Mayor Bob Corker and Rob Healy, Executive Director of Outdoor Chattanooga unveiled plans for a new Outdoor Center which will be located in the heart of Renaissance Park on the North Shore.

The new 6,200 square foot facility will employ an environmentally sensitive design and will operate as a destination and resource for information regarding the region’s rich natural, educational and recreational opportunities and amenities, Mayor Corker said.

Adjacent to the building will be an outdoor pavilion, administrative offices and a conference library and an audio-visual projection room.

Complementing the organization’s mission, the Outdoor Chattanooga complex will also offer three multi-purpose areas for educational, recreational and social activities including a 100 person meeting/banquet hall, an education exhibit room, a covered porch with an outdoor hearth, and an open-air fire pit.

Groundbreaking for the new building is scheduled for September and opening for the new state-of-the-art facility is planned for the summer of 2006.

Mayor Corker and Mr. Healy also introduced the newly appointed Advisory Committee for Outdoor Chattanooga. The Committee is made up of a broad cross-section of people throughout the region who are outdoor stakeholders, enthusiasts and ambassadors, it was stated.

The mission of Outdoor Chattanooga is to make outdoor recreation an attractive, healthy, and distinguishing lifestyle for Chattanooga’s residents and visitor population. This, in turn, will maintain and enhance the value of the region’s natural and built resources, and help grow the region’s economy, officials said.

The concept of creating a facility for citizens and visitors to better understand the numerous outdoor amenities that exist in the region came from a series of public meetings held one year ago. Though not part of the 21st Century Waterfront plan or timeline, the new facility will be housed on the Renaissance Park site and tremendously complement the transformative waterfront development which is nearing completion.

Outdoor Chattanooga

Advisory Board members

Tim Baker

Becky Barnes

Doug Beville

Adelaide Bratcher

Jim Brown

Stuart Chapin

Kristy Cousins

Laurel Creech

Bobby Davenport

Bob Doak

Donna Dravland

Richard Dube

Merrill Eckstein

Jim Fortune

Tanya Gibson

Susan Glodblatt

Gerald Harris

BeBe Heiskell

Michael Hills

Karen Hundt

Jeffrey Hunter

Elizabeth Irvine

Joe Jacobi

Robert Johnston

John Karr

Jim Kennedy

Terri Knepper

Herb Krabel

Larry Mashburn

John Mayer

Allen McCallie

Matt McLelland

Jerry Mitchell

Chris Moore

Ron Nelson

Steve O’Neil

Jeff Pfitzer

Ron Priddy

Philip Pugliese

Pat Reed

Sara Bryan Robbins

Herb Roberts

Paul Shoun

Tom Speaks

Don Stock

Jeff Styles

Chad Wamack

Dawson Wheeler

Philip Whitaker

Tim Williams

Tom Edd Wilson

Todd Womack

Dan Zink