Contact: Robbie Ward
STARKVILLE, Miss.--As long as anyone can remember, West Point's downtown has maintained an aura of traditional small-town Southern charm and hospitality.
For passing north-south travelers on nearby U.S. Highway 45, however, the main street's appeal is something they likely can never know. Instead, they see only strip-mall congestion, fast-food outlets, gas stations, and other types of commercial development found--sadly--throughout Anywhere, USA.
Yet, research by economic developers and community planners consistently has demonstrated that most people desire to both live in and visit locales with distinctive personalities that offer something special, even if off the beaten path.
Jeremy Murdock has observed that for people to gravitate toward places with a sense of place and charm like West Point, they first must know and appreciate what makes them special. A community planner with Mississippi State University's Community Action Team, he is part of a group working with state municipalities and counties to help them solve community problems.
At the moment, one of those locations is the nearby Northeast Mississippi community of nearly 12,000 that also is the seat of Clay County government.
Murdock said drivers passing along Highway 45 are oblivious to West Point's Kitty Bryan Dill Memorial Parkway, a 3.75-mile converted "rails-to-trails" walking lane that connects five parks. They also are unaware of "the vibrant downtown feel" or the Howlin' Wolf Museum that pays tribute to the late legendary bluesman who was born Chester Arthur Burnett (1910-76) in the nearby White Station community.
"So many people don't know about these things," Murdock observed. "Clearly, the city has a need to unlock the secrets of its downtown."
As was widely reported in recent months, West Point has lost several major manufacturing operations that long provided its financial base. In the wake of their closings, city leaders faced the daunting task of finding replacement jobs, while also searching for a new city identity in the process.
With those goals in mind, Murdock and other members of the MSCAT team have worked with the land-grant institution's Stennis Institute of Government and a School of Architecture class to tackle the challenge. Since January, these separate campus entities have come together to assist this city in transition.
Prominent among these is the Carl Small Town Center. A unit of MSU's College of Architecture, Art and Design, the center has involved three senior architecture majors who have used their creative talents to offer some ideas for redeveloping key parts of the city.
The students worked throughout the spring semester under the guidance of architecture instructor Cari Varner, also the Carl Center's associate director. Receiving course credit and practical experience in the service-learning exercise, the student team began by meeting with a citizen steering committee to determine the community's desires for its future. The special course is funded by Tupelo-based CREATE, a regional community development foundation.
Stennis Institute program coordinator Phil Hardwick also met with local leaders and conducted a variety of economic and community research efforts before drafting a proposed strategic plan. Once city leaders have approved the plan, Hardwick, a veteran economic development specialist, will continue work until year's end to put the proposals into reality.
One of the community group's ideas is an evolution of downtown to an artist haven, similar to situations in Toronto, Canada, as well as parts of Kentucky and other areas in the United States. In each case, artists reside in the same multi-tenant buildings as do local retirees, who conveniently may take classes from artists.
Architecture major Teddy Yeatman of Meridian has been focusing, meanwhile, on a redevelopment project at the intersection of Highways 45 and state Highway 50, the latter of which leads to the downtown area. Covering nine blocks, his plan calls for, among other features, a welcome center to be built at the intersection in the same architectural character as main street structures.
Yeatman's project also envisions the redevelopment of nearby shopping centers to feature two- and three-story structures with mostly brick facades, located close to the street with continuous sidewalks leading to downtown. While he and others in Varner's class only are involved in an academic exercise, he said city leaders can use the finished plans as a basis for convincing private developers to consider investing in the community.
Since any redevelopment plan will cost millions of dollars to complete, private investment likely will be necessary. However, many recommendations will include design and planning concepts that the city can use to shape West Point to become what citizens want without spending additional money, Murdock said.
"They'll have a plan and the knowledge they can control their city's future," said Murdock, who also has encouraged the development of bike paths and additional sidewalks and trees to shade them.
Murdock said he also believes the process has helped demonstrate to West Point citizens the value of their continuing involvement in planning the city's future growth and development.
"The community needs to think about what it wants West Point to be a hundred years from now, because decisions the city makes now will impact all of it," he emphasized.
To showcase the city's potential, each MSU organization involved in the project will discuss its work Monday [April 28] during a 5-7 p.m. public program in the art gallery of Giles Hall, home of the architecture school. MSU Interim President Vance Watson and West Point Mayor Scott Ross will join with team members in assessing the months-long project.
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NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: Both MSU leaders and West Point citizens involved in the project will be available during the April 28 presentation. Also, as a token of appreciation, West Point-based Kohler Industries will present the university with a commercial smoker valued at about $90,000. For more information, contact Ms. Varner at 662-325-8671 or cvarner@caad.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.