October 17, 2025

A ribbon cutting commemorating the construction of new walking paths, pedestrian crosswalks and courtyards on East Mississippi Community College’s Scooba campus took place the morning of Friday, Oct. 17.

Attendees at the ribbon cutting included EMCC President Dr. Scott Alsobrooks, Mississippi Department of Transportation Central Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons and members of the Kemper County Board of Supervisors.

“This project is so exciting to me as a commissioner because it adds beauty, it adds connectivity and it adds safety,” Simmons said. “President Alsobrooks indicated to me that the student body moving around on campus now has the ability to use these sidewalks to connect to every facility on campus. That is fantastic.”

Work on the project wrapped up earlier this year and includes a new walkway encircling the Hawkins Building, the Keyes T. Currie Coliseum and the parking lot between the two buildings. Another walkway was built around the outside perimeter of Stennis Hall, the Davis Administration Building and the Tubb-May Library.

A large courtyard area with landscaping and multiple seating areas was constructed in the commons area between the F.R. Young Student Union and the Davis Administration Building, with sidewalks linking to other buildings. Additional sidewalks were also constructed and new outdoor lighting was installed.

“It is super nice,” said EMCC sophomore Annagrace Stewart, who resides on the Scooba campus and is a member of the softball team. “It is very convenient to have these sidewalks and be able to commute to class.”

EMCC was awarded $1.9 million in federal funds administered by the Local Public Agencies division of the Mississippi Department of Transportation for the project.

MDOT serves as a conduit for local governments to access federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act funds.

“We are grateful to our stakeholders, our community members and especially our partners at the Mississippi Department of Transportation, whose dedication has helped bring this vision to life,” Alsobrooks said.

EMCC was required to provide a match of at least 20 percent for the project and allocated $480,000 to help pay for the work.

A new walking path that runs from Athletic Cottage Villages west of the Gerald Poole Field baseball complex to the interior of the campus was also installed, as was another sidewalk along Everett Street that extends to the Chapel in the Pines.

A walkway from the parking lot east of the Hawkins Building now crosses Everett Street west of the Physical Plant building and exits in front of Sullivan-Windham Field to alleviate foot traffic on the roadways during football games.

Kemper County Board of Supervisors President Scott Johnson said he and other supervisors are grateful for the improvements on both a professional and a personal level given that some of them attended EMCC and now have children enrolled at the college.

“It’s a great campus and there is a lot of sentimental value here,” Johnson said. “This campus is vital to our community. It has changed over the years and we would like to thank you for that, Dr. Scott. The improvements you have made on this campus are just overwhelming. We thank all those who had a hand in this.”

Similar work is wrapping up on the college’s Golden Triangle campus.

All the new walking paths on both campuses include access points into the buildings and are Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. EMCC was awarded a separate $1 million grant for work at the Golden Triangle campus.

The project on the Golden Triangle campus includes the closure of a service road between the Douglas Building and the Johnny W. Fisher Math and Science Building, with that space converted to a walking path that extends from the parking lot west of the CMTE to an existing sidewalk east of the library.

A covered awning between the Douglas Building and Math and Science Building was removed and a large courtyard with brick pavers and seating areas has been constructed in its place. The path around the pond on the Golden Triangle campus was widened and new curbs and gutters were added. New sidewalk lighting was also installed.

“On behalf of our entire community, we extend our deepest gratitude to the Mississippi Department of Transportation and Commissioner Simmons for your partnership, your leadership and your unwavering dedication to improving the lives of those that we serve,” Alsobrooks said.