Construction of the Lafayette County Business Complex and Multipurpose Arena is ahead of schedule, according to Bryan Ellis of Innovative Construction Management.

Ellis, a senior project manager with ICM, presented a progress report on the project to the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors during Monday morning’s meeting. As of the meeting, the completion date for both projects is set for March 5, 2019, a 330-day total timeframe. In terms of calendar days, the projects are 19 percent complete.

It’s an accomplishment Ellis said he and the ICM team are proud of.

“For the business center, we’ve tracked milestones, and we’re slightly ahead of schedule on those dates,” Ellis said. “For the arena, the foundation was completed ahead of schedule and all below-ground drainage for both projects is complete.”

Underground plumbing and electrical work is complete on many parts of the business center, as well as sanitary sewer work.

For the arena project, the foundation was completed for the practice arena, which was an alternate on the final bid, on June 8. The structural steel placement began on June 13 and was completed by the end of last week.

The business center and multipurpose arena will be located off County Road 406, on 50 of 160 acres owned by the county. A portion of the remaining land will be leased to Lafayette County School District, to construct a new elementary school.

Once completed, the business center will house offices for the Department of Motor Vehicles, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Department of Human Services, coroner’s office and Lafayette County Justice Court.

Also in the complex will be the Oxford Municipal Court, which is currently held in City Hall but has outgrown its space.

The city will rent the space in the business complex from the county at $85,000 a year for 10 years, along with an estimated $9,660 for utilities. WIN Job Center will also share a space in the complex.

For more information on the Lafayette County Business Complex and Multi-purpose Arena, visit www.lafayettems.com.