$18M funds safe room, gym

By Bob Arnold

A healthy part of a dream Educational Performing Arts and Athletic Center that was a vision of former Co-Lin President Dr. Jane Hulon Sims for the Wesson campus of the college she managed seems to be on track under a Federal grant.

Co-Lin has been awarded $16,294,746 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant program for construction of a new, large-scale safe room facility that will accommodate more than 2,000 occupants and include a gymnasium where the college’s basketball and volleyball teams will play.

When Dr. Dewayne Middleton succeeded Dr. Hulon Sims as president of Co-Lin, he suggested FEMA’s safe room program might be a route to realizing part of the vision Dr. Hulon uplifted in her ambitious proposal for a $30 Million complex including a 1,500-seat performing arts theatre and a 2,000-seat athletic arena with shared ticketing, concessions, and restrooms along with a shared lobby designed to host basketball games, other athletic events and arts shows.

FEMA safe rooms are hardened, reinforced structures (concrete, steel, or CMU) designed to provide near-absolute protection for emergency shelter against EF5 tornadoes and hurricane-force winds, while serving multiple daily or long-term uses in homes as walk-in closets, pantries or bathrooms or safe storage/panic rooms to secure firearms, documents or valuables or refuge during security threats or break-ins; and in public, school or community settings as gyms, classrooms or community centers.  They can also offer secure locations for communications equipment and critical systems of public agencies and be specifically designed with ADA-compliant doors for individuals with disabilities.

A safe room at Gallman, Mississippi, in Copiah County serves as a multi-purpose community center for meetings, functions and special events.

“We’ve been through enough severe storms in Mississippi to understand the value of safe rooms. I’m pleased with these FEMA hazard mitigation grants to create more safe spaces in our state,” said U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee that has jurisdiction over FEMA.

“The safety of our students, employees, and community is always a top priority for Co-Lin,” said Co-Lin President Dr. Dewayne Middleton. “This project will provide a secure shelter during severe weather while also creating a first-class facility for our student-athletes and campus community.

“We are especially grateful to U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith for her continued leadership and strong support of Co-Lin, the community college system, and the people of Mississippi. Her commitment to strengthening our institutions and investing in projects like this makes a meaningful difference for our students and communities.  We also extend our sincere appreciation to FEMA and our federal delegation for supporting a project that will serve our college and the surrounding community for generations. In addition, we greatly appreciate the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency for its assistance and support in helping make this important project a reality.”

The $16.3 million Co-Lin grant will cover construction of a 35,000-square-foot standalone, multipurpose safe room on the college’s Wesson campus.  It is phase II of a total $18 million grant that included $1.6 million for planning awarded in 2024 and a $175,000 administrative grant awarded with the current funds.