April 17, 2026

A ribbon cutting for the completion of new walking paths, pedestrian crosswalks and courtyards on East Mississippi Community College’s Golden Triangle campus took place Friday, April 17.

EMCC was awarded $1 million in Transportation Alternatives Project (TAP) grant funds administered through MDOT’s Local Public Agencies division. EMCC provided $500,000 in matching grant funds for the project.

Guest speakers at the ribbon cutting included EMCC 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’s place.

Alsobrooks thanked the various partners in the project, including MDOT, the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors, and EMCC’s Board of Trustees, as well as WGK Engineers, Econ Construction, and PryorMorrow.

“When 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 ‘wow’ factor,” Alsobrooks said. “This is an extremely beautiful project. We are so proud of what we have been able to do here to support our students.”

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 “beautiful,” he said the investment in the project is indicative of the health of the college. He praised MDOT for providing funding for the project.

“I can’t say enough about these TAP grants,” Hairston said. “They are invaluable to our state and to projects like these in our county.”

Others who participated in the ribbon cutting were EMCC Board of Trustees members Hazel Johnson and Evelyn Murray, as well as Lowndes County District 1 Supervisor Matt Furnari. EMCC 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.

“Dr. Alsobrooks talked about the ‘wow’ factor,” Kenney said. “When I drove in here and saw this place, I thought, ‘This is beautiful.’ Now the important part is to get you students out there and use it on a daily basis.”

EMCC freshman Adraya Sherman said she loves the pedestrian improvements.

“Everything is more accessible,” Sherman said. “It looks really good, and there is a lot more seating.”

The work on EMCC’s Golden Triangle campus follows on the heels of a similar project at the college’s 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’ district. A ribbon cutting for the Scooba work took place in October of 2025.