A local church started a farmer's market. A building sitting next to the Brainerd Mission Cemetery is now ready to become a new library.
Quietly, progress has been made in the revitalization of Brainerd.
"It does take a village to make things happen," Councilwoman Carol Berz said Thursday morning.
The District 6 Summit, led by Berz, took place Thursday at the University of Phoenix campus. Almost 50 people gathered in a conference room to hear a progress report on what is taking place in Brainerd as the community tries to redefine itself.
BRAINERD PROGRESS REPORT* City is constructing almost three miles of trail on the South Chickamauga Greenway;* City has traded a downtown building for a building close to the Brainerd Mission Cemetery to use as a library;* Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority has demolished old Target building to make way for green space;* Grace Episcopal Church has started a farmer's market.Source: District 6 Summit
"What you're going to hear today is a progress report of a vision turned into action," Berz told those gathered.
Within the last six months, community leaders and the city have made some headway.
Grace Episcopal Church started a farmer's market and the city is building almost three miles of trail on South Chickamauga Greenway. The Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority tore down the former Target building to make way for green space.
County Commissioner Tim Boyd, who represents District 8, which covers Brainerd and East Ridge, said he fully supports the vision.
"This makes Brainerd and East Ridge, District 8, the midtown of Chattanooga," he said.
The master plan envisioned by community members would put more sidewalks and trees along Brainerd Road, more mixed-use developments in the area and make the area around Eastgate Town Center a more "walkable community."
There would also be more green space added, along with a new library branch that includes a community center and an area for studying family and American Indian history.
Tamara Hicks, of Native American Services of Tennessee, said she and some other groups were forming a new group, Friends of Brainerd Mission.
As a Brainerd resident, she has a personal stake in the redevelopment.
"I can't wait to have the sidewalks," she said.
Contact Cliff Hightower at chightower@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CliffHightower.