Contact: Maridith Geuder
A Thursday [Feb. 26] public meeting will invite discussion on a Starkville transit feasibility study recently concluded by the Carl Small Town Center at Mississippi State.
The 6 p.m. presentation at the Greensboro Center will include the results of a recent university student survey and a cost-benefit analysis. Following the reports, comments by audience members will be sought on community transportation and quality of life issues in the community.
"We will be presenting an overview and our recommendations," said center director Kimberly Brown. "We view this information as an asset for the city as it begins long-range planning, regardless of whether public transportation is adopted."
Brown said the study includes analyses of major street and sidewalk conditions, along with traffic counts for primary roadways and feeder streets. Comprehensive documentation of building uses within the city and an examination of the city by "regions" based on physical characteristics are among other parts.
The Carl Center is the College of Architecture's research and service unit. Since the summer of 2002, staff members there have been collecting data related to the city's transportation and urban character. The student survey was conducted by MSU's Stennis Institute of Government.
"Starkville is a growing city and we believe this study can provide useful information for discussions and planning," Brown said.
In developing the report, Brown said meetings were held with a host of target groups to discuss transportation needs and potential uses for mass transit. Those represented included the business and health care communities, local housing authority, counseling services, and a range of university community groups.
"Our goal for the Thursday meeting is to stimulate conversation," Brown said. "We know that public transportation can provide benefits such as reducing parking requirements, improving a city's appearance, providing transportation alternatives for parents of young children and for the elderly, and other advantages."
In addition to the Stennis Institute and the City of Starkville, other collaborators in the project are the MSU Extension Service and Steve Murray, a consultant who has helped develop price projections for the system.
For more on the study, visit http://www.sarc.msstate.edu/smalltown/assets/index1.html. Brown may be reached at (662) 325-2202 or kbrown@coa.msstate.edu.