GRC News Archive
Sullivan Childrens Advocacy Center raising funds for expansion
2008-04-05
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005835
BLOUNTVILLE — April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Sullivan County drew attention to abuse prevention, as well as announced a new capital campaign and building program, on Friday.
“I think of the CAC as a sad necessity in this world,” said Peter Roueche, president of the CAC’s board of directors. “To give you an idea of just how serious it is, there were 1,177 referrals of child abuse — child sexual and severe physical abuse in Sullivan County in 2007. With 30,000 children in Sullivan County, that’s 4 percent of our children. ... The CAC’s purpose is to combat the ill effects of child abuse by providing a variety of services.”
In order to better serve the children of Sullivan County, the center’s capital campaign will allow expansion of the facility, which is located in Blountville on the Blountville Bypass.
The expansion will include a community meeting room; larger treatment rooms for mental health counseling; space for art and music therapy; additional office and storage space; and a serenity garden.
Plans for the building were designed by Cain Rash West Architects, and design services for the serenity garden were donated by the East Tennessee Master Gardeners.
“In 1991, this building met our needs,” Roueche said. “Unfortunately in 2008 it doesn’t, and we are launching a capital campaign to expand it quite dramatically.”
To kick off the CAC’s capital campaign, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey presented CAC with a check for $30,000 from the state of Tennessee Community Enhancement Grants. According to a press release, the money was secured by Northeast Tennessee legislators including Ramsey, Rep. Jason Mumpower, Rep. Jon Lundberg and Rep. Nathan Vaughn. Vaughn and Lundberg, as well as several local government and school officials, were also on hand for Friday’s ceremony.
“I couldn’t think of any organization who could be more deserving than the Children’s Advocacy Center here,” Ramsey said before presenting the check to CAC representatives. “This check represents the largest check that we gave anyone. ... On behalf of all of us in the Sullivan County delegation, we want to thank you, and I hope this goes a long way to help you meet your goal.”
The $30,000 gift represents approximately 10 percent of the needed funds for the capital campaign.
Kingsport Hires Architects for V.O. Dobbins Renovation
2008-08-21
http://douglassalumni.blogspot.com/2008/09/kingsport-hires-architects-for-vo.html
THIS ARTICLE IS COURTESTY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS
By MATTHEW LANE mlane@timesnews.net
KINGSPORT — A couple more milestones have been reached in the V.O. Dobbins Community Center renovation and expansion project — architects have been hired, and the list of nonprofit organizations going into the new facility has been finalized. City staff gave the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen an update on the project during a work session last week. The BMA voted to hire the architectural firm of Cain, Rash, West on Tuesday during its regular meeting for $479,826. “The next step is taking the conceptual drawings we have and begin putting that in place for the construction drawings,” said Chris McCartt, assistant to the city manager. “We’ve done the programming and conceptual design, and we now have the tenants in place, space allocated within the nonprofit wing, and layout for remodeling and various others sections.” McCartt said CRW’s work would take about three months to complete, which will include a state fire marshal review, a six-week process.
“I’d like to see some activity on the site this year. I know that may not happen in the form of new construction, but we may look at doing some select demolition at the site to give us a much better understanding of what we’ll be dealing with during the construction phase,” McCartt said. “Any time you go into an old building for rehab or an addition, knowing what’s behind that structurally makes it easier for the contractor and us to have a firmer cost estimate,” McCartt said. The project calls for demolishing 13,600 square feet of the existing building, renovating the remaining 46,000 square feet, and adding approximately 50,000 square feet of space — 27,910 of which will be a new nonprofit c e n t e r. Earlier this year, the American Red Cross — which was expected to take up the first floor of the nonprofit wing — pulled out of the project, causing the city to scale back the size of the wing by 3,000 square feet. The BMA voiced concern in August when McCartt announced the nonprofit wing would open at 100 percent occupancy. Therefore, McCartt said the space was reworked, allowing for an 1,100-square-foot incubator suite to be housed in the new wing.
“We went in and on the first floor added 600 square feet. By doing so we made offices on the first floor more efficient, and we were able to develop a suite with 1,100 square feet,” McCartt said. Organizations previously committed to the nonprofit wing include the United Way, American Legion and the Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency (UETHDA) and its Neighborhood Service Center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Mountain Region Speech and Hearing.
In addition, Kingsport is allocating space, computers and furniture for the nonprofit Douglass Alumni Association and the Sons and Daughters of Douglass Web site free of charge.
Two new nonprofits were announced this week — Kingsport Tomorrow will be moving from downtown to the new wing, and the Susan G. Komen organization will have a small office in the wing as well.
Early estimates place the cost of the project at $8.4 million (with a worst case scenario being $9.5 million). Kingsport has applied for New Market Tax Credits to help offset the cost of the project — $1 million to $2 million worth, or 15 percent to 20 percent of the project. Kingsport has earmarked $5.6 million in its capital improvement plan for the project, and even if the city gets the New Market Tax Credits, a roughly $2 million gap in funding would still exist.
“We’ve put together a marketing packet for the center talking about the project, its history and the agencies committed. That has been submitted to various investors,” McCartt said. “It’s on the market now, and investors are looking at it. We should hear something back within the week.”
RCAM Ground Breaking
2008-10-02
Officials break ground on Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing
Published 10/02/2008 By Sharon Caskey Hayes
Tennessee Commissioner of Community and Economic Development Matt Kisber speaks at the groundbreaking for the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing.
KINGSPORT — State and local officials gathered Thursday outside the Domtar paper mill for a groundbreaking ceremony to officially mark the start of construction of the new Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing.
Located on Clinchfield Street, the RCAM is a joint effort among Domtar, Eastman Chemical Co., Northeast State Technical Community College, and the city of Kingsport to help ensure that local industries have the skilled work force they need for the future.
Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Matt Kisber joined local officials for Thursday’s event.
“We all know that a company is only as strong as its employees, and steps like this one ensure that Eastman and Domtar and others have a well-stocked pool of trained workers from which to draw as they grow,” Kisber said.
Once completed next fall, the RCAM will offer associate of applied science degree programs in electrical/electromechanical technology, machine tool technology, welding/metal fabrication technology, and the chemical process operations technical certificate program.
Domtar donated the land for the facility, while Eastman is providing $2.7 million of a state grant for work force development to fund the RCAM’s construction. The RCAM will also receive $1.9 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to pay for building equipment and scholarships.
And Eastman is providing scholarship money as well.
Parker Smith, Eastman’s vice president and general manager of worldwide manufacturing support, said the RCAM will serve as a “premier advanced manufacturing training facility that will serve employers, job applicants, students and learners of all ages.”
“This investment will help us ensure stable employment in this community, sustain our position in a global economy, and train a work force for employment and for some challenging and rewarding careers,” Smith said.
The RCAM is part of Kingsport’s new Academic Village, which includes the Regional Center for Health Professions, the Kingsport Higher Education Center, and the Regional Center for Applied Technology.
Mayor Dennis Phillips said that of all the educational efforts now under way, he’s most excited about the RCAM.
“If you go from minimum wage through the RCAM program and you become a welder making $30 an hour versus $6 an hour, it’s the difference between just existing and being able to raise a family,” Phillips said. “This is a very important building to the citizens of Kingsport and the surrounding area.”
Plus, he said, it’s a “perfect example of what can happen when you all join together.”
The property has been deeded from Domtar to the Kingsport Economic Development Board. Once construction is completed, the land and building will be deeded from KEDB to the Northeast State Community College Foundation.
Katie Yates, vice president for institutional advancement at Northeast State, said the RCAM is “proof of our region’s commitment to economic development and a better quality of life for everyone.”
Domtar Manager Charlie Floyd said projects like the RCAM help level the playing field and keep American industries competitive in challenging times.
He suggested a slogan for the new facility. “I ask, ‘Are you looking for a rewarding career in manufacturing?’ The answer is easy to remember — You can at RCAM,” Floyd said.
Following the groundbreaking ceremony a reception was held honoring the first 70 recipients of the Eastman Chemical Co. Workforce Development Scholarship. The scholarship provided approximately $640 per recipient toward tuition and fees for the current fall semester. Classes are being held at the old Quebecor building until the new RCAM is completed next fall.
Carnegie Hotel becomes AAA Four-Diamond Destination
2009-02-17
A press release from the AAA East Tennessee website announced on January 23, 2009, that the Carnegie Hotel has been included in their elite list of AAA Four-Diamond properties.
“The properties that receive the AAA Four Diamond Award consistently deliver premier experiences, complete with superior personal service, and impressive surroundings,” said Joy Dixon, AAA East Tennessee travel services director. “These establishments offer the best the industry has to offer. Lodgings are upscale in all areas and offer guests a wide range of amenities. Restaurants feature a distinctive fine dining experience, outstanding service and creative and complex menus. We are proud that many establishments in our area have reached this level of service and are pleased to honor them with the Four Diamond Award.”
Cain Rash West Architects designed the Carnegie Hotel in 1999. Dineen West is the architect of record. This multi-story hotel includes spacious dining halls, a wine cellar, full service spa, pool, meeting rooms and adjacent restaurant.
The Press Building
2009-03-02
Mountain Region FAMILY MEDICINE, PC will reposition several offices to the recently acquired historical “Kingsport Press Building” most recently occupied by Quebecor Industries. The Building will be transformed to become a unique downtown center for compassionate and caring healthcare with modern-day medical ancillary support. Mountain Region Family Medicine has benefited from their growth through expansion since 1994 with seven separate offices now serving both East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, all dedicated to providing the region with unsurpassed excellent medical care. Their need of new facilities is the goal of the group with the expectation of partnering with other physicians in a quest to provide their patients the latest and most up to date environment for medical care.
The project and building location will be named and become known as “The Press Building” with preliminary design nearing completion by CainRashWest, Architects. The building has an overall floor area of more than 200,000 square feet, available on three floors. The building is planned for an immediate occupancy commitment of more than thirty percent of the total area with the remaining area currently either under study or available for forthcoming occupants. Occupancy inquiry and project information is available by contacting Mountain Region’s administrator Mr. John Paul Linke, TCI Group’s Charlie Dotson, Angie Marshall, or the Architect, M. Hiram Rash, AIA at CainRashWest, Architects.