JOHN COFFELTEditor

Manchester City Schools purchased the former Coffee County Health Department Manchester clinic for $481,000 at an auction held July 8 on the site.

Director of Manchester City Schools Dr. Joey Vaughn said that the district will use the facility as office space for Central Office personnel.

“Manchester City Schools continue to grow,” Vaughn said. “With growth comes more needs and responsibilities.”

Vaughn said the district has outgrown its current central office, located at 215 E. Fort St., Manchester.

“This created an opportunity for the district to move into a good location that’s central to the city and it’s been a longtime goal of our board of education to do something with a central office,” he said.

Vaughn said the district will be working out of two offices, referring to renovations that will be done at the new facility.

“We will work with an architect and the board to come up with the best plan of action,” he said.

The county consolidated the health department, relocating the health department to the Tullahoma clinic in April 2022 until a new 14,000 square foot facility can be built in the Joint Industrial Park on State Route 55.

The county purchasing committee declared the Manchester clinic surplus in March and retained Coffee County Realty to handle the auction at the April 27 meeting.

Purchasing Committee member Jimmy Hollandsworth said committee members are pleased with the results of the auction.

“We thought the property brought a fair price (and) are glad that the city school got to purchase the property because we knew they needed the space and the accessibility,” he said.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.