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A momentous groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, June 19, marked the beginning of construction on Holmes Community College’s new Allied Health Facility on the Ridgeland Campus. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, board of trustee members, the contractor, the architect and even a state senator were among those in attendance to celebrate the occasion, along with member of the Madison County community and those representing the chamber of commerce.
Holmes President Dr. Jim Haffey kicked off the event with an address, expressing his excitement about this addition to the college.
“This is going to be an amazing building,” Dr. Haffey said. “Along the way, we’ve visited with our faculty and our students, planned with our architects who are here today, and we’ve looked under every rock that we could for funding, with help from folks like Sen. Walter Michel and Sen. Lydia Chassaniol, who are here today. We held our breath as we opened bids, and happily learned that we would be working with one of Mississippi’s premier contractors, Thrash Construction.
“There are a lot of people that made this $20 million building possible,” Dr. Haffey said, “but the group that I do need to single out today for making this campus what you see today is the Madison County Board of Supervisors. They have been with us through the entire process, supporting us financially and politically. Now Madison County, the others in Holmes’ nine-county district and the state of Mississippi can celebrate a project that will continue to help us meet the healthcare needs and challenges of the future. Thousands of wide-eyed, optimistic and untrained students will walk into this building. They will encounter tough, but caring and professional instructors and they’ll probably walk out of this building some nights in tears, but they will eventually walk out ready to take on the healthcare jobs of the future.”
The team behind the design and construction of the new facility includes Thrash Commercial Contractors, JH&H Architects Planners Interiors, Benchmark Engineering & Surveying, LLC, and Smithers Engineers + Consultants. Situated prominently in front of the Holmes Fitness Center along I-55, the facility will house classrooms and offices for various health science programs. It will also feature a spacious multipurpose area that can serve as a shared resource. With capacity for 350 guests in banquet-style seating and 530 in lecture-style seating, Holmes will be better equipped to host large-scale events for the local community.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Dr. Haffey also addressed how far Holmes has come over the past few years, much in part to legislator support.
“On the heels of a tornado that tore through our main campus in Goodman, our local legislators stepped up and helped us rebuild,” Dr. Haffey said. “They also fought for state funding to make this building a reality. I remember going to what we call the old ‘Sardine Luncheon,’ which has grown into a crawfish boil, and Sen. Michel asked me what Holmes needed to get through that crisis. Then, he went to bat, along with his counterparts in the House and in the Senate.
“This new facility will allow us to expand our training programs for practical nurses, registered nurses, surgical technologists, and occupational therapy assistants,” said Dr. Haffey. “It will also free up much-needed space for our EMT and paramedic programs and create room for the growth of our Culinary Arts program. One of the most exciting aspects is that these programs will help support Madison County’s new Premier Banquet Event, which will be housed within this building. There’s a real need for a venue like this in the area. Being located between two brand-new hotels, this is truly the ideal spot in Mississippi for a banquet facility. We believe this will be a game-changer for our local business community, finally offering a space to host events Madison County has long needed.”
After thanking attendees for coming, Dr. Haffey welcomed Dr. Walter Roberts, vice president of the Holmes Board of Trustees, to the podium to offer a prayer of blessing for the project. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed refreshments and fellowship inside the Holmes Fitness Center.
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