Meridian officials are set to open the new Frank Cochran Center with a ribbon cutting Friday, ending an effort more than five years in the making.

 

The center, which is located at Highland Park, was one of the city’s most used events venues, hosting birthday parties, reunions, weddings and more, before it was damaged by a fire in December 2019.

 

In July 2023, the Meridian City Council awarded a $3,360,000 contract to Sullivan Enterprises out of Magee to renovate the facility. The project involved taking the Frank Cochran Center down to its outer shell and fully rebuilding the inside. Council members opted for the approach as they looked to not only repair the fire damage but transform the center into a modern events space.

 

Funding for the project came from a $1.2 million Capital Improvements Revolving loan, a low interest loan program through The Mississippi Development Authority aimed at helping municipalities fund capital projects, $800,000 in insurance money from the fire and $1 million from a $5 million bond issue intended to rehabilitate the city’s parks.

 

Initially planned to reopen in June 2024 ahead of the Meridianite Picnic, the restoration project has been delayed several times.

 

In its Jan. 7 meeting, the City Council adopted new fees for residents wishing to rent the center for private events. Renting the Frank Cochran Center will cost $1,500 per day, with $750 due at the time of the reservation. An additional $500 security deposit is fully refundable so long as the facility is left in good order.

 

Friday’s ribbon cutting comes just days before the newly finished Frank Cochran Center holds its inaugural event, hosting the annual NAACP Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast on Jan. 20.