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Co-Lin receives grant from Mississippi Department of Archives and History
WESSON – Copiah-Lincoln Community College has received notification from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History of grant funding in the amount of $100,000 for assistance with the roof replacement on the historic J. M. Ewing Administration Building on the Wesson Campus. The grant award was announced at a special meeting in early December of the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for twenty-six grants totaling 2,980,194. These funds will be used for the preservation ofhistoric courthouses, schools, and other historic properties in specially designated Certified Local Governments. This award is expected to cover approximately one-third of the cost of the re-roofing project for the building, with additional funding coming from the Mississippi Bureau of Building, Grounds, and Real Property, and additional local county maintenance funds.
“The J. M. Ewing Administration Building at Copiah-Lincoln Community College is one of the remaining historical buildings remaining at the college and has been in major need of a roof replacement with the current roof installed in 1991,” said Co-Lin President Dr. Ronnie Nettles. “We are very grateful to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for assisting us with funding this worthwhile project.”
In order to be eligible for grant funds, school properties have to be registered as a Mississippi Designated Landmark Property. In 1996, the Ewing Administration Building was registered as a Landmark Property with 10 other properties in Copiah County, with only two in the city of Wesson. The J. M. Ewing Administration Building was built in 1938 and designed by Hull and Drummond Architects of Jackson. The Georgian Revival style building contains 15,327 assignable square feet and contains the R. E. Rea Auditorium, which seats over 700 guests and hosts over 10,000 visitors to the building each year.
To address the needs of the aging roof, Dr. Jeff Posey, Director of Facilities Planning, began researching grant options to assist with the project and found out about the Mississippi Community Heritage Preservation Grant Program, which was passed in Senate Bill 2906 in 2015.
“We felt the Ewing Building was the perfect property for this type of grant, because of its historic character and its extreme need for roof replacement,” said Posey. “By participating in the Historic Landmark Property designation, we will enter into a 25 year protective maintenance covenant. The current covenant on the property expires in 2021 with the next one expiring in 2046.” These covenants require that the college have all building improvements approved by a special historic preservation board at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to help preserve the historic integrity of the building.
Grant awards are paid on a reimbursable basis upon the successful completion of the entire project or at the time of the completion of pre-established phases of the project. Prior to application all buildings must have been designated Mississippi Landmarks.
For more information about any of the facilities renovation and historic preservation projects ongoing at Co-Lin,contact Dr. Posey at (601) 643-8411.
