VIDEO: Starkville City Leaders Looking To Purchase 51 Acres Of Land Near Sportsplex

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- The city of Starkville is looking to expand its Sportsplex.

On Tuesday, the board of aldermen agreed to look into the possibility of purchasing 51 acres of land that sits south of the facility.

“The board authorized me to negotiate for additional park land to add to our complement of sports options for soccer, for baseball, or softball,” said Starkville Mayor Spruill.

Mayor Spruill said she wants to make Starkville a premier sports destination for tournaments and other opportunities.

If the city purchases the land, it could help them do just that, which will also result in a big economic boost for the area.

“Anytime we bring in sports tournaments for example, we’ve got one that is scheduled that may bring in 100 teams,” the mayor explained. “If you bring in that many teams you are bringing in that many families, grandparents, aunts, uncles, children, parents, and all of that increases the number of folks in the city, that brings people to our hotels, to our restaurants, and also introduces them to Starkville.”

The city has now begun negotiating with contractors to help determine exactly how the land could be used.

“We authorize Delhoff Thomas to take a look at what our options are, ” said Spruill. “They’re going to come in and give us a layout, so if we get this 51 acres, how it would lay out for particularly soccer fields, because that’s what they think it’s best designed for, and then we will take some of what is now soccer fields out this way and create more baseball and softball fields.”

If everything comes to fruition, the mayor said this expansion will be something for the entire community to enjoy.

“We want to have a joint use agreement in place for our city with our school district so that our local students and children can enjoy some of those areas that are right now not being used after school and on the weekends,” said Spruill. “I think there’s a two prone approach for us to go forward with a really good sports plan, recreational plan for our community.”

Spruill said the city will use its two percent tax revenue to help them pay for the land if they decide to purchase it.

Categories: Local News

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