JOHN COFFELTEditor

The Tennessee Board of Regents presented Coffee County with Philanthropy Award Friday, July 28 for help with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Coffee County Campus.

The county last year set aside just over seven acres in the Joint Industrial Park for the campus.

“Coffee County has done a lot and shone their commitment to the community for higher education, said TCAT McMinnville President Dr. Melody Edmonds.

Edmonds said that the commercial driver’s license program will be open in Coffee County at the current campus at 91 Volunteer Parkway in late October. This will supplement the current industrial maintenance program at that site.

She said that the building designer will be named in the next few weeks.

“We are heavily into that project,” she said. “We hope to through with that as quickly as we can.”

“We are very excited with theses future projects,” she said.

TBR Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement Chris Perkins presented the award Friday at a small ceremony held at Coffee County Administrative Plaza.

He commended the county for its generosity in donating the land and providing a rent-free lease at the current campus. The award is the highest honor that the department bestows in the field of philanthropy.

“I’m pleased to present this award to the county. Their support of TCAT McMinnville has allowed the college to continue on improving workforce development,” he said.

Workforce development needs being met, Perkins said, changes lives for generations.

56 students have completed the industrial maintenance program since its start six years ago.

He said the county’s efforts as allowed the TCAT to have a permanent presence in the county.

County Mayor Judd Matheny said that the previous mayor and commission did much of the “heavy lifting” concerning the TCAT. He named former commissioner Bobby Bryant for his efforts on the project.

The campus will be connected with TCAT McMinnville, but will have Coffee County in the name.

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.