Mississippi College Constructing Parking Garage

Work begins in early May on a new parking garage at Mississippi College that will make it easier for students, faculty, staff and visitors to find spaces for their vehicles on the Clinton campus.

“Due to continued growth, Mississippi College is making a significant investment to expand campus parking by the construction of a new parking garage,” says Steve Stanford, vice president for administration and government affairs.

The three-level garage will feature spots for 557 vehicles, and be built on an existing lot just west of the A.E. Wood Coliseum and south of the Robinson-Hale Football Stadium. Construction should be completed August 15 or prior to the start of Fall 2012 semester classes in late August. Due to its location on a current lot, the parking garage will produce an extra 366 spaces on the Clinton campus.

The parking facility’s second and third levels will connect to Hitt Drive. All three levels will be assessed separately and the structure will include stairwells at the northeast and southwest corners.

Clinton’s Planning and Zoning Board recently gave its unanimous approval to the parking garage, with the Mississippi College facility also needing the OK from the Clinton Board of Aldermen.

Stanford says the parking structure’s red brick design will complement the architectural design of the Clinton campus. The facility will be equipped with security cameras, lighting and emergency telephones. It will remain open on a 24/7 basis to serve the nearly 5,300-student Christian university and its visitors.

On just about every college campus across America, parking is an issue, with too many cars and too few spaces, school officials say. Many universities are encouraging more carpooling, greater use of bicycles and walking as a good way to get to classes, and building new parking facilities.

The Ridgeland-based Harrell Contracting Group is handling the design work of the MC construction project with assistance from the Tompkins Design Group.

During the construction process over the next three months, Mississippi College will lose more than 100 parking spaces. At some point, Hitt Drive will be temporarily closed to traffic.

But in the end, the extra parking spaces at the new garage will be a welcome addition to the Mississippi College campus, school leaders say. “It is best to respond to meet needs ahead of time,” Stanford said.