A group of city and university leaders have formed a task force to outline Starkville’s need for a convention center.
The convention center issue has come up several times in the past, but the group was formed recently to work toward making it a reality, Starkville Mayor Mack Rutledge said.
“There are members of the university, the community and the Greater Starkville Development Partnership that are very much involved,” Rutledge said.
Rutledge said he thinks there is an obvious need for a convention center in the community.
“Any community with a large university is likely to have a convention center,” he said.
“There are organizational meetings held in various places and many times the number of people attending is greater than can be accommodated in any venue we have available here in Starkville,” Rutledge said. “Even campus groups go to another city because there’s not ample meeting space here.”
Rutledge said he would like to see a convention center developed either on campus or in town.
“There is support for the idea and I think it would enhance the status of the community and improve the university’s outreach,” Rutledge said.
So far no developmental or financial plans have been established because a location for the convention center has not been decided.
“Plans and funding depend on location,” said Rutledge, “but I’m sure that if it’s not on campus, it’ll be near campus.”
Ray Hayes, vice president for finance and administration at MSU, agrees with Rutledge.
“We view the university as a partnership with the community,” Hayes said.
Hayes said many of the university’s employees are members and officers of groups in the community.
“There are a lot of conferences that would be nice for the university to host, but we just don’t have enough space in the local facilities to offer that,” Hayes said.
Hayes said the university doesn’t have enough space on campus to host a group of more than 500 people.
“We have Bost, which has a ballroom and an auditorium, but there is no breakout space for groups of 50 to 75, and we have a ballroom in The Union with room for up to 350 people but not enough breakout space and certainly not enough parking,” Hayes said. “I hope that within five years we’ll have access to a conference center.”
David Thornell, president and CEO of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, said the project is in its evaluative stage. Currently, the group is studying different aspects of the project.
“We’re analyzing the need, size and pricing of the facility, the most critical factor being the size,” Thornell said.
In addition to Rutledge and Hayes, the task force includes Ward 1 Alderman Sumner Davis, Orlando Trainer, Darlene Comish, Ann Mitchell, David Oswalt, Ward 2 Alderman Frank Davis, Edward Kemp, Todd Hunt, Robin Fant, Steve Langston and Ed Clynch. Ward 1 alderman Sumner Davis was elected chairman, and Trainer was elected vice chairman.
“Everybody involved is enthusiastic,” Rutledge said. “We’d all love to see it, but so far we haven’t come up with a plan for funding.
“We’d like to get some help from Washington, and I’m sure we would be looking to the university,” Rutledge said.
“In view of the importance of the university and the usefulness and support the convention center would bring to the university, I think it’s reasonable to ask our congressional delegation for some appropriation to help with funding,” Rutledge added.
Aside from government and university funding, Rutledge said he hopes private funding will contribute to the costs as well.
“I would hope that in some way private funds would be involved, a situation in which private investors could get involved and have some way to recoup their investment through the operation,” he said.
No budget has been developed at this point, Rutledge said, but plans for the convention center’s success are underway.
“Conferences bring people to the community,” Hayes said. “They stay overnight and they spend money in the community,” he added.
“People who are going to conventions are going to spend money here in town, depending on where they visit,” Rutledge said. “The sales tax would help support the local economy.”
One idea suggested is that the convention center would include a large hotel.
“When we have ball games-football games in particular-people come here to stay and all the hotels are booked, so they stay in Columbus, West Point or Louisville,” Hayes said. “I’m not ready to rule out a hotel, and I’m certainly willing to look at having something on campus, but it depends on funding whether there’ll be a hotel.”
Another suggestion is that the convention center also include something to lure more people in.
“I think that if it had a family-oriented attraction such as a children’s museum or an ice rink it would make it more fundable and enhance the usability of the facility,” Rutledge said.
Rutledge said that an attractive convention center will enhance the stature of the community and university and also that it will be a drawing factor in enticing people to come to Starkville.
“Organizations, professional and technical, would be enticed to hold their meetings in Starkville if a suitable facility were located near the campus,” Rutledge said.
Rutledge said he thinks the convention center will help the community grow.
“We are a city that is ready to happen and I think that the growth that we’ve observed in the last decade will continue and possibly even accelerate,” Rutledge said.
“With the newly constructed four-lane highways, it will make it easier for people to come here.”