The Starkville Planning and Zoning Commission granted a conditional use request Thursday which opens the door for renovation of the former University Inn on Highway 12, across from Mississippi State University.

During a special called meeting, father-and-son developers Larry and Jeremy Tabor, of Tabor Properties LLC, received the commission’s blessing to convert the 40-year-old, 100-room hotel into 50 condos. The conditional use of the C-2 (general business) zoned area must be approved by the Starkville Board of Aldermen at its June 1 meeting before construction can begin.

The commission originally heard the request at its May 12 meeting but chose to table the request so three absent commissioners could weigh in on the decision.

The majority of the discussion Thursday evening centered around whether the office building portion of the hotel, which is adjacent to the building the Tabors plan to renovate, could be put to use and whether the conditional use for multi-family housing would remain in effect for the property if the project is abandoned.

Larry Tabor addressed the board’s fears that the office building would sit dormant while the residential building was filled with condos.

“We’ve been contacted by motels and three restaurants,” he said. “There are a lot of things in the works for the property next door but nothing’s concrete.”

Tabor Properties owns both buildings, and Larry Tabor said the office building will likely be demolished and replaced with some combination of a restaurant, sports bar and retail businesses.

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DISPATCH STAFF REPORT

Starkville-based Cadence Financial Corp. announced this week that it has filed to offer up to $80 million in common stock in an effort to shore up capital to meet a new consent order placed on Cadence Bank by federal officials.

By agreeing to the consent order, the $1.9 billion bank has 120 days to raise total capital to at least 12 percent of risk-weighted assets, and have Tier 1 capital at least equal to 9 percent of adjusted total assets, or it could face further action.

Bank officials said they believe the stock offering will enable it to meet its new obligation.

“After successfully completing the proposed offering, the Company expects that the Bank will exceed the capital requirements set forth in the Consent Order,” according to the Wednesday filing with the SEC. “Pursuant to the Consent Order, the Bank agreed to make improvements to several areas of its operations. The Bank and its directors will take various actions designed to enhance the Bank’s risk management and planning process, including, among other things, developing a strategic plan, assessing the capabilities of the Bank’s management, reviewing and revising the Bank’s credit policy and liquidity risk management program and adopting and implementing an internal audit program.”

Under the order, federal officials must approve any changes to the bank’s board of directors, and mandates the board form a special committee to make monthly reports on its progress.

“The number of shares to be offered and the price for those shares has not yet been determined,” the bank said in a Wednesday statement, adding that proceeds from the sale will be for “for general corporate purposes, including funding its regulatory capital needs.”

The bank attempted and ultimately canceled a stock offering last year. In a letter to shareholders last September, Lewis F. Mallory, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, said the offering, announced last June, was suspended “until such a time as we can raise capital on more favorable terms than those possible in today’s economic environment. Our strong liquidity provides us the flexibility to wait until market conditions have improved to consider additional capital.”

Mallory stressed last year that “Cadence is in no danger of failing, and our customers continue to enjoy the full measure of FDIC insurance at the maximum levels.”

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TIM PRATT

One member of the Starkville Board of Aldermen believes the board violated Mississippi’s Open Meetings Law Tuesday night during an executive session after its recess meeting in City Hall.

Mayor Parker Wiseman, however, believes the executive session and subsequent votes behind closed doors were legal, and city attorney Chris Latimer said he would like to investigate the matter further before giving his legal opinion.

Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins, a practicing attorney, believes the board’s 5-2 vote to create a master sergeant position for the Starkville Police Department and give the officer who fills that role a 5 percent pay increase was illegal. The position will be filled by a promotion from within the Starkville Police Department, Chief David Lindley said Thursday.

Perkins also feels the board acted illegally when it voted 4-3 to give $4,000 pay raises to two level III staff support technicians working for the SPD. The two technicians’ salaries were raised to approximately $34,500 and $32,000, respectively, city clerk Markeeta Outlaw said.

According to Mississippi’s open meetings law, aldermen are allowed to go into executive session to discuss personnel matters relating only to job performance, character, professional competence, or physical and mental health of a person holding a specific position.

Perkins believes the votes Tuesday night should be classified as employee retention, which doesn’t fit the criteria for an executive session, he said.

“Retention of personnel does not deal with job performance, character, professional competence or physical and mental health,” Perkins said. “It’s undisputed that the law was violated. It’s not the merits of the issue, or the lack thereof, that’s in question. In order to go into executive session, you have to have a reason set forth in the state statute. The statute does not allow the board to go into executive session to talk about retaining an employee.”

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TIM PRATT

A group of Starkville parents could soon form an advisory committee to question the policies of the Starkville School District and make recommendations to the SSD board of trustees.

About 30 parents gathered Thursday evening at New Covenant Church on Garrard Road to voice their concerns about the Starkville School District. One option the group discussed was to form of an advisory committee, made up of parents, students and teachers, who would act on a level more political than the existing parent-teacher organizations in the district.

Although still in the theoretical stage, the newly formed organization could study policies closely, make recommendations and give quarterly reports to the SSD board of trustees, parent Sarah Coleman said. The schools’ parent teacher associations would remain busy with fundraisers, book fairs, volunteer work and other projects within the district, she said.

Parent Anastasia Elder, who helped organize Thursday’s meeting, agreed with Coleman.

“I think there’s room for everyone, for both organizations to work together to improve our schools,” Elder said.

One of the main complaints voiced by parents Thursday night was a perceived disconnect between the SSD board of trustees, school administrators and the public. Parent Carrie Copeland called it “a horrible communication problem.”

Many parents felt the school district doesn’t inform the public well enough about changes in policy or problems in their kids’ schools, such as bullying. Several parents stepped forward and said their children are bullied regularly at school and on school buses, but administrators have done nothing to address the problems.

“I don’t think it’s the parents’ job to make sure their kids aren’t getting bullied,” parent Kate Fabel said. “I think it’s the school district’s job to make sure kids aren’t getting bullied.”

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TIM PRATT

The former Jitney Jungle supermarket near the corner of Highway 12 and Spring Street soon will have two new tenants.

Renovations already are underway inside and outside of the former supermarket space, located in the University Crossing shopping center next to Corky’s Party Place.

The city has issued a building permit for the 5,485-square-foot portion of the space to be occupied by Rent-a-Center, a company which rents furniture, appliances, electronics and computers, among other items. City planner Ben Griffith expects work on the Rent-a-Center portion of the building to be complete within the next few weeks.

It is unclear when Rent-a-Center will open in its new Starkville location. The nearest Rent-a-Centers are in Columbus and Philadelphia.

A building permit is expected to be issued later this week for the 10,931-square-foot portion of the Jitney Jungle building to be occupied by It’s Fashion Metro, Griffith said. It’s Fashion Metro is located at 856 Highway 12 W., but will move to University Crossing in August or September, assistant manager Rosy Elliott said Wednesday.

The remaining portion of the Jitney Jungle building is occupied by Sears, which moved there from the Village Crossing shopping center in 2008.

Griffith said he is glad to see businesses occupying the space, which has been empty for about 10 years.

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TIM PRATT

The Starkville Board of Aldermen took the first step toward protecting the city’s historic homes and landmarks Tuesday when it voted 6-1 to form a Historic Preservation Commission.

The seven-member commission, whose members have not yet been named, will advise the Board of Aldermen on matters relating to historic preservation in the city, including the designation of historic districts, landmarks and landmark sites.

The Board of Aldermen ultimately will pass ordinances which designate areas of the city as historic districts and landmarks based upon the Historic Preservation Commission’s recommendations. The vote Tuesday did not establish any historic districts or landmarks.

The Greensboro Street Historic District, Nash Street Historic District and Overstreet School Historic Districts already are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but inclusion on the Register does not guarantee protection of property, Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey said.

“That doesn’t give them any protections on the local level, which is one of the reasons behind this ordinance,” Corey said.

According to the ordinance, an historic district can consist of a group of two or more tax parcels and their structures, and may be an entire neighborhood of structures linked by historical association or historical development. An historic district may include both residential and non-residential structures.

The Historic Preservation Commission will review permit applications for alterations, construction, demolition, relocation and subdivision of structures in the newly formed historic districts.

For residents who live in city-designated historic districts, no exterior feature of any home or other resource shall be altered, relocated or demolished until after an application for a certificate of appropriateness for such work has been approved by the Historic Preservation Commission. However, the Historic Preservation Commission only will serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Aldermen and aldermen will have to approve certificates of appropriateness before the city issues building permits.

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TIM PRATT

Construction of a five-acre motor coach and recreational vehicle park near Mississippi State University will have to wait.

The Starkville Board of Aldermen Tuesday removed from its agenda the consideration of a site plan for an RV and motor coach park at Lincoln Green and Spring Street after city attorney Chris Latimer determined the proposed development is a subdivision and must go through the city’s subdivision process, which begins with the planning and zoning commission and ends with the Board of Aldermen. Developer Jeremy Tabor and landowner Steve Roberts have yet to take the plan to the planning and zoning commission, a seven-member body which makes recommendations to the Board of Aldermen.

“It’s purely procedural,” Latimer said.

Latimer said the project is considered a subdivision because Tabor and Roberts want to divide the property into lots, which would be sold separately to RV and motor coach operators. Roberts said the site would feature 43 lots with utility hookups.

The park would be geared toward Mississippi State University alumni who attend home football games, Roberts said. About 200 RVs typically roll into Starkville for home football games, he said.

“These guys have been swamping me for this (park),” Roberts said. “They want this. I had 30 of them together for a Saturday morning meeting.”

Read complete article at Commercial Dispatch.