August 2nd, 2006
County has been awarded $432,000 in grant money
for the much-anticipated
state-of-the-art Visitor’s Center, to be located
near the 126 exit off of I-40.
Note: You can click on either photo above
to see it enlarged
Decatur County, Tenn. - Decatur County
received confirmation from Governor Bredesen’s office on Tuesday that the
county has been awarded $432,000 in grant money for the construction of
the much-anticipated state-of-the-art Visitor’s Center, to be located near
the 126 exit off of I-40.
When Mayor Broadway was reached for comment, he stated, “This will
complement the efforts to attract chain restaurants to the area as well as
boosting tourism, which will bring tens of thousands in additional tax
revenue annually to our county, and new jobs.
I’d like to thank Rep. Randy Rinks, who was instrumental in helping us in
acquiring the grant, and Commissioner Dan Brigance for their efforts on
this project. They worked hand-in-hand on this project, and it shows they
really care about Decatur County.”
He also wanted to add that Parks and Recreation Director, Jeff Kobiske
“did a lot of legwork” on the grant process and the project as a whole.
This was first an Idea that came out of the Parks and Recreation office
and had the full support of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
The project will serve as a sort of “gateway to west Tennessee and the
Tennessee River Trails system” for tourists and other travelers on I-40,
and is aimed to pique their interest in Decatur County, as well as other
counties along the river. It will also serve information center for the
Tennessee River Trails Association (TRTA). The center will feature a kiosk
for each of the nine counties that make up the TRTA, and will also feature
novelty shops.
The design was created by Victor C. Buehler of Anderson Buehler Architects
in Jackson, and features a landscaping which emulates the Tennessee River,
a small stream / river walk which will flow through the floor of the
building much like the river walk at mud island. The river walk will
emulate the Tennessee river from Paris to Pickwick. Aquariums in the
building will feature the fish found in the Tennessee River and all 9
county's that surround the river will be furnishing brochure racks and
tourism information on their counties.
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