The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning has approved a series of interrelated agreements that finalize plans for The Mill development project.
This project aims to provide a conference center, hotel and parking garage complex centered around MSU’s historic E.E. Cooley Building. The Mill development includes three main projects, transforming the landmark former cotton mill into a conference center with bordering office space, building an adjacent hotel and developing multi-purpose business parcels in the land next to to Mississippi State University’s old physical plant.
MSU President Mark Keenum said the project as a whole will be a boon to the university’s ability to attract important academic conferences and visitors,  provide much-needed office space and appeal to prospective students and faculty members.
“We have refused to settle for anything that did not meet our highest expectations — logistically, aesthetically or financially,” Keenum said.
“We have refused to settle for anything that did not meet our highest expectations — logistically, aesthetically or financially,” Keenum said.
An Oct. 17 MSU news release said plans call for MSU to sell some property to the developer, Mark Castleberry, to become the site of a Marriott Courtyard Hotel and one or more restaurants, lease the Cooley Building to the developer to be renovated as a conference center and for MSU to lease back some office space in the building for university use.
City of Starkville’s Ward 5 Alderman Scott Maynard said due to economic constraints earlier the project was delayed but now is progressing.
“It is going to provide an opportunity for the university and the city of Starkville to have convention and meeting space that we currently do not have. That will entirely open up, I think, from an economic stand point a lot of new opportunities,” Maynard said. 
David Shaw, vice president for Research and Economic Development at MSU, said  students will benefit greatly from the new convention center. Shaw said students will be exposed to a wide array of scientific, entertainment, and state and national policy events once the renovations have taken place.
“We’re very pleased to see The Mill project moving forward, as a major research university, MSU has been limited in events that it can host up to this point and has been at a disadvantage compared to other research universities because of the lack of adequate convention space,” Shaw said. “We are also viewing this as the opportunity to completely change the primary campus entrance, casting a very positive visual image of MSU with this renovation.”
Shaw said the convention center will have a ballroom that seats 1,000, plus four breakout rooms seating 250 each.  In addition, it will have 48,000 square feet of office space.  A Courtyard Marriott hotel will be adjacent to the convention center, and a parking garage that will have 450 spaces.  In addition, four lots will be implemented and used for restaurants or other retail spaces for sale or lease. 
“We have received approval of the contracts from the IHL Board, and are awaiting final approval from the National Park Service as a part of the historic building.  Once that approval is received, we will immediately begin construction,” Shaw said.
Keenum said the development has been underway for about 10 years.
“It has been a long and rocky road, as you well know. But our staff, working with the city, state and federal offices, the current private partner and others, has been persistent,” Keenum said.