Tomorrow will be the last day of 2014. How you view the year depends largely on what happened on a personal level.
2015, like all years, begins with a blank page and will defined by many things that we could not have anticipated.
Even so, there are things that we can look forward to with confidence and optimism.
The Trotter Center will open soon after undergoing a $2 million-plus facelift. Those who have toured the facility recently say the improvements go far beyond cosmetics, however. CVB board member Mark Castleberry, who as a developer knows a thing or two about such facilities, was effusive in his praise of the upgraded light and sound systems and its new stage “It’s going to be pretty hard to beat as an entertainment venue,” he predicted during the CVB’s discussion of the Trotter in the board’s December meeting.
Likewise, we look forward to the opening of the connector between the Riverwalk and the Columbus Soccer Complex. Although the construction of the 900-foot sidewalk path is complete, the walkway will not be open to the public until the spring to allow for the landscaping to mature.
We also anticipate some good news on the industrial development front. While rumors that American Specialty Alloy would build a $1.2 billion facility in the county have been floating around for a couple of months, local development officials have maintained a rigid silence. Even so, Joe Max Higgins of The Golden Triangle Development LINK, told LINK members in early December that he was working on more than a dozen projects representing more than $2 billion in investments for the area. He said he expects all three counties to land a substantial project before the end of 2015.
Likewise, progress on Phase I of Yokohama Tire’s facility in West Point is moving ahead of schedule and officials are confident that work on the main facility will begin this spring as planned and production starting in October with 500 workers on the payroll.
Also, work should begin in August on the Communiversity, a state-of-the-art workforce training center that is a collaborate effort among East Mississippi Community College, The LINK and its member communities and the state.
We are also looking forward to another innovation in education when the Early College High School opens on the EMCC Campus. The school, which will offer a dual-track program for students that will allow them to graduate not only with a high school diploma but with an associate’s degree from EMCC represents a truly wonderful opportunity for the under-served students it targets as students. The school will only with a class of 50 ninth-graders drawn from throughout the Golden Triangle and will add another grade each year. The first ECHS graduating class will matriculate in the spring of 2019.
While 2015 will undoubtedly be filled with unexpected twists and turns — many of them unpleasant — it’s nice to know there are so many good things we can look forward to with confidence.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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