After a month off and a postponement due to bad weather,Copiah-Lincoln Community College Board of Trustees got back to workThursday evening and took care of usual business and receivedseveral updates of ongoing projects.

Construction on the men’s dorm on the Wesson campus is under way.The site, next to Franklin and Simpson dormitories, has beencleared for the new building and crews are getting ready to pourfoundation.

“I’ve been amazed. They’ve been able to work through a lot of badweather,” said Co-Lin President Dr. Ronnie Nettles.

The board’s February meeting was held Thursday after last week’sregular meeting was postponed due to bad weather.

Nettles said the construction crews have not lost as many days asone would think due to the inclement weather, and he hopes to openthe new dorm next spring.

The new $3.2 million dorm will provide 56 beds for honor studentsand the construction of the new dorm is phasing residents out ofEllzey Hall. The future for Ellzey Hall is uncertain.

As one Co-Lin project gets rolling, another is nearcompletion.

Board members received an update on the Howell C. GarnerInstruction Center, which is located on the Natchez campus. Thefinal touches of the building include moving furniture in andinstalling technology throughout the building. The24,000-square-foot building is named after the college’s sixthpresident, who served the college with a career that spanned threedecades.

The instruction center will house a combination of career andtechnical programs such as science labs, medical programs and a fewgeneral classrooms. The building will be dedicated on March 3 at2:30 p.m. and will be open to the public.

“(The dedication) is just an opportunity to show it off,” saidNettles.

The board also received an update on the Smart Meter Program andRetro Commissioning Program. The programs, which are through theBureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, couldprovide an efficient way for Co-Lin to cut down on its energybill.

Officials are currently looking across the college’s district tosee what it might cost to install wireless energy meters, which arecapable of monitoring energy usage in specific areas. If thecollege has better knowledge of what facilities are using moreenergy, plans can be made to limit energy consumption for thatparticular building.

“Energy is a huge place to make savings,” said Nettles.

As an example, Nettles said changing the mechanics in the heatingsystem at the Thames Conference Center has saved the college 50percent on a month-to-month basis from three years ago.

“It’s a better usage of your limited dollars,” said Nettles.

Nettles also mentioned that the study is coming at no cost to thecollege.

“We just have to cooperate with them and hopefully there’ll be abenefit for us in the end,” he said.