Copiah-Lincoln Community College continues to see infrastructure upgrades across the Wesson campus, with the school’s aging walking track and decrepit Ellzey Hall eyed next for improvements.

     Resurfacing work on the school’s Stone Stadium walking track should begin in the spring, said Co-Lin President Dr. Ronnie Nettles.

     Thursday afternoon, the Co-Lin board of trustees approved a $94,000 bid by Hellas Construction to undertake the project. The only competing bid was more than $100,000.

     Co-Lin received a Blue Cross & Blue Shield Foundation grant of $110,000 in August to fund healthy living initiatives at the school. The grant will pay for the walking track work.

     A start date for construction hasn’t been set yet.

     “We can’t start until the weather is a little bit warmer,” Nettles said. 

     The school no longer has a track team, so the track will only be refinished for walking purposes, not for competitive track and field events.

     Also on the horizon, Nettles said the state Bureau of Building and Grounds will pay for some renovations to Ellzey Hall on the Wesson campus, a building formerly used as a dormitory.

     The bureau will pay to gut the interior of the building, replace the roof, and renovate the exterior of the building to return it to its original appearance. The building was built in 1928 and is one of the school’s original facilities.

     “It will just be an empty building, but it will be structurally sound and look a lot better,” Nettles said.

     The bureau’s upgrades will revert many of the changes made to building during renovations in 1969. Among other planned renovations, the building’s’ current flat roof will be replaced with a pitched roof as it originally had.

     In the future, Nettles said the school would like to repurpose Ellzey as a multi-use building, with classrooms, office and meeting space and labs.

     Nettles said he’s optimistic the Ellzey work could also begin in the spring.

     Ellzey Hall’s considered a historic building, so Nettles said the Bureau is using Historic Preservation Discretionary funds to help refurbish the building. The dorm was closed in 2011, and the building has remained unused since.

     In other business of the board, Vice President of Instruction Jane Hulon briefed board members on the school’s December graduation ceremony. Out of about 148 fall graduates, approximately 97 are expected to participate in the ceremony.

     The fall commencement will be Dec. 13 at 11 a.m.

     The school had about 110 total fall graduates in 2011.