanley and Waldrop project’s large price tag.
Moving forward, LINK officials are expected to ask both aldermen and supervisors to prepare a bond intent resolution for improvements and other costs associated with developing the land.
Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker, who also serves on the steering committee, said each plan offers different benefits and problems. Money, he said, could become the determining factor in how the steering committee moves forward.
“One thing that the committee members do agree on is that no matter which option we choose, (the Cornerstone improvements are) something we have to definitely look at,” Walker said. “Part of my hesitation is money. (The Strange, Stanley and Waldrop project) is looked at as a game-changing effort, but they said the same thing about Cornerstone years ago. The good parts of (the 16th section and Cornerstone options) are that they tie in with the structure of town, build on what we have and affirm that we’re not abandoning what we’ve already invested in.”
Higgins did not reply to messages Friday.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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