U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., made a visit to Chattanooga earlier this month to discuss the relocation of the city’s federal courthouse with local government and corporate stakeholders.
The relocation has caused some disagreement between local leaders and the General Services Administration, the federal department that maintains most federal buildings.
“Sen. Blackburn has worked to ensure the voices of local officials and community leaders are heard as the General Services Administration weighs its decisions on the future of a federal courthouse in Chattanooga,” Audrey Cook, a spokesperson for the senator, said in an emailed statement. “As a defender of private property rights, Sen. Blackburn convened a meeting with the participation of local leaders in Chattanooga to ensure GSA has all the facts before it makes a decision.”
The federal agency has said it prefers a 4-acre parcel bound by East Fifth Street, Lindsay Street, Vine Street and Georgia Avenue for the new building. Insurance company Unum, which owns the Vine Street location, has said the property is not for sale.
Emily Downing-Baer, a spokesperson for Unum, said Blackburn invited the company to the meeting — which took place Jan. 16 — along with the administrator of the General Services Administration and the Tennessee Valley Authority, whose downtown office complex has been another possible courthouse location.