By Ryan Lewis
Correspondent
JASPER, Tenn. — Just when it seemed the proposed technical training center in Marion County was doomed, a surprise pitch from Chattanooga State officials and a counter-offer from county leaders has breathed new life into the project.
The project recently fell into limbo when construction estimates for a 30,000-square-foot building on the site came in at twice the expected cost.
Last week, speaking before the Marion County Commission, Chattanooga State Community College President James Catanzaro said the school has outgrown its current satellite campus in Kimball, Tenn., which was established in 1993.
“We have been thinking over the last couple of years about what we should do,” he said. “We can’t stay where we are. We can retreat to Sequatchie County where we have a 40-acre campus, or we can build here. We have to make a decision.”
Catanzaro said $120 million in stimulus money is coming to Tennessee for community colleges and technical centers, and he proposed applying for some of that money to buy 75 acres of the property the county has set aside for the project for around $10,000 per acre.
Chattanooga State then would build two buildings on the site to accommodate a transfer program and building trades program with plenty of room left over for growth.
“We have to be positioned to help a community for years and years to come,” he said. “That’s what this stimulus money is all about.”
After meeting with all the officials involved, Marion County Commissioner Les Price said the offer was tweaked so everybody would get what they wanted.
Under the revised plan, Chattanooga State would buy 40 acres for $20,000 per acre for the two buildings, which county officials said is a price supported by the cost of land surrounding the property.
“We can use that money to retire the debt we incurred when we bought the property,” Price said. “The bottom line is we would have a bigger, better, nicer school than what we envisioned at the front, and we wouldn’t owe anything.”
Marion County attorney Billy Gouger said the stimulus money requires a community match, and Kimball’s commitment to install a sewer line to the property is a key component.
“That has to be 15 percent of the total project cost,” he said. “The way we got to that number was using the $750,000 in grant money the county has, plus the approximate $700,000 Kimball has in for the sewer extension up to the property.”
Price said the county still would own 90-100 acres of property for future expansion.
“[Chattanooga State officials] seemed to be very agreeable to our proposal,” he said. “I think this is a good deal for them, too. Eventually, their lease payment [to the county] is going to go away.”
After commissioners unanimously approved the deal, Chattanooga State will apply for $10 million in stimulus money this week with the $1.5 million local commitment from the county, Gouger said.
“Everyone has worked hard over the last few days to pull this together,” he said.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.