Architect rendition of proposed TCAT building
Groundbreaking for the $20 million Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Dayton was held with a host of local as well as state dignitaries attending.
Dr. Rebecca Ashford, president of Chattanooga State Community College, welcomed all the guests to the groundbreaking which also included citizens and Chattanooga State employees.
She took time to recognize Jerry Hendrix, director of Dayton Site-Extended Services, for his work with Chattanooga State since 1998.
Dr. Ashford said this site will offer in demand programs in welding, automation, robotics, industrial electricity, computer support technicians and emergency medical technicians (EMT’s) to help the residents of Rhea County to improve their education. “It will allow us to expand our workforce training and education opportunities for this community and I cannot thank our partners enough with the city of Dayton and Rhea County and their support in making this happen. This is such a beautiful, beautiful site,” said Dr. Ashford.
She went on to add that Chattanooga State Community College is unique as it is the only community college in the state where the TCAT and the college are one entity. “Students will have an amazing pipeline where they will be able to start here in high school and participate in our poly tech academy. They will be able to continue on and complete TCAT credentials in one of the courses I have mentioned, and they can then continue on to earn an associate’s degree in those fields. Then after that the world is their oyster and they can continue on to get a bachelor's degree,” said Dr. Ashford. They can build a prosperous future within demand education for in demand jobs.
She said that this does not happen without transformational vision and leadership. She then introduced State Rep. Ron Travis (R-Dayton), Dayton Mayor Hurley Marsh, Rhea County Executive Jim Vincent and Dr. Flora Tydings, Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents. She added that their vision was critical for this groundbreaking to happen.
Dr. Tidings told the crowd, “We are so proud to be here today. We could not have done this without your partnership.” She then went on to recognize Jerry Hendrix for the groundwork that he laid out for this vision. She also went on to thank Governor Bill Lee and the State Legislature.
“Governor Lee asked about two years ago if we had a TCAT master plan. I said that we did, and he told me to bring it to him and I did. And as with most building projects we think we might get one or two projects. We were hoping he would find something exciting in that plan. About three weeks before Christmas I got a call from the Governor’s Office, and they said he is going to fund your entire master plan. One billion dollars went into the Tennessee Board of Regents. That is unheard of. Once he put it in the budget the legislators had to approve it. We are glad that Rep. Travis voted wholeheartedly for this bill. We needed their support, and they were with us every step of the way,” said Dr. Tidings. She added that this will add some 10,000 students more each year to the system statewide.
“When we add 10,000 students across the state we change 10,000 families.” She concluded that she was looking forward to the ribbon cutting in 2026.
Rep. Travis said during his 12 years in the State Legislature this is one of the biggest highlights of his career. “It’s an honor to serve and give this back and I would be remised not to say a special thanks to Governor Lee and the General Assembly, our local governments and all the people at Chattanooga State.”
“This is going to be the best thing that has happened to Rhea County in a while. When the kids go inside and learn their trade it is going to be remarkable what it is going to bring to this county,” said Rep. Travis.
Dayton Mayor Marsh said this has been a long time coming. The city and the county have done a lot of hard work and never looked back, he said.
“This is a significant milestone for our city, and it will give our students access to higher education without leaving the city. It will contribute to our city’s overall growth,” said Mayor Marsh. He added that the impact of this school will have a great effect on the community.
When introducing Rhea County Executive Vincent, Dr.Ashford said he had “quite a vision for this project” and she could not wait to see it come to fruition .
County Executive Vincent said, “When you have events like this a lot of people do not get recognized. I just want to say this has been going on for three and a half years. The people of Rhea County have stepped up and supported us with all their heart. Everybody and the City Council and the mayor, The Rhea County Commission, it has just been amazing. When we rolled this out and started talking about it several years ago I have not heard one negative comment from one elected official or a citizen of our community. That says a lot.”
County Executive Vincent went on to thank Governor Lee. “It’s amazing that he has a heart for our children and the education of our kids and funded this for us. He told me years ago he was interested in doing this."
He also went on to thank the Board of Regents for making this happen.
County Executive Vincent said eventually there will be a multipurpose sports field and possibly an amphitheater and convention center.
“There are three things that make a community healthy. The first thing is jobs and wages. Housing is extremely important . We’re a little weak on that but we are gaining on that. The new sewer treatment that Dayton is working on is going to help with that. Quality of life is the other one. We are going to lean it toward families and more youthful people for soccer. It’s not all in concrete yet. A lot of it depends on funding. As we move through this, we will be asking for the community input on this,” he concluded.
The city and county jointly purchased the property for $1.2 million after the state expressed interest in constructing a state vocational school on the site. Nearly 20 of the 90 acres will be used for the new school, while the remaining acreage will be used to construct soccer facilities and other recreational opportunities in the future. Rhea County has been awarded $1,568,399 for the creation of the Abel Sports Complex – to be located at Delaware Avenue in Dayton behind Rhea Elementary School. The project is being done in cooperation with the city of Dayton and the state of Tennessee. Kim Schofinski, deputy communications director at Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, made the announcement earlier. The cornerstone of the park is the TCAT school being constructed by the state on 20 acres of the Abel property. The sports complex will be on the remaining 70 acres.
Shovels and hard hats stand at the ready for the groundbreaking