Oktibbeha County is moving toward conducting a cost-benefit analysis that could lead to the purchase of the Starkville Wet N Wild waterpark and assumption of Oktibbeha County Lake lease agreements associated with the property.
Supervisors voted 3-2 Monday to request proposals from interested parties or firms willing to study the feasibility of the potential purchase, as well as revenues and expenditures associated with operating it as a public recreation destination for residents.
Specifics surrounding the RFP process — including a bid submission deadline, specific requirements for potential firms and a timeline for the study’s completion — were not outlined at the table or included in Monday’s motion.
Those supporting the potential lake takeover, including District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard, said the county should explore its options, as the waterpark could help generate additional money for its general fund. Opponents, however, said the county should not use taxpayer funds to support a business venture that could cost more money than it produces once the realities of maintenance, liabilities and salaries are absorbed.
Both sides said the county should not pursue a deal until the true costs and benefits are fully explored, and District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer said he believes the estimated $2 million purchase cost is negotiable.
“There’s more that the people of Oktibbeha County want to do other than going to the Sportsplex and play sports. We do not offer any type of recreation here in Oktibbeha County. We need to do better, we’re capable of doing better and we can do better,” said Howard, who lives across from the lake. “If it’s not going to make money, then let’s not do it. But I truly believe that there is so much potential out there … it’ll make money and, at the same time, serve as recreation.”
Split decision
Monday’s motion found support from Howard, Trainer and District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams, while District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery and District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller opposed the matter.
Miller, who serves as the Mississippi Horse Park’s facility director, said a list of concerns — franchise agreements, monthly costs of keeping the RV park’s sewage lagoon in state compliance, flooding issues with nearby cabins and the unknown costs of maintenance and potential salaries — deters her from supporting a purchase.
“In the past, they had 12 people that ran it on a busy day,” she said. “I just ask y’all, with all this information that we have, why would you think it could possibly be something good for us to get into? There are a lot of costs involved in it.”
Montgomery said the county government should use its resources wisely instead of diverting them toward running a business.
“We don’t need to be worrying about cleaning up the tiki hut Sunday morning because someone has rented it on Saturday, and we’re going to have to pay to clean it up,” he said. “We have enough issues and enough liability as it is without getting into this business venture.”
Starkville Wet N Wild’s future became an issue this year when owner and former Mississippi State University basketball coach Rick Stansbury contacted supervisors about a potential deal. Stansbury, who now coaches at Western Kentucky University, sought to unload the waterpark and KOA Campground this winter for about $2 million after investing approximately $1.5 million in the business venture.
Stansbury first acquired the roughly 400 acres of combined 16th section land and general county property in 2012, when a state reassessment drove up the cost of the 16th section lease and forced the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to abandon its previous tenant’s agreement.
The 16th section lease now generates about $32,000 annually for the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, while the county receives about $2,500 for its portion of land.
Stansbury’s proposal came shortly after County Engineer Clyde Pritchard acknowledged slope failures along the lake’s levee would require major repairs.
The lake’s water level was lowered this spring, and Wet N Wild announced it would close indefinitely.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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