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Byhalia takes steps toward Main Street By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer  | Photos by Sue Watson
Community interest
Byhalia residents listen to the recent presentation about becoming a Main Street community. |
If there is anyone ready to work for the vision of Byhalia, Kent Mathis is certainly one who is. He
has put in a lot of effort trying to pull a community team together to
bring Mississippi Main Street to the Marshall County town. Mathis
praised those who participated recently in planning charrettes that
would pave the way for Byhalia Main Street Association. According to
the Byhalia Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sarah Sawyer,
Mathis wore out a good pair of shoes going door to door seeking support
for Main Street. Mathis said the planning charrettes “were a culmination of a lot of work going forward.” He praised the town’s mayor and board of aldermen for their “dedication to doing something better” for the community. “There are places to start and things we as a community can do,” he said.  | | Kent Mathis |
Mathis was not the only one singing the praises of the mayor and board of aldermen. Randy Wilson, a consulting architect with Mississippi Main Street, said the leadership is exceptional. “The
fact that they were there and they were involved and helped make
judicious decisions, the outreach of the Byhalia United Methodist
Church (that provided meeting space), and ultimately the people make or
break this,” he said. He then provided graphic overview of some ideas that are included in the vision for Byhalia. Wilson
listed some of the places the community planners thought could use some
attention – downtown park and Brunswick Street; parking; landscaping;
enhancing appearance of the town corridors; improvements of major
intersections; landscaping and use of the old high school property; use
of the Northcentral Mississippi EPA property after it is vacated;
activities for children; building of many more ball fields and park
improvements; building community pride; providing things for the
community to do together; and an overall vision of what Main Street
would look like and be like. Building community
pride and attracting external investors are a part of the planned
solution to community development and growth, Wilson said. Taking care
of the heart and soul of the downtown and its gateways and
thoroughfares is another way to draw attention to Main Street, he said. Core areas to begin work on are Church Street and Highway 178, Northcentral and the old high school - both gateways to the town. Making
the area between Church Street and Northcentral walkable would improve
the visibility of the community, he said. Providing good sidewalks and
adding signage would be integral to the physical design of downtown. East
and West Brunswick, which are one-way streets, could become more
inviting to outsiders with improvement in parking layouts, widening of
sidewalks, the addition of simple landscaping, and building access
ramps that connect to the sidewalks. Lighting would improve the
nighttime appearance of Brunswick. Wilson said
standard light posts, benches and garbage container bins would help
build a sense of continuity from one area to another. Putting parking
behind buildings when possible would enhance the visibility of the
fronts of businesses. That would be combined with good walkways
connecting the parking to the businesses. Removal
of overhead wires in the gateway areas, addition of landscaping at
intersections and the use of brand banners on poles and planting of
trees would make places like Highway 178 inviting to the eye of those
who drive through the town. Wayfinding signage pointing to downtown
landmarks would also invite people into the town. An
attractive branding design making use of the oak tree and lettering
could be placed throughout the town and on the water tower to bring a
sense of uniqueness to the town. The use of murals on the sides of
buildings, especially at the corner of Church Street and Highway 309,
the creative use of paint on brick buildings and crosswalks would help
create a sense of arrival to downtown. Jeremy
Murdock, with Mississippi State, discussed ideas for catalyst projects.
Those included adding two to four ball fields, one of which could be a
flex field used for soccer; expanding walking trails to connect these
areas to downtown; and creating a space for an art gallery, performance
space and office space for the arts council. The
old Byhalia high school campus could be developed into an “Old School
Commons” and have a campus feel with lots of trees planted to surround
it and provide sitting shade at ball fields. The town hall could be
relocated to the school building or to the Northcentral building. “Whatever goes to the Old High School Building needs to have activity throughout the day,” Murdock said. Branding
and marketing are used to tell the story of Byhalia. That calls
attention to Byhalia and to what makes the town different and special
and reflects who the people are. Branding
messages communicate what the community wants to say about itself – it
is a great place to call home; it is peaceful; it is always in bloom;
welcome home. Mathis encouraged the people to
find something they liked in the vision for Byhalia and buy in to some
aspect of it. The short-term, median-term and long-term goals can be
met gradually if everyone will find a little project in the vision of
Byhalia that they like and are willing to help bring it about, he said. |
