Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp on Sunday announced the county’s interest in the 11-acre “Golden Gateway” site being sold by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, with a vision to develop it into a next-generation public school campus.
“A generational investment in public education in the heart of downtown Chattanooga would send a powerful message about our priorities as a community, while also providing for future growth,” said County Mayor Wamp. “This is our opportunity to fulfill a promise made three decades ago that the legacy of Kirkman Technical High School would live on. We look forward to working with county commissioners to make a compelling proposal to BCBST leaders that the highest and best use of their site is to prepare Hamilton County students for careers.”
Hamilton County’s interest in the site for educational purposes follows the school system’s recent focus on saving taxpayer dollars through adaptive reuse of existing facilities, demonstrated with the construction of the new CSLA and the planned conversion of the former Cigna facility in East Brainerd, said officials.
Leaders at the Regional Planning Agency have advised county officials they should expect significant residential growth in the downtown area to continue, necessitating more capacity at local schools.
“As residential growth in and around downtown accelerates, there will inevitably be a need for more seats for students in the years to come," said Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson. "The existing facility on the 'Gateway' site presents an excellent adaptive reuse opportunity for the school system similar to our recent acquisition of Cigna’s site in East Brainerd. For months, I’ve worked closely with County Mayor Wamp to set priorities for improving the county’s school facilities, and this 'Gateway' site fits both our intention to plan for future growth and to provide more career and technical pathways for students in every area of the county.”
“The decisions we make today determine who we will be in the future," said Mayor Tim Kelly. "Investing in quality education for children is perhaps the single most important thing we can do to build a better city, and we are particularly committed to backing projects that strengthen workforce development. Downtown Chattanooga is poised for historic growth and development, and this significant investment by Hamilton County in education could be transformative, bringing quality public education back into the urban core where it thrived for many decades."
“This opportunity presents a potential win-win for Hamilton County students and taxpayers," said Hamilton County Commissioner Chip Baker. "We support bold solutions that will improve our school facilities in a fiscally responsible way.”
“I could not be more excited about the possibility of a dynamic public school on the Golden Gateway site," said U.S. Senator Bob Corker. "I applaud County Mayor Wamp for his vision and the leadership of our County Commission.”