By STEVEN NALLEY

Leaders from both the Greater Starkville Development Partnership and the Columbus-Lowndes Development LINK say their existing relationship is beneficial, and there is no immediate need for an alliance between the two organizations akin to the one LINK recently established with the West Point-Clay County Community Growth Alliance.
On Jan. 20, the Growth Alliance announced a formal three-year affiliation with LINK which allows the Growth Alliance to retain control of its chamber of commerce while LINK handles economic development activities.
Joe Max Higgins, LINK CEO, said he was announcing this alliance to the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau at its meeting Jan. 23 when one CVB member asked if there was a reason why Starkville and Oktibbeha County were omitted from the partnership discussion.
“I said, ‘Well, you’ve got to understand, West Point and Starkville have different situations,’” Higgins said. “I said West Point was without a director, without an economic developer and they had to either decide whether they were going to hire an economic developer or, as they chose to do, contract and partner with us. I said Starkville has an economic developer; they have a program. Maynard, as I see it, is a very capable economic developer, and if Starkville wanted to come to the table they would certainly be welcome.”
Higgins said he does not want the invitation to be misconstrued as an effort to pressure the GSDP or the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority into joining LINK.
“It’s their choice, not ours,” Higgins said. “I think people other than me will have to decide whether that would be best. The fact of the matter is if the question had never been asked, I would have never brought up Oktibbeha County.”
Jon Maynard, GSDP president, said there are no plans for the GSDP to establish an affiliation with LINK like the Growth Alliance has.

Read complete article at Starkville Daily News.

By NATHAN GREGORY

Starkville Fire Department officials are still investigating the cause of the fire which destroyed one of the buildings at Summer Chase Apartments on Carver Drive Friday.
SFD Fire Marshal Mark McCurdy said investigators are still narrowing down possible causes.
“There is no formal cause yet. There are still a few agencies involved in looking at it. We know the fire started on the outside of the building. We know the area on the outside of the building where it started,” McCurdy said. “As to the exact cause, there are multiple things it could have been and until we can definitely narrow down to that one cause … we can’t say definitely what it is. At this point … there are still a few things that need to be looked at. Our hope is to have a definite call on (the cause) … in a couple of weeks at the longest if not this week.”
Director of Internal Operations for Oktibbeha/Starkville Emergency Response Volunteer Services Libby Thompson said volunteers are in touch with almost all the victims and have provided materials they can use during the process of getting back on their feet after the fire.
“We’ve offered (the displaced) a hotel room for three nights as well as a Walmart card and care kits for immediate needs,” Thompson said. “We’ve referred each of (those she has spoken with) to the local Palmer Home and Salvation Army stores so they can get clothing and basic furniture.”
OSERVS also provided fast food cards for each family member as well as stuffed animals for children, Thompson said.
“Not only do we respond as immediately as we find out, but we check with people several times after and refer them to the agency they want to meet with to discuss any additional needs they have,” she said.
Also responding to victims’ needs Friday was the Northeast Mississippi Red Cross, emergency response manager Cheryl Kocurek said.
“We’re still meeting with the clients and talking with them to make sure their immediate needs are being met,” Kocurek said. “We’re working with other local organizations to fulfill those needs.”
One of the displaced who lost all the contents in her apartment to the fire, Leslie Neal, has a husband and two children and is the event coordinator at the Mississippi State University Career Center. Scott Maynard, MSU Career Center director said people interested in making donations to her family can drop them off at the Career Center office in Montgomery Hall.
“Certainly as close-knit a group as we are here, we’re trying to help her at this time as she gets ready to move forward and do the things one has to do when this type tragedy happens,” Maynard said. “OSERVS has been really good. They were on the scene right away. They responded immediately, which was very comforting and very helpful.”

Read complete article at Starkville Daily News.

STEVEN NALLEY

The Greater Starkville Development Partnership will hold its annual banquet Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Mississippi State University’s Hunter Henry Center.
The theme of this year’s banquet is “Starkville: Then and Now,” and Austin Shafer, GSDP vice president of membership and the chamber of commerce, said the theme will manifest in the form of a presentation projected on three screens at the venue.
“We’re doing a great little photo montage of businesses and people from the past and present and seeing how their businesses have grown,” Shafer said. “(The theme was) chosen to show how far Starkville has come throughout even the past decade. (The presentation will) play as people are filing in and eating. It’s just a great conversation starter … a walk down memory lane.”
Shafer said GSDP President Jon Maynard will give a speech on the GSDP’s vision for Starkville’s future in 2012, and GSDP Board Chairman Steve Langston will serve as emcee. Shafer said the GSDP will present a number of unique awards at the banquet, including the Crystal Pineapple Award, given to an entity which promotes tourism through events or contributions to the community. Past Crystal Pineapple recipients include the Starkville Area Arts Council, the Mississippi Horse Park, the Mississippi State University athletic department and, most recently, the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum. Other awards include the R. Clay Simmons Exemplary Service Award, the T. E. Veitch Community Service Award, the Service to Military Award, the Steve Langston Downtown Revitalization Award, the Industry of the Year Award and Ambassador of the Year Award.

Read complete article at Starkville Daily News.

NATHAN GREGORY

Seven water associations in Oktibbeha County were listed in a report by Mississippi Public Service Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley as not having submitted their corporate bylaws to the public service commission. The deadline to have bylaws submitted is Friday at 5 p.m. Presley said all associations which fail to meet the deadline will face subpoenas.
The list includes the water associations of Adaton, Blackjack, New Light, Talking Warrior, Morill Road, Trim Cane and Longview. Adaton Water Association President Doss Brodnax said he submitted the bylaws Tuesday, and Trim Cane Water Association President Mildred Wade said she would submit them today. Morrill Road President George Bennett said his association would let Presley and the Mississippi Rural Water Association settle a disagreement on jurisdiction over when or whether the bylaws need to be sent before taking whichever action necessary.
Calls to the other water associations were not returned as of press time.
Presley said the deadline for submitting the bylaws was originally Jan. 20, but he extended the deadline because more than 90 water associations in the northern portion of the state had not sent in the necessary information.
He said the purpose for setting the deadlines and getting the bylaws was to make sure all water associations are in accordance with the Mississippi Non-Profit Corporation Act, which defines how the associations are governed.
“We’re simply conducting a review of these bylaws to make sure they’re in compliance with state law,” Presley said.
The associations have also received notification from MRWA stating they did not have to submit the bylaws, information Presley says is inaccurate.
“Mississippi Rural Water Association is 100 percent wrong, and they’re giving out lousy legal advice. What they have done is put these 90-plus associations in a legal jam,” he said. “Number one, I didn’t know (MRWA) had gotten into the legal advice business until this week. Number two, if the associations rely on this advice our next action is to seek subpoenas and go to court if need be. The question somebody needs to ask (MRWA) is why they are telling the associations not to turn over the documents. What are they so worried about?”
Bennett said Morrill Road Water Association, which only serves 13 customers and employs one person, would wait for Presley and MRWA to settle confusion over the matter before submitting information.

Read complete article at Starkville Daily News.

COLLEEN MCCARTHY

A jury ruled in favor of the city of Starkville in an eminent domain case against a local man yesterday at the Oktibbeha County Courthouse.
The city brought a case against J. Prate Montgomery Sr. to determine the amount he should be compensated for two easements on his property for the installation of a sewage line from 2006. The city initially offered Montgomery $1,808 for the easements, an offer he rejected because he said he felt the land was worth much more.
The property in question is located between Highway 25 and Bluefield Road. The city needed to give the Cornerstone Industrial Park, which borders Montgomery’s property, access to a sewer line. According to testimony from Doug Devlin, the Starkville public service director, the city looked into a number of different options so to be least invasive to Montgomery’s property as possible. The final plans were to install the line from the northwest corner to the west border of Montgomery’s property.
There were two easements in the project. The first was a temporary construction easement that was 40 feet wide across 1.01 acres, while the second is a permanent maintenance easement is 10 feet wide across a quarter of an acre. Montgomery still owns the land, but the city is allowed to come onto the property if any maintenance is needed on the sewer line.

Read complete article at Starkville Daily News.

By NATHAN GREGORY

Starkville sales tax revenues for 2011 nearly eclipsed the $5 million mark through November and are on pace to beat the city’s previous annual tax revenue record total set in 2010, according to the city’s most recent sales tax report.
November’s $473,450.02 total was 10.12 percent higher than revenues collected in November 2010 and $12,944.68 more than revenues collected in October 2011. It was the second highest monthly total of the year, only falling short of August’s total of $490,740.10. The percentage increase was also the second highest from the same month in the previous year, with May 2011 revenue totaling more than 10.56 percent more than May 2010 totals.
Total revenues from the city’s 2 percent food and beverage tax totaled $1,378,646.39 through November, meaning revenues for December would only need to reach $9,543.47 to exceed 2010 totals.
The November 2011 tally of $135,378.34 in 2 percent restaurant tax revenue was $16,667.34 higher than the previous November’s 14.04 percent increase.
Total sales tax revenues for 2011 through November reached $4,942,981.15, meaning December revenues would have to reach $374,586.96 to equal the 2010 intake of $5,317,568.11. It is the most prolific November on record since 1999.
The city collected $499,231.46 in December 2010. The average amount collected each month in 2011 is $449,361.92.
Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman said the probability of setting an annual revenue record for the second straight year is a sign of population growth in the community.

Read complete article at Starkville Daily News.