A $20 million expansion of a building along I-55 in Ridgeland could change the look of the Jackson suburb and take Holmes Community College to the next level both educationally and from an economic development perspective.
Holmes broke ground in summer 2025 on its new 65,000-square-foot Allied Health Facility on the Ridgeland Campus.
This new facility, which is expected to open in early 2027, will allow HCC to expand its training programs for practical nurses, registered nurses, surgical technologists, and occupational therapy assistants. It will also free up much-space for the school’s EMT and paramedic programs and create room for the growth of the culinary arts program.
«It’s a good time to be in the community college business,» Holmes President Jim Haffey told the Clarion Ledger. «We have eyed that site since the mid 1980s and took over the old fitness business that was once there, but this addition really solves a need for us and creates a real gateway to our Ridgeland campus.»
Situated in front of the Holmes Fitness Center along, the facility will house classrooms and offices for various health science programs. It will also feature a 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.
Holmes serves a nine-county district in Mississippi.
Holmes had wanted to make this move for a long time, but Entergy owned the property adjacent to the former fitness center that HCC had already acquired. Haffey said he and Entergy CEO Haley Fisackerly eventually came to an agreement and Holmes took over the property.
«(Entergy) was good to us in that regard and did something they don’t always do, which is to sell property,» Haffey said. «But it was for a good cause.»
Haffey said Holmes did not have to borrow any money to make the project move forward.
«We were able to use some of the bond funds that we saved and then cash that we saved over the last 10 years to build it. Then the Madison County Supervisors gave us a small millage increase because of this project,» Haffey said.