Having followed the recent news updates over the last several weeks on the ongoing process to select a site for the new mental health facility to replace the Moccasin Bend hospital, it is apparent that the “Not In My Backyard” mentality is in effect. Nobody seems to want it but I don’t blame them.
Having just read the article from the Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association statement by their representatives I will say that I agree that the Lincoln Park neighborhood should not be considered, but not for the reasons they proclaim. This same reasoning is being applied for the Eastdale location and neighborhood.
The representatives of the Lincoln Park association mention the loss of cultural heritage and identity of their community due to gentrification and urban renewal “progress” and make claims as this is a planned project to eliminate historical black communities.
I fully disagree with that summation as Chattanooga has become a very diverse and multicultural and racial community. The last time I checked there are black families living from Soddy Daisy to East Ridge and from Lookout Mountain to Ooltewah. I don’t recall any opposition when black families relocated to predominantly white or other ethnic communities.
I’m old enough to remember the highly segregated neighborhoods of Chattanooga in the 50’s and 60’s. I actually went to elementary school with zero black students. So gentrification is nothing new.
Now my community where I grew up is just as diverse as the whole of Chattanooga.
My deduction from the LPNA statement insinuates that they would have segregated communities and that is okay with them to uphold a black only community. That is flat out wrong in my opinion. Our city is way beyond segregated communities again. By no means am I insinuating that the heritage of Lincoln Park be diminished as our Chattanooga community should make efforts to preserve history and heritage, but not at the expense of segregation and exclusion.
I think it’s a “no brainer” that the best location for the new mental hospital is the Amnicola location of the three having been considered. This site is best due to its location being on a main thoroughfare with easy access to interstates for employees, visitors and emergency services, which are all readily available in the Amnicola area. There is even TVA Security across the highway in the event multi agency response was needed.
This Amnicola site has plenty of space and is currently just valuable land being underutilized. I have driven by this property for decades and wondered why has it not been developed. This land, in my opinion, should be where the new facility should be built and still be within the city limits.
A new facility on this site would free up the existing Moccasin Bend property to be utilized as a park or whatever else the planners have on their agenda.
This location would also help preserve the Eastdale and Lincoln Park neighborhoods from being subjected to higher traffic and business associated with the new mental health facilities if it was located in either of these communities.
Arch Tinker
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I commute through that section of Amnicola twice daily and I always think to myself that a least we still have some mature trees and greenery in Chattanooga that are protected by TVA’s stewardship. Mature groves of trees and forests have become a thing of the past in Chattanooga with the rapid growth while at the same time pushing out native animals.
Maybe there is a site more fitting that is already in a commercially developed area that has been previously cleared, and we can save what little forest areas we have left within the city. And while I love baseball and have many fond memories of Engel stadium as a child, I must agree with others that the proximity of Engel Stadium to Erlanger and other resources in that area makes a lot of sense. With that being said, I’m also a realist and realize land conservation seems to always take a back seat to development.
Chris Morgan