'It's unifying our community': Hub City Central stadium breaks ground
In a historic advancement for the community and students of the Jackson-Madison County School System alike, Wednesday afternoon marked the groundbreaking ceremony for the "Hub City Central" football stadium at Oman Arena.
Located adjacent to Jackson-Central Merry Early College High, the stadium will be home to the JCM Cougars but with accessibility available for all JMCSS students.
In what Education Foundation President Tina Mercer described as a project five years in the making, the stadium is reflective of JMCSS's devotion to its athletics.
"With everything it will encompass and it being in this community is what's so impressive, but everyone will have access to it," Mercer said. "I'm just so glad that we've made it to this point because it's been years of development."
More: Here’s what’s in the site plan for the Oman Arena renovation
More: JCM students to begin school at Oman Arena next week
Dozens of educators, students, elected officials, JCM alumni, and representatives from local agencies gathered to witness the groundbreaking. JMCSS Superintendent Dr. Marlon King shared that the community outpouring of support has been "humbling."
"It's unifying our community," he said. "I'm so excited to see a project bring this many people out around supporting not only the school system but Jackson-Madison County as a whole."
Though the project will have a positive impact on economic development for the city and county, King shared a unique detail regarding how the stadium will create and foster entrepreneurial opportunities on a smaller scale.
"One thing we should recognize is the opportunity that students will have in our workforce development program where they will have the opportunity to run the concession stand and start their own small businesses and be able to sell at the stadium," he said. "We're looking for opportunities to bridge the gap from what students are doing in the workforce development space, our career and technical program, and allowing them to come over from the entrepreneur's program and start actually running their businesses at the stadium."
A multi-phase project
In February of 2022, the school board voted unanimously on a special purchase resolution to acquire the Oman Arena from the City of Jackson for $1.
Under the ownership of JMCSS, the stadium falls under the umbrella of the district's new "CommUNITY Project" initiative along with the construction of Pope Elementary and the renovation of Malesus Innovation STEM Center.
Construction for the Hub City Central stadium entails a three-phase approach to its revitalization.
Phase one will be the site work that extends from the back of the old Madison Academic, to the main entrance of Oman Arena, and up to the crosswalk between JCM and the old Madison Academic. Addressing improvements to landscaping, asphalt, and parking will be a part of phase one as well.
Revamping the Oman Arena characterizes phase two. In addition to new doors and windows, the JMCSS logo will sit atop the arena while lights surround its dome and down its sides.
With plans for a turf field, an eight-lane regulation track, home and visitor locker rooms, concessions, a press box, a jumbotron scoreboard and a seating capacity of 2,200, phase three will focus on the construction of the stadium.
He added that the project may be done as early as the fall of 2024 or by the spring of 2025 at the latest.
"
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Jackson Central-Merry Cougars, Hub City Central stadium breaks ground
