Chattanooga, Hamilton County and private partners are looking to form a construction vocational school on the site of the former Mary Ann Garber school in East Chattanooga.
A project has been in the works since late 2018 to use the site for trade training for homebuilders to provide more jobs and opportunity in the area, as well as addressing a national skilled labor shortage.
"Basically, we recognize the lack of diversity in the construction industry and the lack of construction workers in general, and this is a good way to address it locally," said Chip Henderson, a city councilman in the city's northernmost district and an early supporter of the project. "I work in home building, and you're hardly ever working on a project anymore where there's a worker under 45 or 50 ... this will help us get more people into better jobs and help that workforce."
The project, which has been spearheaded by a handful of local government supporters, the Association of General Contractors and other private partners, is still in planning stages, but is unofficially estimated to cost between $6 million and $12 million, according to Henderson.
"It's too early to say for sure what it's really going to cost. We're still fundraising, and we are going to have to consider operational costs too," County Mayor Jim Coppinger, who has also been a part of the project, told the Times Free Press Thursday. "But yes, it will probably cost several million dollars to construct and renovate."
Henderson said the school, which will seek to provide both secondary and post-secondary trade education, will hopefully open in late summer 2021 and begin improving the local job market.
"This is going to serve a really important purpose for both the industry and the people in the area," Henderson said, noting that the area is also home to a $61 million automotive paint facility announced late last year on the former Harriet Tubman housing site. "We wanted to make sure first that the location of this school was on the bus line and accessible but also that it was in a side of town with a more diverse community ... it's a great project for Chattanooga that couldn't happen without all of the other partners who have signed on throughout this process."
Coppinger echoed Henderson's excitement, citing the value of local partnerships in furthering economic development.
"This is really a testament to the best thing we have to offer here locally: strong public and private partnerships on the issues that affect our citizens the most," the mayor said. "This kind of stuff really can't happen without an immense amount of teamwork and we're all so proud of what we know it will end up bringing to the community."
More information on the project will be released in the next few months as planning and funding are finalized.
Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at 423-757-6416 or at staylor@timesfreepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.