WESSON – Local golfers may soon have a place to sit and relaxafter a day on the links, thanks to members of the Co-LinFoundation.

Foundation Executive Director Charlotte Hill told theCopiah-Lincoln Community College Board of Trustees Thursdayafternoon that there had been a good deal of interest expressed ina clubhouse for Wolf Hollow Golf course. She said the foundationboard had voted to endorse a project to work with foundationmembership on the cost of the new building.

The project itself will cost $200,000 altogether, Hill said, butso far almost half is already in hand. She said the board alreadyhas $91,000 in private donations and there has been a $10,000pledge which should come in in the next four to six weeks.

“We’ve developed a plan to raise it that involves a short,intensive two-month campaign,” she said.

The plan, she said, would create a sense of urgency by workingwith potential donors within a compressed time period. The projectwill be spearheaded by five individuals who will act as teamcaptains, she said.

“These people will collect personal pledges, recruit teammembers and identify prospects and go out and ask for money,” shesaid. “At the end of April we will have as much in the hands of thecommittee as possible.”

The aim is for the funding of the club house to be 100 percentprivate money, she said.

“Our members are excited,” Hill said of the foundation. “We hopey’all are too.”

Board member Melton King said he was.

“I’m encouraged the foundation cares enough about our golfcourse to get involved with fund raising for it,” he said.

Co-Lin President Howell Garner said the foundation has beeninstrumental in bringing in donations for several projects,including raising over $50,000 to send the football team andcheerleaders to a bowl game in 2006.

In addition to straight donations, Garner said donors will beencouraged to buy rooms in the clubhouse, which like the rooms inthe Thames Center, will be named after them. He said where thesponsorships in the Thames Center were endowed, individuals andcompanies can sponsor rooms in the clubhouse and the money goestoward the actual building itself.

The money goes to the foundation, but the Board of Trustees willbe allowed to approve any names which might be put on the clubhouserooms.

Hill said the clubhouse will be 5,000 square feet, with a largedeck on the back side.

Garner said as soon as the current fitness center project isfinished, crews would be ready to start on the Wolf Hollowproject.

Co-Lin Physical Plant Director Darryl Jordan said workers havebeen waiting for quite some time to pour the slab for themuch-anticipated fitness center.

“It’s been kinda wet, but hopefully we can pour the slab byTuesday if the rain will hold off,” he said.

King pointed out that doing work like the clubhouse and thefitness center with in-house crews is a smart option when themanpower is available.

“Doing it in-house means considerable savings,” he said. “It’swell worth it.”