Discussions of how to utilize a federal planning grant for the revitalization of Itta Bena formally got under way on Tuesday afternoon.
Mayor Thelma Collins said that the $200,000 grant, awarded to the Mississippi Conference of Black Mayors (MCBM) by the EPA for the benefit of Itta Bena, puts the city “on its way to becoming a college town, a vibrant community where people can grow up and grow old.”
The meeting, an open forum for Itta Bena residents to discuss their city’s most pressing needs, was attended by about 50 people including representatives of Mississippi Valley State University, the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation and Mississippi State University’s Carl Small Town Center.
Silbrina Wright, executive director of the MCBM, said that the project aims to revitalize downtown Itta Bena by renovating and redeveloping four “catalyst sites”: a former gas station on the corner of Fitzhugh and Basket streets, a doctor’s office across the street, the city hall and a dry cleaner site on the intersection of Front and Lakeshore streets.
Wright said that depending on community feedback, up to an additional four sites in the downtown area could be incorporated into the project.
MCBM and a community advisory group made up of Itta Bena residents will function as the project’s steering committee.
Engineering firms Neel-Schaffer and SOL Engineering Services will evaluate the structural integrity of the sites. Renaissance Planning, an urban planning firm, will assess the economic feasibility of the community proposal.
The first stage of the project will require identifying and addressing environmental issues, such as lead and asbestos exposure, at each proposed site.
Dr. William Bynum, president of MVSU, indicated that certain kinds of redevelopment within the city of Itta Bena would take some pressure off the school. Current plans for an on-campus student union include a movie theater, which he said would be unnecessary if a theater came to Itta Bena.
Bynum also said there was demand for student and faculty housing in Itta Bena.
Angela Curry, speaking on behalf of the Economic Development Foundation, said small business growth should be a priority for towns of Itta Bena’s size. She added that food access continues to be a major issue for many residents and suggested that one of the sites be developed into a market.
Suggestions from community members included a mixed-use space that could host musical performances or lectures and a hotel that could hold overflow tourists when Greenwood hotels are full.
The group will hold its next meeting in April.
• Contact Nick Rogers at 581-7235 or nrogers@gwcommonwealth.com.
