Work is set to start in October on a long-sought vocational school for Chattanooga. It will start registering students in January.
Leslie Gower, executive director of the Associated General Contractors, said much of an $8 million goal has been raised for the project at the former Mary Ann Garber School in East Chattanooga.
That includes $2 million each from the city, county and state and $800,000 from the AGC. Additional funds are being sought from corporations and foundations.
Howard School and East Ridge High School, which have Future Ready trade schools, will be the initial feeder schools. The county schools will provide transportation from those two schools.
Students will spend much of the day at their primary school, but will also get training at the new facility.
Ms. Gower said it will include two different wings for the different trade areas as well as exhibit space and offices in the center.
The TCAT construction program at Chattanooga State will be involved as well as green/spaces.
She said the school will have an innovative design aimed at being Chattanooga's first carbon neutral building. There will be a focus on sustainability practices.
Construction costs are expected to be $5.5 million with the remaining funds aimed at covering operations costs for the first three years.
The city is also contributing 1.9 acres from the nearby Harriet Tubman site as an expansion area for the school.
Ms. Gower said the message to students will be "we're not building bird houses. We're building skyscrapers."
She said, "It's crazy the amount that tradespeople are being paid now. It's very lucrative because the demand for people is so high."
She said the average age of tradespeople here is now at 49. She said for each skilled person the AGC gains it loses five others at the present rate.
The program will be designed with the needs of local construction firms in mind so that the graduates can go right to work at a well-paying job.
City Council Chairman Chip Henderson said, "We've been talking about this school since Kirkman closed."
He and other council members praised Ms. Gower for helping push through the complex project.