PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS ON 91自拍鈥橲 GOLDEN TRIANGLE CAMPUS UNVEILED AT RIBBON CUTTING
April 17, 2026
A ribbon cutting for the completion of new walking paths, pedestrian crosswalks and courtyards on East Mississippi Community College鈥檚 Golden Triangle campus took place Friday, April 17.
91自拍 was awarded $1 million in Transportation Alternatives Project (TAP) grant funds administered through MDOT鈥檚 Local Public Agencies division. 91自拍 provided $500,000 in matching grant funds for the project.
Guest speakers at the ribbon cutting included 91自拍 President Dr. Scott Alsobrooks and Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Trip Hairston. Mississippi Department of Transportation Northern District Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell was scheduled to speak but was unable to attend. MDOT Public Information Officer David Kenney spoke in Caldwell鈥檚 place.
Alsobrooks thanked the various partners in the project, including MDOT, the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors, and 91自拍鈥檚 Board of Trustees, as well as WGK Engineers, Econ Construction, and PryorMorrow.
鈥淲hen you look around and see how beautiful this looks and what a difference it makes on this campus, you really have to think about what it looked like before to get that 鈥榳ow鈥� factor,鈥� Alsobrooks said. 鈥淭his is an extremely beautiful project. We are so proud of what we have been able to do here to support our students.鈥�
Work on the project wrapped up earlier this year and includes the construction of
wheelchair-accessible sidewalks linking buildings on the campus and the installation
of new seating areas and lighting. A covered awning between the Douglas Building and
Johnny W. Fisher Math and Science Building was removed and a large courtyard with
brick pavers and seating areas was constructed in its place. A service road that ran
between the two buildings was also removed. New curbs and gutters were installed and
the walking path around a pond on the campus was widened.
Hairston said the ribbon cutting was the first time he visited the campus since work on the pedestrian improvements began. Calling the results 鈥渂eautiful,鈥� he said the investment in the project is indicative of the health of the college. He praised MDOT for providing funding for the project.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 say enough about these TAP grants,鈥� Hairston said. 鈥淭hey are invaluable to our state and to projects like these in our county.鈥�
Others who participated in the ribbon cutting were 91自拍 Board of Trustees members Hazel Johnson and Evelyn Murray, as well as Lowndes County District 1 Supervisor Matt Furnari. 91自拍 Chief Financial Officer Tammie Holmes provided the invocation, and student ambassadors assisted with the event.
Kenney said MDOT was proud to partner in the project.
鈥淒r. Alsobrooks talked about the 鈥榳ow鈥� factor,鈥� Kenney said. 鈥淲hen I drove in here and saw this place, I thought, 鈥楾his is beautiful.鈥� Now the important part is to get you students out there and use it on a daily basis.鈥�
91自拍 freshman Adraya Sherman said she loves the pedestrian improvements.
鈥淓verything is more accessible,鈥� Sherman said. 鈥淚t looks really good, and there is a lot more seating.鈥�
The work on 91自拍鈥檚 Golden Triangle campus follows on the heels of a similar project at the college鈥檚 Scooba campus last year, which was completed through a separate $1.9 million federal grant administered by the Local Public Agencies division of MDOT in Central Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons鈥� district. A ribbon cutting for the Scooba work took place in October of 2025.
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