Cities and county to build Publi

An interlocal agreement between Loudon County Commission, Lenoir City Council and Loudon City Council will allow the entities to build a Public Safety Training Facility for all first responders in the county.

This training facility will be the first ever of its kind for the county. Up until now, for all annual training, police officers, firefighters and other first responders have traveled to neighboring departments, such as Alcoa or Maryville.

Building a training facility has been discussed, specifically in Lenoir City, for many years. Lenoir City Chief of Police Don White said he personally approached the County Commission and both city councils a number of times in hopes of gaining support to build a training facility.

However, for many different reasons, mainly the high price tag, it’s not been possible until now.

An asset ‘for decades to come’

Back in 2021, each county commissioner was awarded $500,000 through American Rescue Plan Acts or “ARPA.” The program was intended to alleviate the financial burden COVID-19 had across the country.

Loudon County commissioners Rosemary Quillen and William Jenkins, District 2, decided they wanted to put their money into a project where the taxpayers would see a tangible, significant improvement in the county.

Quillen and Jenkins partnered with officials from Lenoir City, Loudon and Loudon County to establish terms of the interlocal agreement, which should be signed by all three mayors by the end of March.

“We’ve been a burden on our neighboring counties for many, many decades to ensure that our folks are properly trained; and even then, we weren’t getting to train at the highest level to give us the best skill set possible,” said White.

“As you know, our climate around the nation is changing, not for the good but for the worse as far as what our police officers have to deal with on a daily basis, and even the dangers for our fire service personnel.

“Having a place where they will be able to train in Loudon County, close to their agencies … it will be an asset that will be used for decades to come,” he said. “It’s a huge accomplishment, and we were so grateful for William Jenkins and Rosemary Quillen to think about the use of their funds and the impact it will have county-wide.”

A groundbreaking for the facility is expected to occur sometime in May, if all goes well. White said he hopes to be 75 percent finished with the project in January 2025 — with an expected completion date of March 2025.

The cost of the facility will be $2,450,000, split among the three entities. Loudon County, thanks to Quillen and Jenkins’ ARPA funds, will contribute $1 million, while Loudon City will contribute $250,000.

Lenoir City will contribute $1.2 million, and is also taking responsibility for all day-to-day expenses, including cleaning and repairs. Lenoir City also donated the 2.6 acres where the facility will be built, which is behind Roane State Community College downtown on Industrial Park Boulevard.

“I think it’s always been a dream for this to happen,” Quillen said. “Lenoir City had the acreage, they had the money and then with our donation coming in, it all just kind of flowed together to make it a reality.

“I’m just very excited about this project, and I am blessed to be in a position to contribute money to make our community’s dream become a reality.”

‘Outstanding opportunity’

The training facility will consist of two buildings, one at 4,500 square feet and the other at 3,600 square feet. The state-of-the-art facility will have an EVOC driving course, shooting range, burn box, classrooms and more.

The current plan for scheduling training sessions will be administered through an online scheduling system that all local entities will adhere to.

Everyone involved in the process has shown excitement to have a training facility locally, including Loudon County Mayor Buddy Bradshaw. He spoke highly of the partnership and collaboration it has taken thus far.

“I think it’s such an outstanding opportunity,” Bradshaw said. “I can remember when I was with the PD, Loudon PD, we would go to Alcoa, Maryville to do our (training).

“This is going to be an opportunity for all of the entities, all of our law enforcement agencies to participate,” he said. “We have a great relationship with all of our entities, and it just helps build that relationship and keeps it strong for future generations.”

Lenoir City Mayor Tony Aikens credited commissioners Quillen and Jenkins for their efforts in obtaining county funding to make the facility possible. As retired law enforcement, he said the facility has been a necessity for many years and he’s excited to get it started.

“We’re excited to get underway with it,” Aikens said. “We’ve done our training outside the county … which takes man power outside of the county and outside of the city, which in some cases were under-protected. This way we’re not going to be.”

Loudon City Mayor Jeff Harris said he thinks the facility will be a great, vital asset to the Loudon County community, which will create an opportunity for first responders to have an abundance of training.

“I just appreciate Lenoir City taking the lead on it and the county stepping up, as well, with their donation from Commissioner (William) Jenkins and Commissioner (Rosemary) Quillen,” Harris said.

“I think it really shows partnership with all three community partners and how important it is for our first responders to have the necessary training they need,” he said. “It’s time we have our own facility that we can get the quality training that our people need to provide the services that our citizens expect and deserve.”