City officials and community leaders cut the ribbon on the newly completed Frank Cochran Center Friday at Highland Park, unveiling a modernized and reimagined events venue and ending a project more than five years in the making.

 

Meridian Parks and Recreation Director Thomas Adams said the new center, which also houses the Parks and Recreation offices, features more than 60 speakers, wi-fi capability, multiple security cameras, a 225-inch LCD screen and more.

 

“This project has come a long way, y’all, and I can’t say enough about it,” he said.

 

Efforts to rebuild the Frank Cochran Center began in December 2019 after the north end of the building was damaged in a fire. Although plans were made at the time to transform the space into a multi-purpose building, no progress was made until a new city administration took office in 2021, Adams said.

 

“Things change, administrations change, and it kind of sat dormant for a minute, and so pretty much what we did was we ended up picking up the torch,” he said. “We picked the torch up, and I believe, don’t you all believe that’s how the city should run? I mean, you pick the torch up and you continue. That’s how the city grows.”

 

The City of Meridian received roughly $800,000 in insurance money from the fire and was able to secure an additional $1.2 million Capital Improvements Revolving loan from The Mississippi Development Authority with help from East Central Planning and Development District, Adams said. CAP loans are low interest loans through MDA that are intended to help municipalities pay for capital improvements projects.

 

The City Council also allocated $1 million from a $5 million bond to revitalize parks passed in 2023 to go toward the Frank Cochran Center project.

 

In repairing the building, the city opted not to simply fix the damaged areas but instead chose to overhaul the structure to make it a true events venue. While the previous Frank Cochran Center served its purpose, the new building is something else entirely, Adams said.

 

“It’s a totally new building compared to how it used to be when it just used to be a metal building,” he said. “It served its purpose now, but now I can truly tell you guys that this is a top shelf building.”

 

Mayor Jimmie Smith said restoring the Frank Cochran Building was one of the first projects he looked at when taking office in 2021 and grew to encompass projects at all city parks with the 2023 bond issue. Meridian’s parks, he said, are the city’s jewels.

 

“We have refurbished every park in the City of Meridian. Not just this one, but every last one of them, and so the community can be proud of every park that we have because it’s fantastic as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “It’s a jewel. Every park is a jewel.”

 

Councilman Joe Norwood Jr., who represents Ward 3, including Highland Park, said he remembers all the activities that went on in the park when he was growing up and wants to bring that sense of community and safety back to the area. With the Frank Cochran Center, he said, one stipulation he required is the ability to make and receive phone calls while inside the building.

 

The Frank Cochran Center will make its debut as an events venue Monday as it hosts the NAACP’s 40th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast beginning at 8 a.m.