Booneville, Mississippi - Carl Small Town Center

A Case Study
Assessing the
Possibilities
Booneville, Mississippi
The Small Town Center 1997
Acknowledgements
The Small Town Center
This document is the result of many hands working together.
We would like to thank the town of Booneville for their support and input
throughout the project, for this project is a reflection of the dreams and
aspirations of many. We would especially like to thank Patrick Eaton for his
unending enthusiasm and commitment to his community, he was always
ready and willing to assist us with any task. We would also like to thank
Mayor Lambert for his support and good ideas for the improvement of his
community. We would like to thank the Chamber of Commerce for its
support and ability to connect us with so many participants, special thanks
to David Powe and Tom Vanstory for their insight and leadership.
Seminar Students
Brian Bassett
Jennifer Dobson
Gabrielle Donato
Ryan Hansen
Phong Le
Ginette Lolly
Maggie Measells
Brian Wiginton
Director
The project would not be possible without the input and support of all
those who attended the round-table discussion sessions, who met with the
students and faculty in interviews, answering to surveys and giving us
constructive feedback. We would also like to thank the Downtown
Merchants, NEMCC faculty and students, the Booneville Public School
teachers and students, residents, businessmen and city and county
representatives.
Thanks to the MSU School of Architecture faculty and Beverly Meng of the
Main Street Association who participated in the round-table discussions.
We would also like to thank the Mississippi State University Office of
Research for providing matching funding. Thanks to School of
Architecture Dean John McRae for his strong support. We would like to
thank Brian Wiginton for helping to write the weekly newspaper articles
and all the for all the work that that involved in assembling the
information. Finally, we would like to thank Jennifer Dobson for her work in
assembling this document and the entire seminar class for their important
research and hard work throughout the semester.
Professor Shannon Criss
The Small Town Center is a research unit within the
School of Architecture at Mississippi State University.
For more information contact:
Small Town Center
School of Architecture
Mississippi State University
Barr Avenue, P.O. Box AQ
Mississippi State, MS 39762-5541
Tel. 601-325-2207
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2
Booneville, Mississippi
This work includes a series of newspaper
articles that we have written over the course of
the Fall 1997 semester. These articles include
ideas and observations that were made from
the Fall of 1996 through the Fall of 1997. This
collection of information serves as the final
report for the City of Booneville.
A Case Study Assessing the Possibilities
F
rom the fall of 1996 to the fall of 1997, Mississippi State University
architecture students and members of the MSU Center for Small
Town Research and Design (Small Town Center) spoke to many of you,
participated in round-table discussions, photographed and sketched
various aspects of your town and developed areas of research. In March we
made a presentation to the Rotary Club and placed the presentation in a
gallery at the Northeast Community College for a couple of months. We
then ran a series of articles describing some of the things that we
discovered and ideas that we had heard from some of you. We want you to
continue to share your opinions: are we still presenting ideas that you think
have potential and that you’d like to see the leaders of your community
pursue or ideas that you believe would never work? Your opinions and
continuous involvement in this process are essential. Planning a city is an
Whittlers on the Prentiss County Courthouse lawn.
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Market Street, est. 1900; photo courtesy of Tom Vanstory.
act of community participation and an expression of belief in its future. The
work that we are going to present attempts to show how considering the
places we live in might play a larger role in generating more choices and
better decisions for your city. While our approach is based upon examining
the physical character of your neighborhoods, physical solutions by
themselves will not solve social and economic problems. But neither can
healthy economic and social conditions be sustained without a supportive
physical environment. This work seeks to help you begin to design
solutions that:
• Generate innovative, creative options
• Fit into the community
• Build upon the positive, physical aspects of the place
• Create a physical environment that addresses economic and social
problems
• Are both functional and beautiful
We have been greatly inspired by your organization of the communitywide construction of the Children’s Park; by the establishment of a
beautification committee; by your becoming a Main Street Community;
and by the commitment of your leaders and citizens to communicate their
ideas with us. Your 1998 Program of Work is very impressive and has
addressed many of the things we had discussed in 1997. We found this
statement in a book called Planning to Stay by William Morrish and
Catherine Brown and have adapted it to you because we believe that it is a
good benchmark from which to proceed:
We, the citizens of (Booneville), have been given a great physical
legacy. The gift of our city has been built block by block, layer by layer,
for more than one hundred years by those who came before us.
Spreading outward from our downtown core--and helping to sustain
it--are homes, infrastructures, services and the diverse social fabric,
which is our commonwealth. But we recognize that our city is at a
turning point. Therefore, we declare our stewardship of this legacy
and pledge our efforts to ensure safe neighborhoods, stable schools,
affordable housing, amenable streets, resourceful development,
equitable access to goods, services, and jobs, and an integration of
the natural environment. Let our acts not diminish this gift, but leave
it greater, better, and more beautiful than it was given to us. This
ground--our common ground--is a good place to start1.
Church Street, est. 1900; photo courtesy of Tom Vanstory.
1. From William Morrish and Catherine Brown, Planning to Stay, Milkweed
Editions, (Minneapolis, 1994.) p. 118.
2. From “Points of Departure,” by Shirley Hazzard. Cited by William Least HeatMoon in Prairy Erth, Andre Deutsch Ltd, (Great Britain, 1991) p. 9.
What Have You Inherited?
Courthouse Building; photo courtesy of Tom Vanstory.
The moment comes: we intersect a history, a long existence, offering
it our fresh discovery as regeneration.2
In exploring one’s heritage, past priorities of a society are discovered
and begin to help us understand how our current perceptions and
principles have been shaped. Each of you has your own personal history
which has helped to form what we know as Booneville’s history. In
clarifying historic identity we should not be working towards identifying a
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BOONEVILLE
Map of State from1883; image courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
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sanctioned overarching history, but instead towards revealing a rich and
complex view of collected individual tales.
Finding historical artifacts of Booneville, which give us clues, has been a
great challenge. We have found a few things which we believe scratches
the surface of what may exist. We are certain that with each artifact there
are memories and stories that need to be recalled.
Artifacts Collected Thus Far
Historic photo of Market Street; photo courtesy of Tom
Vanstory.
In the beginning of our search we found that the only historical
information that the City reserves for public access is in the Northeast
Regional Library in a book entitled History of Prentiss County, Mississippi. In
it, there is a recount of Booneville’s early history, a collection of photos, and
a chronological account of events and building constructions from 1861 to
1984. We urge you to document the past thirteen years of history so that
the story may continue [Since this research began, the past fourteen years have
been documented in a book entitled Prentiss Counties Memories]. We then
pursued the possibility that old maps and photos might be stored at the
Prentiss County Courthouse, but had no luck there.
Sanborn Map of 1904; Map courtesy of Mississippi
Department of Archives and History.
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From there, we went to Mississippi State University’s Mitchell Library
and found a Sanborn map of Booneville dated 1910. The Sanborn Map
Company was an establishment in New York which documented towns
and cities across the country for insurance companies. These maps are
beautifully made with an incredible amount of detail describing buildings
and civic infrastructures. We then traveled to the Mississippi Department of
Archives and History and found three other Sanborn maps on microfiche
dating 1904, 1921, and 1943.
While at the MS Dept. of Archives & History we also found a dozen files
describing public and private historic structures: the Prentiss County
Courthouse, the old Booneville High School, First Methodist Church, First
Baptist Church, the old U.S. Post Office building, the Booneville Hardware
warehouse building, the Price Home, the Richard Berry Smith Home, the
Patrick Place and the entire exchange of letters and newspaper articles
between Mayor Murphy, the Mississippi Dept. of Archives & History and
historic archaeologist Jack Elliott (see Appendix). A discovered text (also,
Historic photo of Main Steet; photo courtesy of Tom
Vanstory.
Sanborn Map of 1910; Map courtesy of Mississippi
Department of Archives & History.
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see map on page 3) from Hometown Mississippi by James F. Brieger had an
interesting way of identifying the relation between geography, industry
and identity:
Booneville owes its existence to the building of the Mobile & Ohio
Railroad which was projected in 1948 and completed in 1858. The
town was named for Colonel Reuben Boone whose family’s names
are listed in the town’s first census. Booneville is the highest point on
the railroad and is said to have been chosen by the Indians as a
place of refuge from storms because of its protection from the
southwest by the Tippah Hills.3
As we continued our search, we discovered that Mayor Lambert has a
collection of photos and that Tom Vanstory also has a wonderful collection
Historic photo of Booneville citizen; photo courtesy of
Tom Vanstory.
Sanborn Map of 1924; Map courtesy of Mississippi
Department of Archives & HIstory.
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of black and white photos along with a blueprint of an old town plan, date
unknown.
Two Suggested Directions
First, collect and archive the found information: Adhering to the
Copyright laws, purchase copies of maps. Make photo negatives of old
photos and print new copies. We recommend that the public library keep
copies and that the Chamber of Commerce have images digitally available
for future publications.
Second, create a Booneville Heritage Week: Appoint a Town Historian
and/or Historical Committee that includes people who have an intense
interest in collecting stories, photos of the public schools, and photos of
the community college. These things could be collected by the following:
Booneville Fall Festival.
Sanborn Map of 1943; Map courtesy of Mississippi
Department of Archives & History.
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• Essay contest where children would collect stories of events from
relatives and friends of the family about the life in Booneville;
• Photography contest where past and current photographs of
landmark buildings and places would be exhibited and awarded;
• Story-telling event where those that have a story to tell would gather
with others and exchange the stories--these could be recorded and
contribute to the folklore of this place;
• Region-wide bus tour of historic Civil War sites related to the
Booneville area battles;
• Bring in a well-known historian or literary scholar to speak about
southern culture and its history;
• Series of interviews with long-time residents would be published in
newspapers;
• Tours of historic buildings, houses, cemeteries and landmarks;
• Display historically significant newspaper editions that have shaped
the local history;
• Gallery exhibit of collected historic photos and maps (each year add to
the collection).
History only exists as it can be recalled. Identify means of collecting
information, make it alive and meaningful. Develop a Folklore of your
place. Keep the search for knowledge of the past alive through many
interpretations. The “facts” may sometimes conflict, sometimes they may
align--it is this variety of views that helps give a place character.
Shaping an Identity
Your identity is inherited by its history, yet it is continually reshaped. It
is important to understand Booneville’s role in the larger regional context
of the local counties of northeast Mississippi and within the larger tri-state
region. This can be achieved by recognizing the strengths of your
institutions as well as recognizing the landscape qualities which make your
city unique. We have identified aspects of Booneville which are commonly
identified among citizens of Booneville and those from other communities.
We have illustrated these issues on the map on page nine. Does the
following list of items adequately identify the institutions you might list if
you were describing this place to a stranger?
Established and Evolving Regional Institutions
Tupelo dance club advertisement near NEMCC.
I. Northeast Mississippi Community College. This college is
established within a fairly large territory considering that the other nearby
two-year and four-year colleges are Ole Miss, MSU, MUW; as well as out-ofstate Jackson State Community College, TN, University of North Alabama
and Northwest Shoals Community College, AL. NEMCC serves an important
niche in that it gives young people the opportunity to attend school near
their home; to pursue a fine two-year degree; or to complete some basic
courses before pursuing a degree at a larger University. The college has a
clear physical presence within Booneville. Yet, the college seems a bit
detached from its community in that those we interviewed weren’t always
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Important visual landmarks form our Image of the City.
aware of events and classes that they might participate in. How can the
potential of this place as a center for cultural events and adult education
be fully realized?
2. Industry. Many people that we interviewed were very proud of the
quality and number of industries Booneville has attracted, and rightfully so.
It makes good sense that Booneville would continue to draw more industry
with its convenient location to major connecting highways. As new
industry is attracted, where will it be located? What is Booneville’s
particular niche in the larger regional context? How can the city strengthen
its support to industry and industry support civic life? Can a higher quality
of life be shared?
3. New Earth and Science Center. The facilities and curriculum of the
new Earth and Science Center will establish your community as a leader of
public education in the northeast Mississippi region. Such centers are rare
and exhibit an extraordinary commitment to a community’s future via its
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young people. It will attract young families. What will their housing,
commercial, and service needs be? Not only can this center serve the youth
enrolled there but might it also serve youth from the larger region? Your
community can serve as a leader with its model pilot program among
public educators, how can you actively shape this new identity?
4. New Agricultural Center. This new center will allow for larger
assemblies and events. Might this facility support industry, public
education and college-life activities? Are there northeast Mississippi or tristate activities that need a location? What is the role of this new center?
Arrival Points into Booneville
View traveling east on Mississippi Highway 45, a major
portion of the route to Booneville from southwest
Mississippi.
View traveling along College Street.
Example of needed highway signage.
5. Well-marked Highway 45 Arrival Point. This entry into the city is
well-marked and well-engineered. We believe that more attention could
be given to the perceived quality of this entry. In the Spring, the red clover
in the median is extraordinary. We believe that it should be more heavily
planted at this location and be developed with other types of flowers and
seasonal plantings. The concrete islands at the arrival ramps should be
redesigned with plantings to make the entry into Booneville more
memorable.
6. Potential Extraordinary College Street Arrival Point. We
discovered this poorly- identified entry into the city after visiting
Booneville a few times. It became our favorite entry into the city with the
beautiful historic College Street, a gentle turning road in the rolling
pastoral landscape. For the first-time visitor this entry into the city could
make a very favorable impression, if the visitor knew that it existed. First,
this road should be marked as a historic road leading to the Chamber of
Commerce/Tourist Center, not allowing truck thoroughfare. Second,
Booneville has a great opportunity to serve the Highway 45 tourist with
restaurants, gasoline and hotels and should seek the highway signs that
indicate these amenities. Third, this entry could also be highlighted with
median wildflowers and red clover, and the concrete islands could be
replaced with plantings.
7. Important North Entry Needs to be Developed. At this point the
speed and direction of traffic changes. This is a very significant transition
point from a higher speed highway into the local traffic roads. We see this
point as an opportunity to design plantings, lighting and civic signage
which announce the Booneville community.
8. Important South Entry Needs to be Preserved and Enhanced. We
recognized a unique condition as one passes the small lake to the east and
the rolling landscape rises to the city limits. We believe that the small lake
and the pastoral landscape should be preserved and enhanced.
9. Important East Entry Needs to be Developed. This entry into the
city seems to be a well-established one and with a little development could
be more pronounced. It is unique in that three roads come together here.
We recommend that plantings, lighting and civic signage be developed.
Consider New Connections Between Your Institutions
10. New Connecting Road. This new connecting road that is being
developed is going to significantly change the traffic flow in the city. We
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believe that this road will become a vital connection to the neighborhoods
and institutions along Third Street, as well as an alternative path to get
from the south side of town to the north side. This street has a wide street
width and has the opportunity to become a civic neighborhood boulevard
in contrast to Second Street which has a lot of traffic and activity. We
recommend that the “Third Street Boulevard” be developed with tree
plantings, perennials, sidewalks and lighting to project the city’s pride of its
place.
Il. Connecting Road Proposal. The dairy road connection has opened
up an important connection from old Highway 45 to the east side
neighborhoods. It seems that if another minor connecting road were
made, as shown on the map on page nine, new opportunities for
southeastern residential growth would be established.
I2. Proposed Eaton Public Golf Course. In the course of our work in
Booneville, Rhett Eaten has suggested that some of his land be developed
as a public golf course. This is a generous and outstanding offer the
community should rally behind. Its location and public nature would offer
the Booneville community opportunities for further established regional
identity.
Public Sectors: The Municipal Sector
Perhaps the most readily recognizable of your city’s public sectors is
your Municipal Sector. The buildings and spaces that comprise this sector
are those that house your civic facilities such as the County Courthouse,
the new 4-County Electric building, and the newly relocated Chamber of
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Brian Wiginton, a student from MSU, had taken a direction
in his research work which was a method of study and
inquiry adopting a term the speculative sector. Most cities
in the United States employ some method of dividing up
and “roping off” certain parcels of expanses of land for
specific (or at least somewhat specific) uses and purposes.
“Commercial, industrial, residential” is the developer’s
mantra. These zones as they are commonly called, serve
both to regulate the influx of businesses, factories and
homes into given areas of a city and to protect the
property rights of current occupants of said areas of a city.
Often, however, these zoning parameters are quite
arbitrary and tend to be inhibitive to a city’s growth and
maturation; facilitating zoning change is, typically, near
impossible.
Cities also divide their territory into districts which are
typically political divisions. These seem as though they
would be useful in that they allow political voice to be
distributed among several, smaller regions of a city.
Unfortunately, the boundaries of political districts are
often carefully drawn out to suit the machinations and
agendas of various and powerful institutional actors and
special interest groups. The needs of the city at large and
the communities that comprise them are rarely sought
after. The dictionary defines zone thus: “a region or area
set off or characterized as distinct from surrounding or
adjoining parts”; district is even less clear: “a territorial
division demarcated or defined for a specific purpose.” In
searching for a point of origin for the formulation of a set
of criteria as to a successful zone or district, sector is
defined: “ a subdivision of a defensive military position
assigned to a commander as an area of responsibility
bounded by established lines on the sides and rear and, in
front, extending to the mmaximum range of the weapons
of the garrison.” If we sift out the military lexicon and
rephrase, we might come up with something like this: “a
subdivided area of a city (however large or small),
assigned to or appropriated by an institution,
organization, or other civic entity, as an area of
continued from previous page...
of responsibility and proprietorship (not necessarily
ownership), allowing the....to extend into many other
areas of the community.”
In adopting this idea, it requires that each division be
placed under the jurisdiction of a person or group of
persons that will agree to maintain the area and will
initiate public activity on and/or around the area to keep
it vital and flourishing. This feature of the definition will
also give each division a kind of “knowableness”
throughout the city by allowing the citizens to give each
division a name.
The term in relation to the work in Booneville has taken
on the adjective “speculative” because discovering the
sectors of the town and speculating as to the potential
uses that could take place within them and as to the
influences that each sector’s activity might have on other
areas and regions of Booneville.
Commerce, as well as the vacant spaces in and around these buildings. The
Municipal Sector is located within the downtown area, primarily on the
northeast side of Church Street. There are two ways to think about how
this sector, or any of the sectors, can begin to promote activity within its
area and surroundings: on a day-to-day basis and on an event-basis.
(Numbers in this section refer to the map on page 11.)
Day-to-day
One sign that a city or town is thriving in terms of its citizens is the
degree of accidental meetings that occur among the townspeople. When
people use the public spaces of their town and visit businesses on a regular
basis they tend to always run into someone they know, someone they
were supposed to call last week or, someone that was ill and missed church
last Sunday. This is how you know that a city is surely a vital city. Too often
we internalize ourselves into our homes and forget the social possibilities
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of the public spaces, and rarely are we able to spend an entire day in the
streets and parks of our cities. But your city’s Municipal Sector has the
potential to start to bring back that kind of vitality to your streets. For
instance, we found that the primary reason people go into the downtown
area is to pay utility and phone bills. People might happen to see someone
they know there, but where do they go if they do so? Currently, there are
only a few places where two people that meet downtown can go to sit,
talk, have coffee, a soda, or even a snack. The park and public plaza
proposed on the northeast side of the Courthouse that Mayor Wade
Lambert has suggested [1;2] will go a long way toward providing places
where that can happen. The proposed site for the park and plaza is in a
central location near many of the utility company buildings and currently
has a healthy supply of shade trees and other greenery. Other places like
this are desirable and necessary.
Also in this area is the Old Mason’s Lodge Building [3]. We suggest
that you look at the potential for this building to house a restaurant. This
building has a prominent position within the city fabric and could have an
outdoor eating space. Passers-by who notice the atmosphere of the place
might postpone paying their phone bill for an hour or so to go in, have a
bite to eat, and have a conversation. A restaurant could also be the
beginning of a center for night life in your downtown area, especially if live
music were incorporated into an evening of great food. Booneville could
become the best place in Mississippi for live blues or jazz music on
Saturday nights. What better way to make yourselves known throughout
your region? People might even come from places like Baldwyn, Corinth,
Ripley, New Albany -even West Point, Tupelo, or Oxford.
Other outdoor spaces that have potential include:the long, open
stretch of lots across from the Department of Human Services Building [4].
This is the perfect place for a short walking path downtown along with a
children’s playground. It could even begin to connect with the park/plaza
at the courthouse.
Plans are under way to make the General Nathan Bedford Forrest
House [6] a tourist attraction. Parks and restaurants are things that people
might look for after a Civil War lesson.
People’s Park [7]. The ATM vestibule on First Street might be relocated
to the parking lot or to the drive-in lane of The People’s Bank. The
remaining island would be a great place for a small tree and a bench. With
its location at the intersection of so many streets, it would be a fun place to
sit and watch people and cars go by. Also with its location and a
memorable name like “People’s Park,” a green space could be a regular
place for people to meet each other or to pass time.
The more ways you can use your public spaces, the better. For instance,
the parking lot of The Bank of Mississippi is a great size for two half-court
basketball courts. Hoops on poles wouldn’t take up much space during
day-time parking, and a few lights is all that would be required to make this
place a bustling hang-out at night. Anyone who has a great hook shot such
as college students, nearby church youth groups, and folks from the
retirement community would no doubt enjoy a place to play some ball.
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Typical parking lot condition that could have different
uses during different times of the day, week, and year.
George E. Allen Library could be better linked to the
downtown area with sidewalks and lights, thus pulling
the town together across Second Street.
Also included within this sector is George E. Allen Library. Though it is
not contiguous with the boundary of the rest of the sector, the library is an
important social and cultural facility that must be a part of the Municipal
Sector. A few lights and a safe sidewalk along Church Street would make a
definite connection to the library[8]. Something so simple as access could
draw students doing research at the library into the downtown for a study
break or could draw parents out on errands with their children downtown
to visit the library for Storytime.
Event Basis
Boonevile Street Festival.
Although large community events happen less often than the
previously mentioned daily activities, it is still important to consider them
in developmental plans so the spaces that are created will accommodate
these events. The Municipal Sector currently is the site for the Fall Festival,
but other possibilities should be considered as well. For instance, using the
connection to the library [8] and Church Street [5], one can connect Second
Street to the newly relocated Chamber of Commerce in the Old Train
Depot Building. A seasonal or holiday parade could occur along here, as
could a community arts festival or a flea market. Also, the possible play
yard/walking path [4] could be the site of a community-wide Easter-egg
Hunt. Such meaningful events in the lives of you, the citizens, will begin to
instill a sense of pride in these spaces. People will want to see them clean,
maintained, and looking at their best.
All these suggestions and more are possible in the available spaces
within your Municipal Sector. Since this sector is already identifiable, it
would be less difficult to begin traditions or to hold community events that
other citizens will be willing to participate in. The day-to-day use of these
spaces can only make large events more special, because the best way to
make a space special for people is for it to be visited and revisited over
time. These public spaces will become a part of your memories if you just
get out and use them.
Others?
Fourth of July Parade Float
Now, what other places within this Municipal Sector are there? What
other connections can you make within the Municipal Sector and within
the city? How can you help to make this sector of your city an even more
enjoyable place to live, work, and play? What places can be used for more
than one thing? What places do you feel are wonderful places to be in the
Municipal Sector? or elsewhere? What other events can benefit from
having space within the Municipal Sector? What events can you come up
with that will bring the community to the Municipal Sector?
Public Sectors :
The Scholastic Sector
The sector that one finds upon entering your town, from the north on
Second Street, is the Scholastic Sector. Because of its location at the
entrance to Booneville, it is prominent in your minds, it is easily found by
visitors to your town, and as a location for community and regional events
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it has the potential to draw local and non-local participants alike. Both
Northeast Mississippi Community College to the east and Booneville High
School further to the west comprise the bulk of the Scholastic Sector. As
with the Municipal Sector, there are different ways to consider the impact
of this group of buildings on the livability of your city. For the Scholastic
Sector, you might break the pertinent issues into the following three
categories : Open Spaces, Enclosures, and Mobility. (Numbers in this
section refer to the map below.)
Open Spaces
One prominent spatial feature of any campus setting is the presence of
many open lawns around which various academic buildings are situated.
These vast, open fields of grass give campuses a real character. One
moment, they are completely empty; not a soul populates them, then a
class period lets out and these spaces are instantly filled with hundreds or
thousands of people rushing about, dodging bicycles hurtling past, and
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Scholastic Sector Map:
Both Northeast Mississippi Community College to the east
and Booneville High School further to the west comprise
the bulk of the Scholastic Sector.
View through lawn in from of NEMCC toward some of the
college’s residence halls.
View towards NEMCC from Second Street.
shouting to friends across campus. One such open lawn in your town, that
our study has referred many times, is the space in front of NEMCC's
residence halls [I]. There is a striking view through the campus when one
just begins to pass the first residence hall; the view slowly expands and
then contracts to hide the rest of the campus as one passes into a denser
portion of Second Street. We felt that this gradually unfolding lawn in front
of NEMCC's residence halls is a remarkable and memorable entrance to
your town and that it should be preserved and maintained as such.
Another place within the Scholastic Sector, this one more unique to
NEMCC, is the Boulevard that somewhat bisects the NEMCC campus [3]. As
the primary parking area for the campus, it becomes a bustling social hub
for the college students. No doubt, anyone within the city, has a picture of
that place in their minds. It is a memorable place within the city fabric. Why
not take advantage of its city-wide renown? Why not hold a large event
there? Through our investigation last fall, we learned of a Career Assistance
Fair that is held at NEMCC occasionally. This event could extend all along
the Boulevard with booths, information kiosks, etc. Perhaps the traffic
could even slow down for a day and the event could extend across to
directly involve Booneville High. There could be activities and information
geared towards students and those looking to change careers, while
businesses could hold periodic workshops and training sessions for current
employees in the college’s facilities. An entire day, dedicated to developing
the abilities and interests of Booneville’s citizens, could be held in this
space .
One other open space within NEMCC is the wooded area behind the
aforementioned residence halls [4]. Since most students who live on
campus often do not own cars, it is important that college campuses be
equipped with the same types of spaces that cities have. This wooded area
would make a great park for the college and while it would become special
to those students who live on campus and use it most often; it could also
be used by the entire community. Some developmental attention
including walkways, benches, tables, lights, and other possibilities would
help to open up this space quite a bit.
Many of the open-lawn types of spaces exist across Second Street at the
junior high and high school complex as well. The first that one encounters,
is the long rectangular space that runs between the school buildings and
George E. Allen Drive [5]. This space helps to unify the collection of school
buildings, but could be more effective if parallel rows of trees were planted
on the perimeter of the space. The result in a few years would be a
fabulous grove that could provide a transition from the school to the
street. This space could also be used as a place to gather booths on the
side of the street for activities such as the Activities Fair, or perhaps for a
College Fair.
The two remaining open spaces to be addressed here are the spaces on
either side of the football stadium [9 & 2]. The one farthest from Second
Street [9] appears to be a good place for crowds to go after football games.
With enough perimeter lighting, this could be a great place for postballgame parties or hang-outs. It is a safe place that is removed enough
18
from the street not to be greatly affected by its noise, as well as removed
enough from people’s homes so as not to disturb those with noise. This
open space in particular could do wonders to de-emphasize the
boundaries between the high school and the college. Even more it could
effectively emphasize the larger boundary of the Scholastic Sector.
Enclosures
The space between the stadium and Second Street [2] brings up the
discussion of enclosures. Enclosing elements along the street work two
ways: they provide a sense of privacy and boundary to spaces along the
street and they give a sense of definition to the street itself. This issue is no
more demonstrated anywhere else than the space in front of the football
stadium. It could be developed for picnic areas and outdoor play areas for
visitors to football games, to the Scholastic Sector in general, or to downtime during academic conferences held at NEMCC. This space does not
necessarily need benches and tables, it needs some kind of definite
enclosure. There needs to be a sense of refuge from the traffic and noise of
the street for people to be comfortable enough to enjoy an outdoor space.
Though it seems important to maintain some space along the street for
sidewalks and trees, it also seems important to enclose a great deal of the
space to allow many users at once. Some type of barrier, high enough to
block the view of the highway, could be installed along the perimeter of
the space. A sidewalk, with a series of trees to separate it from the curb,
could be added between the barrier and the edge of the highway. This
way, the space would have its needed barrier, and the new walkway along
the street would have a sense of enclosure as well.
The trees around the lawn in front of the junior high and high schools
[5] could inform another way to unify the Scholastic Sector. Continuing the
rows of trees across Second Street could help in making the sense of a
connection between the two campuses. Also, people may be more likely to
populate the grassy knolls and pockets of trees along the streets within the
campus if the atmosphere were right. If a series of the same type of trees
lined the streets, or if some other formal effort toward development were
made, the outdoor spaces could feel more as though they were intended
for inhabitation. For instance, if the line of trees were continued, and if the
island across from Bonner Arnold Coliseum [6] were developed into a
picnicking area, students and faculty might feel free to go and eat lunch
there on a daily basis. The goal is to bring people out to enjoy the city’s
common spaces, and a college campus is one of the best places to find
common space.
To take the street edge idea even one step further, one could imagine a
line of trees along the street [7] across from the open lawn at the entrance
to the town [I]. First of all, with perhaps some brightly flowering trees along
the side of the street, coupled with the wonderful vista through the
campus, this entrance to the Scholastic Sector and Booneville in general
would be quite a memorable experience. One might even imagine how the
threshold of the town might change with the seasons and appear many
different ways throughout the year. Secondly, if this line of trees fell into
19
place with trees along the barrier [2], and continued to line Second Street
on into town [8], the effects of this one sector would be far reaching. No
matter where one went along Second Street, their memory would recall
the Scholastic Sector.
Mobility
Typical street edge along Second Street requires
attention. Controlled curb cuts to businesses with
plantings between such cuts would make street and
businesses more attractive, projecting a better civic
image.
Intersection at the Dodge Station needs a pedestrian
crossing to link two campuses together and provide a
safer environment for students.
Trees are not the only things that could be added along Second Street.
Sidewalks could and should be installed there as well. Nothing is more
frustrating to students than not being able to get from one place to
another. One of the great things about a campus is that it is easy to walk
anywhere on the campus that one would need or wish to go. Our
investigation revealed frustrations from the college students that result
from not being able to access the city easily on foot. Despite the vehicleoriented nature of the businesses on Second Street, it seems important to
provide places where college and high school students alike can safely
walk to restaurants, convenience stores, and shops. Although it may be
impractical to install sidewalks all the way down Second Street, adding
them in to extend to businesses and facilities within a certain vicinity of the
Scholastic Sector would be both useful to students and valuable in
allowing people to experience the townscape from a new vantage point.
Along with sidewalks, of course, comes the necessity of crosswalks to
traverse the traffic-laden highway. In order for the Scholastic Sector to be
an effective place, people must be able to safely cross the street. More
importantly, the crossing must appear safe, so that people will cross with
confidence that all will be well by the time they reach the other side. The
trees and other added elements along the street might naturally slow
down traffic a bit, but the actual speed limit along that street might need
to be lowered as well. The places that we feel require a crosswalk are
annotated with numbers [10] through [13] on the map on page 15. At [I I]
and [13], students are walking to parking lots and to residence halls. This
should be recognized as an area of pedestrian traffic as much as the other
end of campus. At [10] and [12], we feel it is important that students be
able to access public amenities such as the City Park and local businesses
on foot. At each of these crossings, lighting for waiting at night and
vegetation for an added feeling of removal from the traffic while waiting
should be considered as vital components to the crosswalk as well.
Public Sectors:
The Wellness Sector and Midtown
The first two sectors that we discussed, the Municipal Sector with its
civic institutions and the Scholastic Sector as a unification of the
educational establishments at the north end of town, were readily
recognizable. The two other sections require a bit more noticing to see, but
offer just as much potential to revitalize your town and just as many
intriguing public spaces as the other two sectors that we have discussed
thus far. Between the downtown area and the college campus is an area of
20
Wellness Sector Map.
21
View of Baptist Memorial Hospital from Second Street.
Booneville that we have named Midtown. As the land that connects the
college to the downtown, it has the potential to become the center of
activity for the college and young adult age groups. Small businesses and
services like coffee shops, small diners, yogurt shops, record stores, concert
ticket outlets, and bowling alleys could start to infill the open lots and
make Midtown a bustling center of activity for the younger crowd of
Booneville. Just to the west of this is what we have called the Wellness
Sector. Surrounding the prominent Hospital is a collection of many
physician’s offices, pharmacies, and a couple of exercise facilities. The
space of this sector could become devoted to the health and well-being of
the people of Booneville. With the additions of health food stores, running
tracks, exercise paths, and restaurants that serve lighter foods, those
citizens with a mind to improve the condition of their bodies could find
amenities here. We feel that these two sectors have the potential to
activate some new experiences, could initiate some new traditions, and
could bring new kinds of city life to Booneville. The discussion will again be
broken down into a few broad issues and will refer to the numbered image
(located on page 19) for specifics. The issues are focused upon Street
Spaces, Contributed Park Spaces, Living Spaces, and Garden Spaces.
Street Spaces
Parking lot “bleeds” into road. Curbing, plantings,
sidewalks and lighting are needed to make this a more
pronounced entry into historic downtown.
The hospital could project itself as a civic leader with
some attention to maintaining the public landscape
surrounding its facilities.
One of the best ways to begin to develop the identities of these sectors
is to begin to consider how to define the street edges. Although there
must be a sense of unity among the streets of the town as a whole, certain
features can start to distinguish sectors from each other. These streets
need to be developed with lighting, small-scaled trees, and plantings
which are necessary items in having well-defined streets and in promoting
pedestrian activity along these streets. These additions offer potential for
identifying each sector; for instance, the lighting fixtures could start to
distinguish the streets that start to form boundaries around the Wellness
Sector [2] from the streets that form boundaries around Midtown [I2]. Also,
depending on the sector, the plantings could be different species of
flowers or shrubs. The sidewalks could even start to differ a bit, whether
with the paving material or with the dimensions of the sidewalk panels.
These opportunities to make an identity for each of these sectors are both
a way to resolve the disconnection of the college from the downtown area
and a way to put forth a strong public face for the sectors. There are also
spaces just off the street that warrant attention. In the Wellness Sector, the
triangular parking lot across First Street from the hospital [3] needs more
definition. Right now, the parking area bleeds into the street with no real
edge. It could use a perimeter sidewalk, a curb, and some plantings. With
its location in the Wellness Sector, it could make a good start and finish line
for an annual five-kilometer race. Having the streets lined with people
watching northeast Mississippi’s (and maybe even northwest Alabama’s
and western Tennessee’s) finest athletes dashing by is a great way to
initiate use of this Wellness Sector by people from all over the southeast
region. Across Washington Street from the hospital is another parking lot
that offers potential for public space. It could feel more like a plaza space if
22
sidewalks, lighting, and plantings were inserted to give it a sense of
enclosure. The trees to the north of the lot make a nice, shaded space for
outdoor exercise stations or for picnic tables. Also, part of the lot could be
set aside for a volleyball or basketball court during off-hours, following
through with the proposed Wellness Sector’s commitment to the health
and fitness of Booneville’s citizens.
Contributed Park Spaces
When public space is hard to come by, it is sometimes necessary for
businesses, industries, institutions, and even citizens to combine portions
of their lands to enhance public city life. There are several spaces within
Midtown and within the Wellness Sector that we have demarcated, but are
not currently seen as public spaces. We feel, however, that common green
spaces within a denser block of houses [5,6,7] is good and healthy for the
public social lives of the surrounding residents, whether they be mostly
college students or not. People would have a chance to go out on a nice
day and pitch baseball or throw a frisbee, while meeting and spending
time with their neighbors. Plus, if groups of people have public places to
enjoy, they are more likely to maintain, protect, and take pride in them. The
space across Adams Street from the T-Shirt Factory [4] is a good model for
space that is maintained by a few people for the good of the public. The
tall trees provide shade and the picnic tables allow people to occupy the
place while they are on a coffee break. Other such gestures of good will
from businesses, industries, and institutions will make Booneville feel like a
more pleasant place to live. One other space is just to the southeast of the
church, amongst a few houses on First Street [8]. This could be a more
serene, quiet space with meandering walking paths and places to sit in the
shade and breeze. In addition to a sense of pride in doing something for
the entire town, the public nature of the spaces will give exposure to the
businesses and other institutions that care for and maintain these spaces.
Living Spaces
Midtown has the potential to become a wonderful and much-desired
neighborhood. The area in the northwest quarter of the sector [9] has
qualities that should be sought after in a good neighborhood. The houses
are densely located, are close to the street, and have a good amount of
trees and other vegetation. The less dense nature of the remainder of the
neighborhood, however, leaves the opportunity for small, locally owned
facilities that could be primarily pedestrian-focused. Things like cafes,
yogurt shops, or baseball card stores could bring a new sense of life into
these neighborhoods without disturbing the small scale, residential
character. With such proximity to the college, it would be a wonderful
service to the college community -and to the profit margins of your
businesses- to encourage more small, college-age oriented businesses
within this sector so that they can more easily be accessed on foot. Also,
Midtown offers space for new construction of college housing. The
northeastern corner of Midtown [10] could be a prime location for dense
student housing. Our investigations revealed that good-quality, offcampus, student housing was in demand on the part of NEMCC students.
23
There is no place to safely walk along this street,
sidewalks are needed to promote exercise and children’s
play.
THis older house in the Midtown Sector and others like it
would make excellent rental houses for college strudents
and recent college graduates.
Another dimension to Midtown that offers potential for improving the
identity of this sector is the collection of historic buildings throughout it.
The ones located near [14] are examples of older homes that are in good
shape and that are well-maintained. There could be local tax incentives
that can be acquired through re-establishing the character of these homes
to their historic status by determining whether or not there are enough
historic homes in the vicinity to establish a historic district. The
juxtaposition of college student housing, small businesses, and wonderful
historic homes -as well as developing the streets with sidewalks, lights, and
vegetation- will make Midtown a unique and desirable place to be and will
make it accessible to many in the community.
Garden Spaces
There are two spaces on the fringes of the Midtown and Wellness
Sectors that have been undeveloped due to the potential for flooding
there. One is on the very north edge of Midtown [11], and the other is on
the very west edge of the Wellness Sector [13]. This could be cleaned up
somewhat and maintained as a garden-like setting; perhaps some flowers
and flowering trees could be added for some color. With some walkways,
[11] could become a great walking route to campus and [13] could become
a garden-park for walkers. The two might even be linked by a traffic light
and crosswalk. To really get the most out of it, the college might even
begin to use these gardens for agricultural courses, and they could even
begin a botany program. This way, students could maintain the garden for
the rest of the town, get hands-on experience in their educations, and have
a beautiful place to walk through on the way to school.
Public Sectors:
The Church Street Merchants
Attractive west side neighborhood sidewalk and
plantings, this is clearly an exemplary model. A
community’s sense of care and commitment to
community life can be clearly identified through the
maintenance of its sidewalks.
Economic vitality in any town is dependent on successful shopping
areas. As places that people go to spend their days and spend their money,
shopping areas must be enjoyable places to be. They must offer places to
sit, rest, eat, and talk; they must offer a variety of goods and services that
are in demand; and they must offer unique and memorable experiences
that bring people back time and again. There are a number of shopping
sectors around Booneville that we discovered that have potential to
become more delightful places to shop, meet people, and walk around.
The first of these that we will focus on is the sector entitled Church Street
Merchants. It consists primarily of the businesses that line Church Street,
beginning at the new Chamber of Commerce Headquarters in the old train
depot building. The categories that we will address are Thresholds & Edges,
Connections & Orientation, and Re-addressing Wal-Mart. (Numbers in this
section refer to the map on page 23.)
Thresholds & Edges
The transition from the downtown area to the Church Street Merchants
is an important one. There should be a clear sense that one is passing into
a different type of environment. The most desirable and most sensible
place to make that statement of transition seems to be at the new
24
Church Street Merchants should identify desireable
characteristics for their physical environment and work
towards a unified shopping district.
Chamber of Commerce headquarters. We recommend that a public green
space be developed around the new Chamber, with trees, paving,
vegetation, and lighting [I]. There could also perhaps be a sign reading
“Welcome to the Church Street Merchants.” At the other end of the sector,
the intersection of Church and Lake Streets [7] seems to be important to
the infrastructure of the town. We feel that this is a good location for some
type of marked boundary to the Church Street Merchants. Perhaps a paved
island with a tree, some flowers, and good lighting could signal the
passage into yet another of Booneville’s civic sectors. This might also
become a good location for a public mailbox, a newspaper vendor, or a
place to post notice of community events. Along the entire street itself [4],
we have noticed how all the parking lots at all the businesses bleed into
the street without any clear definition of the street edge. By adding in
sidewalks, curbs & curb cuts, lighting, and trees & plantings, merchants
could promote patronage of their establishments by pedestrians as well as
by motorists. Also, the ways in which merchants begin to better define the
edges of their streets yields opportunities to formulate a cohesive identity
for themselves. This could begin to increase exposure and increase the
value of the locations of their goods and services to the community at
large.
Arrival into downtown along Church Street needs street
definition , lighting, plantings and general visual
improvements.
Connections & Orientation
When entering the downtown area from the Church Street Merchants,
the view of the Courthouse is very prominent [2]. This park area could
enhance the entry into the downtown area as well by properly framing the
view one has of the Courthouse and the rest of the downtown cityscape.
With some spotlighting on the Courthouse at night, the presence of this
building, which is important to Booneville’s identity, might be even more
pronounced. The traffic light at the point where Church Street turns to join
the skewed grid of the downtown area [3] needs attention. For visitors to
Booneville, it is difficult to quickly determine which signal refers to which
course of travel. City officials need to re-address this traffic light to make it
less confusing for first-time visitors to Booneville. Also, because this
intersection is across from the new Chamber of Commerce, it could be
25
Street edges along Church Street are ill-defined, the street
feels abandoned and in disrepair.
embellished a bit with seasonal plantings or tinted lighting to further
signal the passage from one sector to another. Another important
intersection is where King Street crosses Church [6]. King Street has
sidewalks on both sides of the street, both before and after it crosses
Church Street. A safe crosswalk seems desirable here, as does plantings,
lighting, and even another public mailbox or an ATM vestibule.
Re-addressing Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart building needs to be readressed for its potential
to once again contribute positively to sense of
neighborhood.
Church Street Merchants
Re-addressing Wal-Mart is common in many small towns, Wal-Mart
once held a strong presence in a particular area of Booneville. Also
common, however, is the often-unused shell that Wal-Mart leaves behind
when it moves to a new location. Now that this has happened to the old
Wal-Mart building on Church Street, new buildings and businesses
struggle to remake the place into their own identity and establish a strong
presence on their own terms. The large parking lots in front only separate
businesses from the street and from potential customers since few
enterprises can fill that parking lot as well as Wal-Mart can. We recommend
that the owner(s) of this property, along with the surrounding merchants,
consider Re-addressing the use of this building and the land in front of it to
the street. By building new, smaller, commercial buildings near the street,
Church Street will have a stronger edge and a chance to begin to reshape
the identity of Church Street Merchants for the good of all businesses
located there. With less open asphalt and more businesses, the remaining
parking area will look more filled up with fewer cars, thus causing the area
to look more alive and vital. The proximity of new buildings to the street
26
will also help to encourage pedestrian travel to the area. Potentially, new
restaurants, ice-cream or yogurt shops, bowling alleys, or movie theaters
could bring both dollars and a sense of renewed life to this area
throughout the day and evening hours alike.
Public Sectors:
The Second Street Merchants
The mid-town shopping district along Second Street directly serves an
important group of people, Northeast Mississippi Community College
students. The shops along this street also serve others, but as the
commerce moves north towards the new Wal-Mart and the new by-pass
connection, this part of town may decline in attracting new business. It is
critical that this district of shopping remain vital as it is physically near your
major institutions; older, established neighborhoods; and the historic
downtown. This shopping area is how the first-time visitor will be
influenced of the identity of the civic character of your city. This section of
town is heavily traveled and used by the long-term resident. We believe
that if a group of citizens and merchants were to focus on improving this
area, it has the potential to become a more pleasant place to shop and
meet people as well as exhibit the city’s pride of place. We will call this area
the Second Street Merchants District. The categories that we will address
are Re-address College Identity, Thresholds and Edges, and Connections
and Orientation. (Numbers in this section refer to the map above.)
Re-address College Identity
The identity of a college shopping district is typically distinct and
memorable in college towns. Also, such a district is usually within walking
distance to the campus. Typically, such districts offer the college students
an area with which they can identify with. This district is also supportive to
their daily and recreational needs, it is a place that they feel comfortable in
for it is their identified territory. This past fall, Ryan Hansen, an MSU student
27
Second Street Merchant’s businesses, many of which are
supportive to college students’ needs.
View down Secon Street showing #7, #8, and #9: Shell Gas
Station, Subway, and Waffle Shoppe. Could thes
businesses work together to better provide hang-out
space that is sage and fun for college strudents, while
maintaining good relationships with other customers
from Booneville?
Better street definition is needed along Second Street.
part of the case-study team, interviewed many NEMCC students and many
of the merchants along Second Street to determine if the students felt that
they had an identifiable district and what shops would be included within
such a district [K]. The following list identifies the businesses (see map on
page 27):
1. New Release Video
2. 3’s Company Beauty Salon
3. Physique World Fitness
4. Sunflower Grocery
5. Brad’s Bargain Tire and Appliance
6. Freds
7. Shell Gas Station
8. Subway
9. Waffle Shop
10. Pawn Shop
11. Post Office
12. Kentucky Fried Chicken
13. Head Quarters
14. Factory Connection
15. Movie Gallery
16. Loan Office
17. Pizza Hut
18. Tan and Tone
19. Hungry Larry’s
20. Hungry Fun Video Arcade
21. Home and Auto
22. Coast to Coast
23. Down’s Discount Video
24. Booneville Shoe Store
25. Clothes Closet
26. Booneville Discount Drugs
27. City Finance
28. Chiropractor
29. Dollar World
We believe that a few things might be considered. Would these shops
associate themselves as supporting the college students frequently? Could
such a boundary be drawn? As we reviewed the hours of operation for
each of these shops, they varied greatly. Would these shops benefit from a
coordinated schedule so that students could rely upon certain hours to do
their business (as well as anyone interested in shopping in this district)?
We believe that this district should develop a stronger identity—that
one should have a clear sense that one is passing into a student district. We
recommend that Second Street develop clearer curb edges and definite
driveway access; that trees and vegetation be planted within a five foot
zone on either side of the road; that pedestrian sidewalks and bicycle paths
be developed; and that appropriate street lighting be developed so that
safe night time pedestrian use can be considered. As we had indicated in
an earlier newspaper article, we recommend that a pedestrian walkway be
developed at a midway position [G]. We believe that a very nice green
space already exists at the church as shown [J], this might serve as a model
for how the green spaces should be made; or at least aspire to providing
grass and large trees. If the students could identify with this area and be
28
able to access it on foot or on bike, we believe that the students would find
this community to be more supportive to their brief residence and the
merchants would benefit from the students’ business. Banners along
Second Street placed on the light poles could be made to announce
student performing arts and athletic events. Seeking businesses and
entertainment that the students desire and inserting such businesses
within this district would enrich and enliven the area.
Thresholds and Edges
At the north end of the Second Street Merchants District, the transition
from the Uptown Commercial development (the new Wal-Mart and
associated businesses) to the established shopping district is made distinct
by the large, community college green lawn.[A] The District could have a
stronger identity if it were felt to be a different kind of shopping district,
promoting pedestrian use and developing guidelines to beautify the street
edge. There needs to be a pedestrian crosswalk at the George E. Allen Road
intersection so that the students may safely cross Second Street as the
college students often go to Dodge Station to study. A crosswalk would
encourage students to exercise with walking or biking to the City Park
while also encouraging neighborhood residents to walk and exercise on
the campus.
As one is traveling by car and passes through this intersection the
landscape changes, the hill declines and a long vista is presented.
Currently, the view offers one a sea of asphalt and undefined street edges.
By reconsidering the street edges with curbs, plantings and defined access
the quality of the street will be improved and so will the image of the
business.
At the south end of what we are referring to as the Second Street
Merchants District [F], we believe that this general area [I] and specifically
the intersection should be reconsidered. The transition from the general
“commercial strip” should be broken so that there is a clear sense that one
is passing into a different type of environment. As of now, for the first-time
visitor, the only indication that the historic downtown exists is through a
very small green transportation sign. It is difficult to see and easily missed.
It seems critical that this area be re-made with plantings, defined curbs and
clear curb cuts. As one approaches the Second Street Merchants District
from the south it should be obvious that there is a transition and a
threshold into the downtown area. There could be a large well-crafted sign
installed which would read “Welcome to Historic Downtown Booneville”
indicating entrance into the city at both the Church Street and College
Street intersections.
Connection & Orientation
Not only would we advise that the north end be developed with
pedestrian crosswalks, but there are also other intersections which could
benefit from cross connections. At the Adams Street intersection [C] there
are a couple of industries and businesses which draw many people during
the day business hours. If sidewalks and access across Second Street were
29
Students often study in the Waffle House and the Dodge
Station
established, the employees of the businesses could more easily eat lunch
and conduct business during lunch hours.
As one passes through this area and looks up at the hospital on the left
a long view is established. The hospital has a strong physical presence and
its relationship to the street should further be developed with plantings
and clearly defined access at the Washington Street intersection [D].
Washington Street connects the west side residential neighborhoods with
the hospital and downtown with sidewalks on either side of Second Street.
Church Street connects the Retirement Catered-Living Housing to the
Public Library to the Historic Downtown. This intersection should be
studied and understood as an important Civic Connection. A crosswalk
here would be recommended to encourage pedestrian traffic. Both
intersections should be evaluated and developed with trees, plantings,
curbs and sidewalks to reveal its significant connection to the downtown.
With spotlighting on the green lawns of the hospital, the library and its
adjacent vegetation, the image and qualities of the city would be more
pronounced. It is important that this area be planned with clear intentions
and that positive landscape features be enhanced while the commercial
clutter be downplayed. New businesses (ice cream, bakery, outdoor
eateries, laundry, used books, card shops, etc.) which would support
pedestrian traffic and local neighborhood interests, residents and college
students alike, should be encouraged to bring a new distinct character to
this area.
Public Sectors:
The Historic Downtown District
The Downtown Merchants brought to our attention that
parking was a problem.
We have now completed the circuit of merchant districts and have
arrived at the historic downtown district. As you know, we looked at a
section of this area of town as a municipal sector, however, most of the
services that support the courthouse are located near the courthouse,
while the southern central portion of the downtown provides commercial
activity. Not only have the merchants expressed their concerns to us, but
we would also make clear our concerns for the community-at-large, the
buildings and character of the geography and street layout are unique and
appear under-valued. We believe that there is tremendous potential in the
development of this part of town and that there are issues that need to be
addressed, missed opportunities that need to be identified, and steps to be
taken. The subject that is most discussed among the Downtown Merchants
is in regards to parking. The discussion will be divided into a few broad
issues and will refer to the numbered image (located on the facing page)
for specifics. The issues are focused upon Pedestrians as a Priority and the
Streetscape and Distribution of Parking.
Pedestrians as a Priority and the Streetscape
This historic district, like all towns built at this time, has a wonderful
quality that was a result of technology and a social way of life. The
proximity of the buildings makes it easy for a person to walk from one
business to another, to run into friends on the street, to be able to window
30
shop, to enjoy the seasonal changes, and to know that others have been
doing this over one-hundred years. Where else in contemporary society is
it possible to find the potential for such a pleasure? Many communities
have capitalized on this aspect and have profited from these unique
experiences that pedestrian traffic and public streets offer. But, to truly
make this place a desirable commodity several steps must be taken. First,
the four major intersections (1, 2, 3, and 4) must be revised. A pedestrian
must be offered certain cues that the cars will stop and that the sidewalks
and crossings are comfortable and accommodating.
The traffic light signals need to be carefully evaluated and brought up
to required standards of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices to
make walking across the street safe, according to Jim Epps at MSU (who
visited Booneville in April, see Appendix). As you can see on the drawing,
we believe that certain corner and mid-block locations should extend into
the street to create an extended “peninsula” to allow the pedestrian to be
able to see oncoming traffic better. By defining the corners, cars will not be
able to park obliterating the view of oncoming traffic. This extended
“peninsula” also shortens the distance that the pedestrian must cross
31
Curbs must be made accessible and safe.
It is very difficult for those who park along College Street
to access the sidewalks to shop at the corner drug store.
Ill-defined street edge along College Street makes path
for pedestrians treacherous.
traffic; the path should be obviously marked with yellow paint or with brick
pavers.
Most downtown sidewalks do not meet the Americans with Disabilities
Act requirements, and they need to be brought up to meet these
standards. The extended “peninsula” might also allow more room to
negotiate the slope requirements to make the sidewalks accessible. These
corner extensions would also allow a designer to introduce attractive
paving materials and plantings. Pedestrians who are shopping in the
downtown area usually walk on Market Street and Main Street; the parking
on these two streets should be reserved for only customers in order to
encourage shopping. Signs should be installed that would state this.
However, the current connections to parking and the parking lots
themselves need improvement. Access to parking should be clearly
defined (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 13).
All sidewalks should be improved upon as the joints in the pathway are
sometimes treacherous and the curb cuts are mostly non-existent. Street
lighting should be evaluated and designed to make a better night time
environment. Among the most important for improving the light fixture
quality has to do with the height of the lamps and their color. A light
fixture bracket could be installed on existing electrical poles and buildings.
Many towns are adding planted baskets and banners to the poles, this
adds life and color to the streets as well as provides an ability to announce
your important public events. It is important to consider the extent to
which the sidewalks should be extended outside the boundaries of the
downtown. As a priority, we recommend that the sidewalks of Main,
Market, Church, and College Streets at the hearts of the area should be
improved first. Then, as a second priority, the streets which connect to
other important buildings and areas outside the central district should be
developed. The Church Street extension to the Old Depot Building (10)
seems to be a prominent and important connection not only for
Arrival into downtown over bridge has such potential to
be an attractive arrival into the downtown area. It needs
some maintenance, lighting, plantings, etc.
32
pedestrians but also for arriving vehicular traffic from the east. The Market
Street extension over the bridge (11) seems significant as a dramatic
welcome into the city for arriving traffic from the east. The First Street
extension to the Wellness Sector (12) seems important to encourage
walkers to walk with ease to the downtown.
Distribution of Parking
In attempting to understand the problems with the current parking
situations, we counted all of the parking spaces in the heart of the
downtown. We believe that a special committee should be established and
its task would be to reconsider the layout and use of each peripheral
parking area. With careful consideration, it is believed that these parking
locations could be better utilized. With controlled crosswalks, better
accessibility and a more pleasant passage from the parking to the
businesses, we believe that it will become more desirable for employees
and merchants to park in peripheral parking areas. We have begun to
assess the issue, we have counted the number of parking spaces within six
designated zones:
Zone F
Street &
Immediate Parking
Remote Parking
10 spaces
42 spaces
37 spaces
6 spaces
26 spaces
45 spaces
34 spaces
0 spaces
11 spaces
27 spaces
(+ Joy Langston’s property has 15 spaces)
35 spaces
59 spaces
TOTAL
152 spaces
Zone A
Zone B
Zone C
Zone D
Zone E
Joy Langston’s parking area.
194 spaces
TOTAL PARKING SPACES IN THE DOWNTOWN: 346 spaces
We recommend that property owners and merchants in each of the
zones meet to discuss their needs based on the number of employees and
customers each day to establish a strategy to address the parking.
Also, note currently trash is collected and maintained individually in adhoc ways. We recommend that property owners and merchants in each of
the zones meet to discuss their needs and establish a strategy to
coordinate an organized location(s). We believe that small dumpsters
could be shared, located and visually screened within the Public Pathways
and Pocket Parks.
Public Sectors:
What if your Downtown
Were Reconsidered?
If the City of Booneville is going to reclaim its downtown, creative
suggestions and partnerships are necessary. It is important that business
persons consider locating commercial (might even consider mail-order
businesses) and entertainment businesses downtown. The City and the
33
Improve alleyways to be Public Pathways to encourage
back lot parking and easy access.
This alley has the potential to be a connecting point
between two streets. The space is also wide enough to
allow for a mural to be painted on the wall expressing the
history of Booneville.
Church Street arrival is pleasant with large canopy trees.
City should develop sidewalks, lighting and plantings at
downtown corner to give the sense that one has arrived.
It is confusing as to where one should drive to find the
downtown commerces.
County must recognize that the number of employees in the downtown
businesses is of a number that is comparable to any new industry that you
might bring to town. The employed bring in tax revenues and it is worth
investing in the infrastructure of the downtown to keep and expand the
number of these employees. We recommend that the downtown activities
and new facilities not be solely commercial based and that the general
public realm, the common ground, be recognized as significant to
establishing Booneville as a unique and fostering environment for its
youth, its young families, its retirement community and to the first-time
and returning visitor. Please consider the following:
The historic downtown area is distinctly separated by the 45 degree
grid shift. This is a unique feature that is both engaging and disorientating.
As a result, the downtown area is not integral to the overall city street
layout structure and in fact, we believe, inhabits the territory defined on
the map below. What if College Street and Church Street were made not
only to be functionally significant connecting streets but also be
aesthetically improved and brought up in character to influence public
impression from each entry? The boundaries of the downtown show that
the presence of the downtown area needs to extend to Second Street and
over the railroad tracks so that it can be felt connected to the major
thoroughfares. (Right now, while traveling on Second Street it is easy to
miss the little green sign that indicates where the downtown is.) These
entry points should be made more visible by designing a distinct edge to
the roads with prominent curbing and paving materials, by placing
vegetation, improving traffic signals and signage and improving the nightlighting.
34
What if the area along the railroad tracks were re-considered as a
developed park green with vegetation, night-lighting and a bike trail?
Since the Chamber of Commerce has moved to the old depot building, this
entire area could be developed. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s (N.B.F.) historic
house can be made into an attractive and instructive artifact establishing
Booneville’s connection to the history of the Civil War.
W h a t i f the old jail building in front of the City Hall were
removed/relocated and a green park space were developed connecting
the Courthouse to the City Hall? This would improve the appearance and
image of your civic institutions. The sidewalk that connects the two
institutions could be improved and made handicap accessible. Parking and
lawns could be re-designed. This would improve the north arrival point
into the downtown area and generally establish a more meaningful
identity to the downtown area.
What if the church property along First Street were improved with
vegetation, city benches, and an improved sidewalk? Your downtown
needs more park benches like the one next to the Hardware Store. This
would provide an important edge to the downtown. What if the
connection from the Church parking lot to the businesses were improved
to encourage employees to park in the Church parking lot during business
hours?
What if the Peoples Bank were to reconfigure or relocate the William
Teller machine and designate the triangle park as People’s Park? The
downtown area very much needs a center where the Fall Festival and other
events can naturally occur, i.e., a Christmas tree and Santa’s house, Fourth
of July band stand, etc. This park could be a much needed, beautifully
vegetated and shady spot in the heart of downtown. See the photograph
of the “park” during last year’s Fall Festival.
What if private property owners, civic organizations and the city were
to be partners in painting and maintaining large trees and plantings
throughout the downtown area?
What if one of the buildings downtown were purchased to house a
social community room for boy scouts/girl scouts, civic organizations and
the retirement community to meet? By providing an attractive space in the
downtown for public use, the public would, over time, become more
aware of the downtown and its role as an essential center to the city;
children would grow up using it and identifying this part of the town as the
most publicly supportive and historically significant place—in effect,
essential to the city.
What if the deteriorating building and its adjacent empty lot on Market
Street were either restored or completely re-made? Right now it is a sad
reminder of the state of your downtown. In many towns buildings are not
allowed to remain in such a condition. We believe that this area must be
rebuilt with another building, the downtown needs to be full; to leave the
lot empty will be like a missing tooth from a pleasant smile.
What if alleyways were reconsidered as “Pathways and Pocket Parks”
for people to walk through and inhabit during festivals and daily use!
These spaces are potentially wonderful public spaces and would need very
35
Wonderful public bench serves as a model for other
benches that could be located in the Downtown area.
Maintain sidewalks and improve Courthouse Green.
Improve Public Pathways as these spaces have potential
for unique character.
This potential Public Pathway is on axis with the
Courthouse, this could become a significant feature in the
downtown. This alley could become known as
“courthouse alley”.
Restore or remove building and replace with a new
building in keeping with other buildings.
View towards potential Pocket Park on at end of
Courthouse Alley, this would make a great place for
outdoor cafe.
Imagine an outdoor theatre and courtyard here adjacent
to a sandwich/coffee shop looking towards Courthouse
Alley.
Potentially wonderful mezzanine is trapped above a
ceiling. Second floor spaces in downtown would add
more life to the downtown.
little to improve them and make them more habitable: paving, street
lights, trellis walls to sponsor flowering vines, planned and maintained
shared dumpsters and encourage eateries, antiques and galleries to be
accessed from the alley way as well as from the public streets. With natural
plantings as shown in the photograph, these alleyways could be very
charming. Notice how the alleyway lines up with the Courthouse in the
photo—name it “Courthouse Alley”. This alleyway could be a significant
part of the downtown with new paving and greenery. What if the site of
the burned Princess theater were developed into “Princess Park”? What if
the alleyway behind the hardware store were improved to provide a good
walking space from the parking area to the public streets? What if the
alleyways behind People’s Bank were developed?
What if second floor spaces could be made into rentable housing or
office spaces? In many towns in Mississippi and across the country, young
professionals are very interested in upscale second floor condominiums.
We found fifteen buildings in the historic district that have second floors
which might be converted into useable space. Capitalizing on these spaces
would bring night life to the downtown and increase the appearance of
the building facades. Right now, many of these windows are neglected
with lack of maintenance which speaks to the general appearance of the
downtown.
What If housing for a retirement community were located in the
downtown area, perhaps in the multi-story Marshall Dickerson’s building?
(visit West Point sometime, this town has done this and has been
enormously successful). This type of activity in the downtown would
sponsor more activity at all hours of the day and night, if a retirement
community were located in the downtown other services would
potentially develop to support the people living there, i.e., gift shops,
coffee shops, restaurants, etc.
What if mailboxes and federal express boxes were installed along the
“green edge” next to the downtown bridge (see map on page 32). People
could conveniently drop off packages along their route to work or home.
Thinking of ways to accommodate people and attract them to downtown
might encourage people to use your downtown.
What if a Wellness Center, a YMCA or a Youth Center were located
downtown? (see public building on the map) Locating such a civic amenity
in the downtown would serve a need and might promote activity and
other businesses. We interviewed the junior high and high school students
and found that they desire such a facility to spend some of their spare time
and meet others. We also interviewed many from the retiring community
which desire a facility for exercise and activities. One facility could be
constructed to accommodate many people’s needs.
Historic Downtown
For months, we have been collecting historic survey information to
determine which of the downtown buildings will or will not conform (c:
36
37
conform; nc: non-conforming) to the standards established by the US
Department of the Interior, National Park Service. We have been doing this
in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Each building was surveyed and documented through photography,
your memories, and historical research. The data collected was prepared
into a historical inventory document that is a ‘preservation plan’ to help
your town identify the historic, cultural, aesthetic, and visual relationships
that unify and define your central downtown district. The preservation plan
will help define specific ways to maintain and enhance the positive
character of the area, identify legal and financial tools, such as easements,
tax incentives, historic preservation commission, preservation ordinances,
zoning and revolving funds. These tools will aid in the conservation of
historic resources, and present design standards for new construction and
for the enhancement of environmental amenities. Your Downtown Historic
District is composed of forty-eight buildings, primarily commercial with
some government buildings, that encompass the Main Street of your
downtown area. Thirty-two of the forty-eight buildings contribute to the
architectural and historical character of your downtown district. These
buildings guide the ‘preservation plan’ document in statements on your
downtown districts’ historical significance. As a result of our research, a
historical commission was founded to establish policies, procedures and
strategies for maintaining and enhancing the district, your mayor has
dedicated tax incentives to downtown building property owners for
improvement to your properties, and the nomination for your Downtown
Historic District National Registration Document has been turned into the
An overall view of Main Street in the Downtown District.
An overall view of College Street in the Downtown
District.
Example of the Downtown Booneville’s Historical
Inventory Document.
State of Mississippi
Department of Archives and History
P.O. Box 571
Jackson, MS 39205
1.a. Property name, historic
HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY
Booneville Hardware
b. Property name, common
MISSISSIPPI HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY
Page 2
14. MDAH Inventory Code
30. Architectural or historical importance, if any
Booneville Hardware
15. County
2. Property address / descriptive location
Prentiss
Originally, this building housed the construction of wagons at the second floor and used its elevator to ship them out. The building burned
in 1900 and was rebuilt in 1902. The building to the northeast, property number 124, formerly belonged to the Hardware Store; now it is a
separate property.
16. City or town
112 South Main Street
Booneville
[ ] vicinity of
17. Was interior surveyed?
18. Survey seq. no.
no. 35
no
3. Legal description (and acreage, if required; see instructions)
Section 9, Town 5S, Range 7E, Map #06-02-10
A.P.= 1-19
Lot 122
4. Former / historic use(s)
commerce/ specialty store
6. Significant persons, events, or themes
associated with property
7. Date(s) of association with significant persons,
events, or themes
unknown
unknown
circa 1902
9. Date(s) of historic changes, if any
[ ] moved
[ ] enlarged / altered
11. Builder / contractor
10. Architect
20. USGS quadrangle
map
NE/4 Booneville 15’ Quadrangle
31. Historical or thematic context(s), if applicable
35. Owner’s name and address (see instructions)
Booneville Hardware Company
Booneville, MS 38829
[ ] attributed
[ ] documented
32. Additional remarks or continuation of other sections
21. UTM reference (if required; see instructions)
22. Condition
[X]excellent
[ ]good
[ ]fair
[ ]deteriorated
36. Photographer or photo source
James Martin
[ ]ruins
[ ]no visible remains
[ ]incorporated into later
structure
37. Photo roll and frame number(s)
38. Photo date
11/11/96
23. Post-historic changes and dates
unknown
unknown
[ ]documented
[ ]city
[ ]quasi-public agency
[ ]non-profit organization
[x]private
5. Present use
Hardware Store
8. Date of construction
[x ] estimated
[ ] documented
19. Ownership
[ ]federal
[ ]state
[ ]county
replaced cloth awning, maintains historic character
33. Sources of information
Sanborn maps of Booneville, MS 1910: Mitchell Library @ MSU
[ ]attributed
12. Brief description
24. Principle materials
Three story brick building contains one of Booneville’s oldest businesses. It has four
brick pilasters that extend up about one-and-a-half stories and divide that portion of
the facade into three equal parts. Smaller cast iron pilasters are set just inside the
end pilasters, while each of the two pilasters has iron pilasters on either side. The
entrance is recessed between the two middle pilasters, in the central bay. It consists
of two doors with splayed walls on either side. A set of two large display windows
are on either side of the entrance bay. The second floor of the facade consists of
three symmetrically spaced sets of one-over-one double hung windows inside semicircular arched reveals. The third floor of the facade consists of five symmetrically
spaced two-over-two double hung windows, set in segmentally arched openings.
continuous brick foundation
brick walls
roof unknown
39. Inventory form completed by:
(Name and organization)
Sanborn maps of Booneville, MS 1904, 1924, 1943: MS Department of Archives and
History Microfiche, Jackson, MS
James Martin, Brian Wiginton, Jennifer Dobson
(Assisted by Shannon Criss)
MSU School of Architecture
Center for Small Town Research & Design
Prentiss County Tax Assessor’s property cards
40. Survey project name
Booneville Survey
25. Architectural character or style
early 20th century commercial vernacular
THIS SECTION FOR MDAH USE ONLY
26. Category
41. Date form completed
34. Sketch of site plan. (Include north arrow; show outline of building shape and locations of outbuildings)
14 May, 1998
THIS SECTION FOR MDAH USE ONLY
42. Other information in HPD files
13. Outbuildings or secondary elements (if significant, use separate form)
none
Attach photograph here
27. Functional type
28. Registration status and dates
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
[
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
NHL
listed NR
in NR district
federal DOE
state landmark
local landmark
in local district
HABS / HAER
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
43. Evaluation
a. [ ] already listed in NR
[ ] appears individually eligible
[ ] potentially eligible if restored
[ ] would contribute to district
[ ] does not appear eligible
[ ] insufficient information
[ ] not applicable / not extant
b. Area(s) of significance
29. If located in historic district
a. Name of district
Downtown Booneville Historic District
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
b. Rating
[ ] pivotal
[x] contributing
[ ] marginal
[ ] noncontributing
[ ] intrusion
c. District element number ___________35_______________
38
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
c. Evaluated by:
________________________________________________
d. Date of evaluation ________________________________
Board of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and will be
reviewed on September 17, 1998.
What is a survey?
A survey is a process of identifying and gathering data on a
community’s historic resources. It includes a field survey which is the
physical search for and recording of historic resources on the ground
including planning and background research before field survey begins,
organization and presentation of survey data as the survey proceeds, and
the development of inventories.
With the survey data we are producing inventory documents which is
an organized compilation of information of which we can evaluate the
properties relative to their historic significance. Through the guidance of
Mississippi Department of Archives and History, we are in the process of
determining whether identified properties meet defined criteria of
historical, architectural, archaeological, or cultural significance.
Current condition of facades along Market Street.
Why undertake a historic resource survey?
The central reason for undertaking a survey is to reveal that citizens and
governments, at all levels, are recognizing that such resources have value
and should be retained as benefits to community life. The historic
resources of a community give it its special character and cultural depth, In
more utilitarian terms, each historic building and structure represents an
investment that should not be discarded lightly; maintaining and
rehabilitating older buildings and neighborhoods can mean savings in
energy, time, money, and raw materials. It is critical that Booneville make
effective use of historic resources, to respect their value and extend their
lives, to integrate historic preservation into community planning.
How can survey data serve the community?
Survey data can be used to construct a preservation plan which will
help you define the central downtown district. A historic commission can
be founded to establish policies, procedures, and strategies for
maintaining and enhancing the district. By focusing upon the district, your
town may lead to an increased understanding and awareness of the
human environment by officials and citizens within the community.
Defining the historic resources district can help to establish priorities
for dealing with historic resources within the framework of existing local
planning programs and present specific recommendations for meeting
priorities.
Again a preservation plan will help define specific ways to maintain and
enhance the positive character of an area, identify legal and financial tools
such as easements, tax incentives, historic preservation commission,
preservation ordinances, zoning and revolving funds. These tools will aid in
the conservation of historic resources, and present design standards for
new construction and for the enhancement of environmental amenities.
39
Restored facade in Demopolis, Alabama serves as a model
for restoration of older buildings.
Neighborhood Districts
Residential Sectors
Neighborhoods are an important part of the social and physical fabrics
of any town. As part of a town’s social fabric, the neighborhood is where we
spend time with our families, where we meet our first playmates, and where
we conduct the majority of our private lives. As part of a town’s physical
fabric, neighborhoods are often what make up the border between the
town center and the rest of the world, and they often offer different scenery
and a different atmosphere than does a town’s business or commercial area.
40
One student’s work addressed these very issues during the Small Town
Center’s initial investigation in Booneville in the fall of 1996. This article will
describe what discoveries were made in four of Booneville’s residential
neighborhoods:on the east side, Martin Luther King Drive and Marietta
Street; on the west side, Foster Park and Third Street. Each neighborhood
will be described briefly in terms of the following : relationship of houses to
street, accommodation of the public, and interaction with the larger city.
A section through Martin Luther King Drive.
Martin Luther King Drive
• The houses in this neighborhood typically sit less than twenty-five feet
from the street edge.
• There are few cases when trees are used as a boundary between the
street and the houses.
• There are few if any porches on the homes.
• There is a sidewalk along the south edge of the street, which is in good
condition.
• The neighborhood is located a good distance from any of Booneville’s
main thoroughfares.
The small setbacks and the presence of a good sidewalk provide a
comfortable setting for pedestrian traffic through the neighborhood.
However, the presence of trees along the sidewalk would make a better
separation between public right-of-way space and private yard space. Also,
trees would give a sense of overhead enclosure to walkers, which would
further bring the street here to the scale of an individual person. If the
houses had porches on them, there could be the potential for interaction
between residents sitting outside and residents strolling along the
sidewalk.
1
2
A map of the Martin Luther King Drive area. (1) Good
sidewalks on the south side of the street, but few trees
line the street to give it an edge or a feeling of overhead
enclosure.
Marietta Street
• Most of the houses in this neighborhood are around twenty-five feet
from the street; some are as near as twelve feet from the street, while
some are as far away as fifty feet.
• There is a sidewalk along the south side of the street, which is in fair
condition in most places, but it is in serious need of repair in other
places.
• There is a walking trail at the east end of the neighborhood, which is
open to the public.
• This neighborhood has many tall, older trees along the sidewalk and
within the yards of each home.
• The neighborhood is integrated within Booneville’s city grid.
• The neighborhood is within walking distance of churches, grocery
stores, etc.
The closeness of the houses to the street again start to give a good
human scale to the street, making it comfortable to walk through. The
sidewalk should be repaired, however, so that people could jog or walk
children in strollers as well. The trees in this neighborhood not only give a
sense of overhead boundary to the street, but also lend to the overall
atmosphere of the neighborhood. They provide shade throughout the day;
they sway and rustle in the wind; they provide a nice view to each of the
41
A section through Marietta Street.
A map of the Marietta Street area. (1) Nice, old, large trees
give the street an edge and enclosure. (2) Public Walking
Track.
1
2
houses. The public walking trail is an interesting feature of this
neighborhood in that it provides the potential for interaction with people
from other parts of the town.
Foster Park
A section through Foster’s Park.
1
2
A map of the Foster Park area. (1) Foster’s Park is wellintegrated into the fabric of the town; it is only one block
south of College Street, a primary entrance into town.
(2) Small public green space for use by the members of
this community. An excellent example of the coexistance
of public and private space in a town.
A section through Third Street.
A map of the Third Street area. (1) Sidewalk needs repair
in some places but is nicely covered by large, older trees;
(2) Third Street is one of the older streets in Booneville,
serving as a basis for the town grid; (3) Nice, older, large
trees.
1
2
• Most residences here are between fifty and seventy-five feet from the
street.
• There are no sidewalks in this neighborhood.
• The neighborhood is integrated into Booneville's city grid somewhat.
• There are many trees within this neighborhood.
Foster Park is a good example of how a small compromise by everyone
can yield a larger asset for the public. The houses in this neighborhood
step back from the street to give presence to the park area. Most
subdivisions where this great a setback is common are less pleasant to
walk through because there is nothing that makes the pedestrian feel
enclosed. There is usually only a series of houses, each in the center of its
lot, without anything to go between it and the passer-by. Here, though,
there is an open yard space with many trees, that can be used by all. Also,
the neighborhood seems well-connected to the town even though it is
located on a loop and not completely a part of the city grid.
Third Street
• Although there is a wide variety of setback conditions, twenty-five feet
is typical.
• There is a sidewalk on the western side of the street; it requires repair
in some places.
• There are several, larger, older trees in this neighborhood, along the
street.
• Third street is parallel to Highway 145, giving it access and connection
to the most recent additions to Booneville’s city fabric.
The varying setbacks, along with the more regular twenty-five foot
setbacks, give a sense of variety to the line of houses in this neighborhood,
while maintaining a sense of closeness and enclosure with the street. The
trees, again, provide transition between public and private space, as well as
contribute to the overall atmosphere of the neighborhood. The connection
Highway 145 could be very significant if the connection were more
pedestrian-friendly. Sidewalks on the eastern side of the street, with
crossing sidewalks that led to Highway 145 might allow for more contact
with businesses there, while saving parking spaces for those who live
farther away.
A Study of Booneville
as a Retirement Community
3
In the past year, Booneville has been designated a Mississippi
Retirement Community by a state program, “Hometown Mississippi
Retirement.” This was certainly a well deserved designation for Booneville.
The city has many assets to offer retiree's from Mississippi and from around
the country such as its mild climate, lower cost of living, affordable housing
42
with larger lots and attractive characteristics of being a small town. Through research, interviews, surveys and personal
observations we have located housing for the retired, recreational facilities, health care and most talked about shopping
facilities. We believe that these separate categories identify the basic elements which will attract retiring persons to
Booneville. We believe that it is necessary for the town to review what is available and then to establish what is needed or
can be improved upon. The following maps attempt to layout what we could find available:
HOUSING: We found five retirement housing communities: Longwood Manor (A), The Landmark Community (B), Pecan
Grove (C), Althea Lodge Nursing Home (D), Crisswood Assisted Living (E). We found that the neighborhoods with a large
retirement community is on Wickwood Drive (AA), Mariena Street (BE) and Glendale Street (CC).
`RECREATION: We found that when asked where good recreational facilities are located outside of town, many people
referred to: Brices Crossroads National Battlefield Site in Baldwyn, MS; the Pine Grove Campground which has campsites, a
lake with boat ramps, game courts and nice day facilities; and the W.M. Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park. Within the city
limits many people referred to the West-side city park (A) with its ballfields, swimming pool and walking trail; the East-side
43
city park (B) with its ballfields, tennis courts and walking trail; and the Booneville Golf and Country Club (C). The most
popular community events referred to are the Fall Festival (D); the Fourth of July Parade (E); the Christmas Parade (F); the
Pancake Festival sponsored by the Booneville High School (G); the Dinner Theater sponsored by Northeast Mississippi
Community College (H); and the Festival at Longwood Manor Retirement Home (I).
HEALTH CARE: We found good health care facilities located mostly in the center of the city, as we refer to the Wellness
District. Of course, known on the regional scale, there is the Baptist Memorial Hospital (A). This hospital provides 24-hour
emergency room physician care and a geropsychiatric unit providing rehabilitation services to the elderly. There is a 55+
program which offers discounts to seniors, a Health Fair each year and a volunteer program. There are four clinics: the
Ellzey Clinic (B); the Northeast Chiropractic Center (C); the Booneville Mississippi Health Services Family Health Clinic (E).
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The town has a good selection of pharmacies located throughout the town: Booneville Discount Drugs (AA); Cox-Blythe
Drugs (BB); Davidson Discount Pharmacy (CC); Eastside Pharmacy (EE); Smith Drug Company (FF); and Wal-Mart Pharmacy
(GG).
SHOPPING: In our surveys the shops most referred to are as follows. There are four grocery stores: Jitney Jungle(A);
Piggly-Wiggly (B); Sunflower (C) and Walden’s Super Store (D). For clothing stores, most refer to Wal-mart (G); the Dress
Shop (H); the Grace Shop (I); the Clothes Closet (j); Van Atkins (K) and Men’s Quarters (L). Other shops that seem to be
frequented by the retired community are Booneville Shoe Store (M); Fred’s (N); Price’s Jewelry (0); Goddard’s Jewelry (P);
Dickerson’s Furniture (Q); and Booneville Hardware (E).
45
SHOPPING: In our surveys the shops most referred to are as follows. There are four grocery stores: Jitney Jungle(A);
Piggly-Wiggly(B); Sunflower(C) and Walden’s SuperStore(D). For clothing stores, most refer to Wal-Mart(G); the Dress
Shop(H); the Grace Shop (I); the Clothes Closet(J); Van Atkins(K) and Men’s Quarters(L). Other shops that seem to be
frequented by the retired community are Booneville Shoe Store(M); Fred’s(N); Price’s Jewelry(O); Goddard’s Jewelry(P);
Dickerson’s Furniture(Q); and Booneville Hardware(E).
We recommend that more interviews and surveys be conducted to establish whether there are other facilities and
services that are desired. We believe that it is not enough to be designated as a Mississippi Retirement Community, but
that it is necessary to improve the town to assure that it becomes even more attractive to others outside of Booneville.
46
In our surveys many wished that information was made more accessible to seniors about community events, programs
at the college and other services offered. It seems possible that a group of citizens get together and produce a basic
handbook to convey all that is possible and to send mailings to alert senior citizens of upcoming events and new facilities.
Many of those we interviewed felt that they would like to see more clubs established for senior citizens and a great many
hoped for a Wellness Center. Many believe that there is a need to improve the water system and establish a recycling
program. Many hope that the town can make better general beautification efforts and that the sidewalks be improved
upon. Many would like to see more of a variety of restaurants as well as a Meals-on-Wheels program. Many share the desire
for more zero-lot housing and multi-unit housing districts.
We found that many believe it to be difficult to get around town without a car and would like to see a bus shuttle
established with pickups at retirement housing and neighborhoods. Once picked up, it seems that there be established
designated stops at shopping areas and various helath care facilities. It might even be possible to provide day-trips to
recreation areas and special events outside of the community. The following map identifies zones which the senior citizens
use the most and that would be good stops for the shuttle to make:
1.Downtown: The center of town provides some shopping which is somewhat pedestrian friendly, although many hope
that it can become more accessible.
2. Church Street Shopping District: This area surrounding the old Wal-Mart provides some clothing and grocery stores.
3. Second Street Shopping District: This area provides some clothing, grocery and other items.
4.Health Care District: This area has physicians, clinics, pharmacies and other health services which could be pedestrianfriendly if the sidewalks were improved upon.
It seems necessary for Booneville to understand the needs of its senior citizens so that it can be more accommodating
and attract others outside of the community to retire here. If a focus group were established, we believe it might be
possible for this fragment of the population to have an influential decision upon how the city should be developed. The
desires and needs of the senior citizens do not only benefit this group; It also benefits the youth and the young families.
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Identifying College Life
Student housing in Starkville designed and built by Dan
Camp.
Little Dooey’s barbeque restaurant in a converted house.
This restaurant has a wonderful screened-in porch and
outdoor eating areas.
Bulldog Deli offers great sandwiches and salads and has
outdoor spaces to eat.
New restaurant offers bagel sandwiches, soups and salads
and has a popular outdoor space along busy street,
perhaps the best addition to Starkville in past two years.
In an effort to establish the needs and wants of college students in a
small town setting, a survey was conducted among the students in a small
town setting, a survey was conducted among the students of Mississippi
State University. Located in Starkville, MSU students share a similar
atmosphere with those students at Northeast Community College
(NEMCC) in Booneville. The survey was conducted to establish the range of
activities and organizations that MSU students would suggest for in
Starkville as a home for a University. The intention is that this information
will provide insight into what currently exists and what can be made
available in Booneville to improve its relationship with the students of
NEMCC.
Over half the MSU students surveyed stated that they enjoy sporting
events that take place on campus. Conversations with NEMCC students
show that this same interest also take priority. One third of the Mississippi
State students stated that they often go to movies; NEMCC students have
expressed the desire to have a movie theater in Booneville. It is interesting
to find that only twenty percent of the students regularly go to the local
bars and clubs in Starkville. Twenty percent also regularly attend parties at
the fraternity and sorority houses. It is clear that the NEMCC students
cannot consider such options since there are no Greek organizations and
no alcohol can be sold in Prentiss County. There are items that can provide
entertainment for the students of Booneville that are not found within
Starkville either. Shopping malls, miniature golf courses, bowling alleys,
and dollar movie theaters were found to be desired items by the surveyed
MSU students.
Many MSU students commented that they enjoy simply gathering with
friends to enjoy each other’s company. Surveys and interviews with NEMCC
students show that there are a limited number of places for college
students to pass time in Booneville. The dormitories and campus have
strict visitation policies, and restaurants tend to close early. These
circumstances limit the hours and times of day that students can use to
socialize with each other. The Mississippi State campus has many parks and
courtyards that are used for that purpose. Many MSU students also referred
to off campus apartments as a place for socialization. Starkville offers many
apartments to allow students to find what they consider necessary time
away from the compus. Many NEMCC students commented that there are
few apartment options for them in Booneville.
In Starkville, there are a variety of places that appeal to the average
college student. Flo and Eddie’s, Rick’s, Cheers, and the Dark Horse Tavern
are the local favorites. Even though alcohol is served in these clubs,
students also enjoy the live music, games, and dancing. MSU students also
enjoy coffee shops such as Easy Street, City Bagel Cafe, and The Daily Grind
in Starkville. Coffee shops appear to be a good alternative to bars in
Booneville due to the facts that they do not require alcohol to make money
and that they give students a place to socialize and relax.
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Dine-in restaurants appeal to most college students. Starkville has
many locally-owned restaurants such as Flo and Eddie’s, The Bulldog Deli,
The Cotton District Grill, Rosey Baby’s, Oby’s, and LIl’ Dooey’s, as well as
common chains, such as Applebee’s. The social atmosphere is primarily
what attracts students to these places. Additionally, the fast food
restaurants are welcomed by most students because they are cheap and
fast. More formal restaurants are the most popular, with fast food a close
second. Eating at the school cafeteria, making late night dinners, and
sharing dinner with others is common. Many students also take advantage
of take-out and delivery places.
There are many specialty shops such as book stores and clothing stores
in downtown Starkville, which are visited by the university students
regularly. The movie theater is well-attended, as are the two music stores,
BeBop Records and Crossroads Discs & Tapes. Grocery stores such as Jitney
Jungle, Kroger, and Food Max are located all over the city and Wal-Mart is a
standard staple for the average college student.
Some students engage in not only recreational activities but also
extracurricular and community oriented activities. Church, the most
common of these activities, consists of regular Sunday meetings, students
organization, and bible studies. While Sunday Church remains a more
family-oriented activity in Booneville, there are several, active, religious
student organizations which meet during the week. Exercising is popular,
and some students even participate in intercollegiate or intramural sports.
Student government and the marching band are organizations in which
some students find time to participate. Competitive basketball, ranging
from high school to collegiate, is also a popular sport in Booneville, both
for the athletes and the spectators.
The family life is not a primary need for college students. It was found
that MSU students tend not to visit their family very often. Only six percent
in the survey felt they visited their families very often, yet sixty percent felt
that they hardly ever visited their families. Thirty-percent felt that they
make it home often. In Booneville, the students travel home more often
due to the fact that most of their homes are within an hours drive and
there is “nothing to do” in Booneville.
Downtown cafe that is frequented by many, students,
business people and senior citizens. This place has
become an institution.
Another converted house is a popular restaurant with
outdoor courtyard.
Establishing Connections
As we have said before, the homes and gardens are the spaces where
we raise our families, sustain our daily existence’s, display our identities
and contribute to the overall neighborhood image. It is essential that these
spaces that exist serve each home by establishing a sense of privacy within
the dwelling as well as establishing a link that is connected to the natural
environment and the larger community. A city cannot only rely upon the
individual home owner to provide the public landscape. It is important that
public gardens and civic connections be established offering an
opportunity for children, teenagers, college students, young families and
the retirement community to ride bikes, play softball, enjoy parades, play
sports, exercise, enjoy a concert, rollerblade, study, walk babies and pets,
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A link needs to be established between the communities
and the larger environment to allow the opportunity to
enjoy your city.
jog, walk safely to the library, the post office, the downtown and to enjoy
the city. A city plan for green spaces and pathway connections establishes
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a city’s image and character. The livability of cities hinges on places that
welcome residents to come together with nature and each other;
collectively these features can become a city’s signature.
It is important that the established green spaces be identified and
accessed. The public green spaces that we have identified are the City Park
West, the City Park East, the Marietta Street Walking Loop and Foster Park.
The City Park West must be evaluated for how it operates in its peak season
in the summer. Through discussions, we understand that the traffic is
sometimes unmanageable and may be hazardous to all who use the park
in making their way across the streets to toilets and softball fields. As the
Children’s Park is used, other needs may become more obvious. We
understand that there is a need for an indoor practice space and that there
is a desire to locate somewhere within the City Park West. The City Park
East should be studied in its peak season to better understand its needs.
This park needs some basic maintenance improvements with its fences
and outbuildings. We found Foster Park to be a wonderful surprise and a
great asset to a neighborhood’s identity; we would encourage future
residential developments to include such an amenitiy in their planning,
one that the City could encourage as the city grows. As we have discussed
in a previous article, we believe that it is important to develop the park
around the County Courthouse and establish it as an important Municipal
Park. We also found that the open landscape near the new retirement
center at College Street and Fourth Street could be developed as a public
City Garden with community flower gardens. This could be established as
an important amenity to the city a wonderful greeting to the city limits as
one arrives from the west. We believe that it is important that the city
develop Third Street as a major city boulevard as it will eventually connect
to the highway to the north. As developement along Second Street
produces more congestion it seems critical that this street be developed as
a parallel path for traffic. It is easy to imagine this road with sidewalks,
lighting and plantings.
As we have become to know Booneville over the past year we have
noticed that some places within the city might be developed as a linking
public park space. It seems possible that public and private landowners
could join together to make a city-wide bike path and parkway. We
recommend that you seek natural landscape features that could contribute
to the beauty of a public park: creeks, lakes, bluffs, hills, vistas, arbors, and
greenery. For example, just south of the community college there is open
land that has been left open most likely due to ocassional light flooding;
there is an open landscape east of the railroad tracks; it might be possible
to develop the landscape along the railroad right-of way through ISTEA
grants; it might be possible to find ways to develop the landscape between
the downtown and the railroad tracks. As shown in the city map, we
believe that it might be possible to link the entire city with found open
landscapes and establish bike lanes along such roads as Fourth Street and
Washington Street (see double-dashed lines on the facing page map).
Obviously, there is only so much money that can be dedicated to
sidewalk maintenance and development each year. However, we believe
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Foster’s Park is a wonderful example for other
neighborhoods to follow.
City Park West provides a serene quality around the
walking track area.
Bike paths could be established along roadsides and the
city could be linked by developing the open landscapes.
Sidewalks should be among one of the top priorities to
dedicate money towards maintenance and development.
Proposed “Booneville Loop”.
that money should be designated to the “Booneville Loop” as imagined by
a MSU student, Gabrielle Donato. This path links the anchoring institutions
of Booneville together, Northeast Community College, the Downtown
Courthouse and merchants, the hospital, the City Park West, and the junior
high and high schools. This loop could be developed as a pedestrian
walkway and designated bike path, it is a little over two miles. It is easy to
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imagine that this route might become an established path for an annual
foot race.
We have noticed that many residents use Cunningham boulevard as a
walking loop for exercise. It seems possible to extend this walking path
south along Jefferson Street. This street could be developed with
pedestrian lighting to extend the hours for exercise into the evening.
Pedestrian crosswalks should be established in such locations as at the
intersection of Jefferson and Ellis Streets; First and Washington Streets; at
Second Street at Washington Street and Cunningham Boulevard; and
along Third Street. Along the ‘flood plain’ at Jefferson Street it seems
possible to develop exercise elements to stretch, do sit-up and pull-ups,
etc. Safe sidewalks along Jefferson Street must be constructed or improved
upon. Trees and plantings could be developed along this Loop to increase
its public presence. Mailboxes, UPS and Federal Express boxes could be
installed along Washington Street to serve the local businesses and
encourage people to walk. The Wellness Sector could join together to
improve sidewalks and amenities along Washington Street. It seems
possible that arbors and benches be installed along this path, for example,
near the City Park West as an overlook to athletic practice and events.
We recommend that an active Public Parks and Gardens Program be
established to identify amenities the city does not currently have and other
conditions within the city that need to be addressed. Interest in improving
existing parks or developing new amenities might include soccer fields,
public fishing, public sailing, wildflower plantings in highway and road
medians, fountains and benches within boulevard medians, development
of public school play grounds, public basketball and tennis courts,
community vegetable and flower garden plots, public swimming pools,
skating rinks, amphitheater and warm weather public performance spaces,
prioritized street lighting, etc.
Pedestrian lighting could be isntalled along the streets to
allow for exercise and enjoyment to extend into the
evenings.
Arbors and benches such as these could be installed
along the proposed loop to allow for a place to sit, rest,
and observe.
Suggesting Priorities
Issues
Clarification
1. Continue to Build Upon Your
Foundations:
This is an example of how an arbor would appear within
the park’s landscape.
• Collect historic photos and stories from citizens.
• Involve the K-12 students in some event, photo or
essay contest involving the identification of
Booneville's history
A well used bench located on the Courthouse Green.
2. Further Shape Your Identity
Within the Region:
• Identify a site for a new industrial park.
• Address the Five Entries into the town. We
recommend that you especially address the "Potential
Extraordinary College Street Arrival Point."
pp 10-12
#6, p11
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• Further explore new connecting road, Third Street, as a city boulevard.
pages 11-12
3. Consider Improvements to the Municipal Sector:
• Develop the idea of a park and public plaza between the Courthouse
and City Hall.
• Develop historical site attributed to General Nathan Bedford Forrest
near the Depot.
• Further develop the Depot building and its surrounding area.
• Consider the People's Park idea, see if the bank would support some
type of redevelopment of this island.
• Consider a parade route (of already established events) connecting the
library to the Chamber of Commerce along Church Street to reinforce
this street as an important connecting street.
page 14
page 14
page 14
4. Consider Improvements to the Scholastic Sector:
• Develop the long rectangular lawn that runs between the junior high
and high school complexes.
• Develop a row trees along Second Street from north of the Community
College to George E. Allen Road.
• Develop rows of trees on either side of Second Street from Cunningham
Boulevard to Adams Street and develop curb edge with proper curbcuts.
• Provide a safe crosswalk and pedestrian way at the intersection of
George E. Allen Road and Second Street.
#5 on page 17
# 7 on page 18
#8 on page 19
#10 on page 19
5. Consider Improvements to the Wellness Sector and
Midtown Area:
• Improve North College Street from the Community College to Second.
• Develop the Washington Street, First Street and Adams Street that
bounds the area we have defined as the Wellness Sector.
• Improve the triangular parking lot across First Street from the hospital.
• Consider developing the open land south of the Community College as
a developed park area and walking path connection to shopping
district.
# 12 on page 21
#2 on page 20
#3 on page 21
#11 on page 23
6. Consider Improvements to the Church Street
Merchants Sector:
•
•
•
Develop landscaping at Lake Street and Church Street to announce the
entrance into the Church Street Merchants district.
Improve the quality of the streetscape all along Church Street from Lake
Street to downtown with curbs, proper curb-cuts and plantings.
Re-address the landscape around the abandoned Wal-Mart on Church
Street.
#7 on page 24
#4 on page 24
#5 on page 25
7. Consider Improvement to the Second Street Merchants
Sector:
• Consider ways to develop area between Cunningham Boulevard and
Adams Street to create a college-life atmosphere by creating more
businesses catered to them and easier ways of getting around by foot.
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K on page 27
•
Provide safe crosswalks and landscaping at the intersections of Second
Street and the following three streets: Adams Street, Washington Street
and Church Street.
C,D and E on
pages 28-29
8. Consider Improvements to the Historic Downtown
District:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Improve the four major intersections of the Downtown District with
streets: Church, College, Market and Main.
Replace traffic light signals to conform with the Manual on Uniform
Traffic Control Devices.
Provide safe sidewalks which meet the A.D.A. requirements with proper
curb-cuts and cross-walks.
Improve the streetscapes at downtown entrances.
Enforce downtown parking rules.
Address the deteriorating buildings in the downtown area; enforce
either improvement or demolition.
Encourage proper rehabilitation of historic downtown buildings by
adopting the Historic District guidelines developed for nomination to
National Register of Historic Places.
# 1,2,3 and 4 on page 30
page 30 and in Appendix
page 31
pages 31 and 32
page 32
page 34
page 37-38; please see additional
book on this district
9. Consider Improvements to the Residential Areas:
•
Evaluate the needs of the different residential areas, prioritize and
develop a strategy to improve them.
pages 38-41
10. Consider Issues of the Retirement Community:
• Evaluate the needs of the retirement community, prioritize and develop
a strategy to develop specific programs.
pages 41-46
11. Consider Issues of the College Student-Life:
•
Evaluate the needs of the retirement community, prioritize and develop
a strategy to support entertainment, housing and shopping needs of
the students.
pages 47-48
12. Establish Landscape Connections Throughout the
Community:
•
Develop the loop of sidewalks, the "Booneville Loop," along
Cunningham Boulevard, Jefferson Street, Washington Street and Third
Street.
• Consider linking City Park West, the Community College, landscape
along the railroad tracks and downtown with ISTEA rails-to-trails
program.
• Consider developing City Garden idea as part of entrance improvement.
• Promote a more active Gardens Program which would educate the
public on gardening tips and improve existing park systems.
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pages 50 and 51
page 50
page 50
page 52
Seeing Your Town Through Another’s Eyes..........
See & Be Seen
a window, or a door
stands between a
consumer
and a merchant.
through this membrane,
one can be seen.
“welcome!” it says,
inviting a customer
to step on the threshold
Details & Craftsmanship
beauty is in the details
a building dances,
in light and shadow.
it talks to its guardian
and to strangers walking by
“look at me, i am beautiful!”
of brick, and of wood
of pattern, and of repetition
it belongs to a special place,
it belongs to you and me
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photographs and poems by Phong Le
Landscape & Serenity
nature is
apart of, and within us.
a building grows
from under the earth, like a tree
it relates to its neighbors
the oaks, and the sycamores
the grasses, and the wild flowers.
a union of man
and his world begins
with thoughts of sharing,
and not intruding.
then harmony lives, among our
land
Facades & Locality
as one meanders from
one street to the next.
she realizes, that she is
surrounded by walls
a space, within a place
unique and special
to her and to passersby.
a sense of belonging,
a sense of trust
deeply rooted,
in the fragile fabric
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