Rhea County Executive Jim Vincent ended the monthly workshop of the Rhea County Commission with great news for the county - a new higher learning facility for the county.
He said, “I have some exciting news to share with you (the commission) tonight.
Most of you know I have been working with John Bamber and the city of Dayton, the Governors Office and Chattanooga State. Governor Lee told me a year ago that they were going to be locating some vocational schools throughout Tennessee. I told him at that time if he did to keep Rhea County on the list. Every time I have met with him in the last year I keep reminding him of this and that we were very interested.
"Part of us qualifying for this was agreeing to donate 23 acres to the project to the state. They would pay for building the structure and running it. It wouldn’t cost the county anything. Giving up that piece of ground would be our cost.”
County Executive Vincent told the commission that he had a meeting on Monday at Chattanooga State with president Dr. Rebecca Ashford and she gave him a letter saying that Rhea County would be the site of one of the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT).
The school will be constructed on the Abel property located on Delaware Avenue on the 90 acres of property the city of Dayton and Rhea County have placed an option on.
County Executive Vincent said that completion of the school would be upon approval of the Governors Budget by the State Legislature.
He went on to say that he appreciates that Governor Lee has a desire to develop rural counties in Tennessee. “I really appreciate that. He told us that when he was campaigning and I want to publicly thank him.”
County Executive Vincent said that the governor is keeping his campaign promise to help rural Tennessee.
He noted that Governor Lee said, "I’m a product of rural Tennessee and I still live on the family farm where I was raised. I’m passionate about this because it is so much of who I am and where my family is from. It’s why I wanted to be sure that my first detailed policy plan as a gubernatorial candidate was going to be focused on rural areas. We need to support innovation and technology to improve economic, health, and educational opportunities.”
County Executive Vincent said this will be a big tool to entice industry and business to Rhea County.
He said a person going to the new TCAT school would be able to get his associates degree in the field that they want at the Dayton site without going to the main campus.
“Chattanooga State wants to move all its classes in Rhea County into one site,” he said. "This is going to be an awesome school.”
County Executive Vincent said the development is totally funded by the state. He said that Marion County built a satellite campus and the county had to issue bonds and build the building themselves, then run it with the state.
“Something that makes this so special is that Chattanooga State is going to survey all the industry and businesses, Nokian, TVA, Tenncate, La-z-Boy, Suburban and all the plants, and they are going to come up with the training needs to see what these plants need. It's going to have high tech classes in them,” said County Executive Vincent.
He concluded his comments by thanking the commission for putting their trust in this project and allowing him to make the option. “They (Chattanooga State) love the site that we have selected.”
He said he also appreciated the Dayton City Council and City Manager Tommy Solomon for working with him to get this project.