Committee To Try To Reach Consensus On The Location Of The Planned Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center

  • Tuesday, August 30, 2016

In partnership with Chattanooga City Councilman Jerry Mitchell and Retired Major General Bill Raines, the Medal of Honor Heritage Center on Tuesday announced the formation of a special ad hoc committee that will develop a list of consensus recommendations for the proposed Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

The committee, which is composed of local business executives, community leaders and area veterans, will spend the next 60 days studying the various issues being raised about the proposed Heritage Center before submitting its final recommendations to Mayor Berke and the City Council for their review and discussion, officials said.

A group wants to build the center within Coolidge Park near the Chattanooga Theatre Centre, while some have opposed giving up any of the land at the popular park.

“We want to thank Councilman Jerry Mitchell for his leadership and efforts on this issue,” said retired Major General Bill Raines, chairman of the Charles H.

Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center.  “This ad hoc committee will truly embody our city’s can-do spirit of cooperation -- often dubbed the ‘Chattanooga Way’ – where civic and business leaders, philanthropists, government agencies and residents pull together to set a bold vision and get big things done.

“I look forward to working with this ad hoc committee to produce a set of consensus recommendations that will outline how our community can move forward on this important project and bring us one step closer to building the new Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center.”

The ad hoc committee will be co-chaired by Councilman Mitchell and Major General Raines and currently includes the following community representatives with additional people to be added in the coming days:

·         Jim Fields, Hamilton County Commissioner for District 2 and retired petty officer second class in the U.S. Navy

·         Jon Kinsey, former Chattanooga mayor and president of Kinsey Probasco Hays

·         Noah Long, professional engineer (P.E.) and retired rear admiral in the U.S. Navy

·         Allen McCallie, attorney with Miller & Martin, PLLC

Councilman Mitchell said, “Chattanooga’s heritage and the Medal of Honor have been intertwined since the Medal was first awarded to Private Jacob Parrott for his actions with the Andrews Raiders in 1862. It’s my hope that this ad hoc committee will lay the foundation for building a consensus around the Heritage Center so we can move forward on this project in a manner that embraces an important part of our city’s heritage, honors Charles H. Coolidge and all of area veterans for their service to our county, and addresses the concerns being raised by local residents.”

For further information on the Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center and its efforts to build a new Heritage Center, please visit www.ilovecoolidgepark.com.

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