Video: EMCC Purchases the Columbus Country Club

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s been made official. East Mississippi Community College has purchased the Columbus Country Club that filed bankruptcy last year. Still in operation the country club is running like it always has, but what happens to all the services the facility offers to the public.

The proceedings lasted about a half an hour this morning at the United States Bankruptcy Court in Aberdeen but planning for the big purchase has been in the works for at least a year. At a price tag of $1.6 million the take over is a win win. Officials are excited about what the future holds for the Golden Triangle campus and it’s students.

Officials from East Mississippi Community College and the Columbus Country Club met Friday morning at a bankruptcy court to make it official. The Columbus Country Club filed for bankruptcy last year unable to make good on $2.3 million in debt. With a price tag of $1.6 million EMCC is now the proud owner of the facility and all it has to offer, a move that was a must for the community college.

EMCC President Dr. Rick Young says, “There is a space shortage at the Golden Triangle Campus. There is a 20 thousand square foot building there at the property that has a commercial kitchen. It also has an area suitable for training and different things.”

The Golden Triangle campus is land locked and has run out of space to continue to growth. With more and more Mississippians going back to school to further their education or to gain a skill, EMCC has seen an increase in business. The purchase was made possible without state and county funds.

Young says, “We’ve saved our money because we know that when we had the opportunity to go to the next level that we should have money in place to do that. This is something we’ve done strictly with local funds.”

A major concern is what will happen to current employees, current members and the civic organizations that call the country club home. Officials say a transition period will take place to make suitable arrangements but that EMCC has no plans on getting rid of any business it already has. In fact they plan on adding to what they already offer.

EMCC has been approved to host a turf management program and thanks to the new addition it won’t be long before students are rolling around on golf carts and going for birdies.

Young says, “We have a golf program which has non home coarse and now it will. We’ll be able to host high school and collegiate golf tournaments. It will enable us to move our hotel restaurant management program over there and we can really partner up with the “W” now.”

Those involved say the purchase is a win win for the Golden Triangle area.

According to Young, “This property will allow us to have more of a presence in Columbus to increase our stock value there. For civic organizations we will do everything we can to accommodate them.”

School officials are excited about learning all they can about the facility and hoping to have programs up and running by the beginning of 2013.