A meeting was held Wednesday night on the issue of whether to locate the Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center within the popular Coolidge Park.
A selected group of speakers addressed the crowd prior to break-out sessions.
The Medal of Honor board of trustees has requested that the Chattanooga City Council approve a 99-year lease for construction of the building inside the North Chattanooga park for $1 per year.
The site in question is owned by both Hamilton County and the city of Chattanooga. Hamilton County gave approval in February. The Planning Commission recommended approval on the condition that it does not occupy a space that is over five percent of the 2.23 acre parcel on which it would be located, and that the building plan would be reviewed by the Northshore review committee for design oversight.
John Bridger, executive director of the regional planning agency (RPA), said it was after the City Council made the recommendation that the planning group started hearing concerns. The public asked for more notice and for a public meeting.
State Director of the Trust for Public Land Rick Wood talked about what makes a park great. First, he said there should be community involvement, such as the meeting on Tuesday night. A park should also have a carefully selected purpose and design, satisfaction of the users, equitable access for people with all abilities, and safety from physical hazards and crime. There should also be sufficient land, staffing and maintenance. And, he said, parks should benefit areas beyond the park boundaries, adding value to the community.
Retired General B.B. Bell told the standing room only crowd gathered at the Chattanooga Theater Center the reason that the board is trying to build the center. He said it is to fulfill a commitment that the city made to Charles H. Coolidge in 1945. In a proclamation at that time, Chattanooga established the park in his name and Mr. Coolidge agreed, as long as the place honors veterans. The board wants to recognize all regional recipients of the Medal of Honor and the sacrifices of all veterans with this museum. When the park was established, it consisted of 28 acres but has now been whittled down to around 11 acres.
Lieutenant General Retired Charles Coolidge, son of Charles H. Coolidge, spoke on behalf of his father who will turn 95 on Aug. 4. He said that his father fully supports the initiative of building the museum and that the Coolidge family believes the time is now to honor all veterans. He envisions it as a place that would instill character development to visitors, and an attraction that would bring tourism dollars to the community.
The design concept for Coolidge Park when it was begun 21 years ago was that “passive green space” was key to the plan, ruling out such things as tennis courts and playgrounds. It was also designed as a way to get the Riverpark across to the north side of the Tennessee River. The plan was for the river bank to be green and the north side of the park to have more structured activity such as the carousel and the dancing fountains. The circular patterns of the walkways and buildings inside the park were inspired by the round shape of the carousel.
Major General Bill Raines, chairman of the Coolidge Heritage Center, said that he wanted to make sure the public knows the exact location and the intended impact of the center. He recognized the concerns about all the green space it would take. The proposed building site is on a 2.23-acre parcel that was given to the city from the Chattanooga Theater Center as an addition to the park. It is across the street from the Theater and south of the parking lot, just beside the circular turn-around. The building alone would occupy one tenth of an acre or 4,000 square feet, not taking into consideration the approaches and sidewalks. Conceptually, the building is round, and two stories. The first level would be 4,000 square feet with 2,800 square feet on the second floor, made of pre-cast concrete.
Following the formal presentation, the audience was asked to participate in a “break-out session” of smaller groups, as a way that public input can be gathered.
Tony Mines, a Vietnam veteran, and property and business owner on Frazier Avenue, said he was very much in favor of the project. He said that he had been surprised at the amount of false information he had heard concerning the building. He said that it would complete what the park was meant to be.
City planner Garnet Chapin said that he did not like that open public space would be given to a private entity for $1 a year. It sets a bad precedent for the loss of public space, he said. He also said that Form Based Code, the new zoning recently adopted by Chattanooga prohibits this. In discussions about FBC over the past year, he said that this building inside the park was never addressed, although the city was in negotiations for it at the time. Despite this, he also said that he believes that vitality would be added to the park with the addition of this museum by creating a dynamic with the Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park near Maclellan Island on the west end of the Riverwalk and the Medal of Honor Center on the east end.
Architect Bill Wilkerson said the rendering of the conceptual building that was shown is out of character for the park and the city, calling it a direct knock-off of the Jefferson Memorial. He said that it needs to be a two-story building up against the street, like the other buildings bordering the park. “It’s not a monument,” he said, “It’s a museum.”
Chattanooga City Councilman Jerry Mitchell said that the next step will be for the Regional Planning Agency to collect and compile all the input given by the public during the break-out sessions. The information will then be given to the City Council which will present it during an open, public meeting when the community will be able to participate.
More information can be seen at www.ILoveCoolidgePark.com.
The public is also requested to fill out a survey regarding the location in Coolidge Park on the website www.connect.chattanooga.gov/medalofhonor. The survey will only be available for one week from Tuesday.