BY SANDI P. BEASON


Daily Journal


OKOLONA - Winds of positive change first swept through Okolona in 1998, when the city and county worked together to build a downtown park.


Joint efforts to construct the park led to a more cooperative spirit between the public and private sectors, and between Okolona and Chickasaw County. Today that spirit is manifested in a new momentum for unity and progress in a town often troubled by division and setbacks in the past. 


In the time since the park's construction, Okolona has seen a number of improvement and development efforts come to fruition. Problems remain to be overcome, but Okolona, people there say, is on the move.





City-wide effort


Okolona has undergone a number of building projects and taken steps to improve the city's overall attractiveness. In 2000, the city became a Main Street Association, a move Gregory said helped educate city officials on grant opportunities and development projects.


"I've learned about grant opportunities and programs across the state and nation that will assist the community," she said. "We have adopted business incentives, and designed a brochure about incentives. One is a tax-abatement program I learned about from Main Street, a downtown ad velorum tax deduction."


This year, Gregory said, the Main Street Association wants to start a farmer's market, sponsor an investor's fair, a "Shop Okolona" program, hold another Christmas open house for merchants and educate the public about historic preservation. During a community-wide meeting held in 2000 to assess the feasibility of the city becoming a Main Street Association, residents shared their vision of Okolona in 2005.


From that meeting came ideas for improved city ordinances that would effect the city's appearance. In March of this year, councilmen approved four ordinances dealing with animal control, junk cars, sexually-oriented businesses and abandoned and dilapidated buildings.


The ordinances, particularly the animal control ordinance, sparked uproar among residents, and a work session is set for May 1 to review them.


Also underway are plans to construct a football stadium and walking track, to be named the Okolona Memorial Stadium. The public facility will be used through an interlocal agreement by the Okolona School District.


In the school district, Okolona native and Pulitzer-prize winning columnist William Raspberry is pushing to get the MegaSkills program for elementary-age students. The program would focus on aspects of character, and not just academic success.


County-wide, the Okolona Chamber of Commerce is also working with the Chickasaw Development Foundation to make future development efforts more inclusive of both cities, as well as Houlka and Woodland.





Sparking progress


In 1998, Del Young opened her home to a group of college students working to build a park in downtown Okolona.


"They started stopping for a rest area," she said. "They left their tools here, they ate here."


On breaks, she said, the architecture students working with Mississippi State University's Small Towns Center rested in the shade of her trees and lounged by her pool.


"The nicest thing about the park, that I got out of the park, was those kids," she said. "Anywhere from three to 80 at a time, from everywhere, all parts of the country."


Before the park project began, two vacant buildings sat on the corner of Main and Olive streets. Today, the park in its place stands complete with a multi-colored mural, benches, a mosaic of brick and concrete with children's handprints, and a wisteria-covered metal framework breezeway. 


"We had criticism about the metal framework looking tacky and rusty, and then it bloomed," she said. "Oh, my goodness. It looked like a country wedding. The blooms on the wisteria were white."


More importantly, said Chamber of Commerce Director Patsy Gregory, the park project sparked a movement among city and county officials to begin working together. 


"Anytime we needed anything, the city and county worked together with tools and labor," she said. "They were great to help. Because it was a successful project, it led the way to other projects. ... It started the catalyst of people working together around the county."


District 3 Chickasaw County Supervisor Russell Brooks, who was instrumental in getting the park project under way, said the relationship between the city and county has been steadily improving since.


"The relationship is better because of the hard work that has been rendered in the city," he said. "At that time, the city nor the chamber of commerce were receiving economic development funding from the county. ... The chamber of commerce received its funding, and development immediately started to happen in the city of Okolona."





Times past


Beautification and improvement efforts came at a time when Okolona was trying to overcome past obstacles.


Bill Whitt, who served as Okolona's mayor from 1981-1997, said during his tenure, Okolona got a new sewage lagoon, built an industrial park, and had many start-up businesses, but revenues declined.


"We took in less property tax in the 16th year than in the first year," he said. "We had our problems."


Chief among those problems was getting people to work together, he said.


"The key to the success of Okolona is getting everyone to work together," he said. "You can solve 99 percent of problems if you work together."


When John Holloway came into the mayor's office in 1997, he encountered the same difficulties.


"There was a boycott going on when I took office, a boycott of all stores," he said. "We went to a number of black churches, me, the aldermen and Patsy Gregory. ... It took about two months to get that settled."


His emphasis, he said, was attracting industry and improving the city. During his tenure, the city received more than $1 million in grants - including a grant for airport improvements - and did a number of road improvements, but the city lost a major furniture manufacturer: Futorian.


"It really hurt when that plant left," Holloway said.


Now, he said, the key is restoring pride in Okolona and getting the city cleaned up.


"If we could all pull together, Okolona could do who knows what," he said.