Jones County Junior College recently received a $97,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks for the campus multi-purpose walking trail, which is one of many JCJC projects to enhance the aesthetics of the college.

The walking trail, projected to be a ten-foot wide asphalt surface following the perimeter of the campus lake, will be one-half mile in length and designed for walkers, joggers, bicyclists and inline skaters.

“Our trail ties in with Governor Barbour’s walking initiative,” said Jim Walley, vice president for external affairs. “We expect the track to benefit not only students, faculty and staff, but also people throughout our district.”

The grant dovetails into other grants received for the trail, including one for the lake renovation, which converted the dam from vehicular to pedestrian traffic.

A fountain will be added later that will benefit the newly stocked fish as well as add to the aesthetics of the campus.

A second grant of $43,000 will be used to plant trees and shrubs along the trail.

The forestry classes will use the arboretum as an educational project by making the locations, botanical characteristics, and scientific names of each species accessible through the college website.

A printable map with Global Positioning Systems coordinates will also be available for the use of school children and the public.

“I’m very excited about JCJC President Dr. Jesse Smith’s commitment to improve the aesthetics of the campus through these various grants,” said Walley. “His initiative to utilize external sources of funding to make improvements to our campus not only benefit our students and faculty but also our community.”

Clark Engineering of Laurel will provide the engineering specifications, and the project will be bid early summer.

The trail should be complete by the beginning of the fall semester and tree planting for the trail will begin this winter.

Working to enhance the aesthetics of the trail is the college’s Phi Theta Kappa organization, which is providing decorative waste receptacles along the trail and committing to monitor the trail for litter as one of their service projects.

The college’s boulevard project, a partnership between the college and city of Ellisville, has re-established the boulevards that graced the college entrance some 50 years ago.

Crepe myrtles, irrigation and lighting has been installed in the boulevards, and Julie Laird of Ellisville is happy to see the new and improved boulevards.

“I was eight years old when they took the boulevards down, and I was upset because they were so beautiful. I appreciate the college and city bringing them back. The beautification of campus will attract people, and people are much more likely to live somewhere that’s beautiful,” said Laird.