New College is a Historic Win For Lawrence County

As the Governor announced, the State will be awarding $4.6 million to go towards the construction of the new higher education center (a partnership between Columbia State, MTSU, Tennessee Tech and TCAT) here in our county.

A few months back, the county commission and the Lawrenceburg City Council each voted to commit $1.5 million to the project, a move which showed state officials how deeply committed we all are to advancing and improving education in Lawrence County.

All in all, this project is a true partnership and a testament to the good things government can do when our officials put partisanship aside and work together towards the common good.

A college like this is not only a historic win in terms of education for our county, but also for our workforce and economic development. One issue we have faced for years in our county is a shortage of skilled labor or the kind of labor today's industries look for.

This college will help bridge that gap by providing students the skills that these industries desperately need. In turn, it will also provide graduating students with the kind of quality wages our county needs more of as these skilled positions often pay more than careers that stem from a typical four-year degree.

On the economic development front, colleges almost always invite and encourage new retail, restaurants, hotels and other establishments to invest in the area near the college.

That bolds well for our county and could mean more jobs for our people and additional tax revenue that we can reinvest into our community in important areas like local education, improving roads and job creation.

As the old saying goes, "Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan." While many people played an important role in making this college a reality, it is important to point out the tireless leadership Representative Barry Doss provided on this issue.

At the start, many folks, including myself, thought this goal was out of reach for a community our size. However, through the hard work and persistence of Rep. Doss, state and local officials and many from the private sector, it happened and our community owes them all a debt of gratitude for their efforts.

All too often, we hear folks talking about how bad our county is on social media or at the local country store.

But as one citizen, I want to express how proud I am of our county and our people. Just in the past few years, we have taken our unemployment rate from 17.2% to below 5%.

We have a school system that is consistently ranked #1 in our region. Thanks to new state and local funding and our very capable Highway Superintendent Mr. Donnie Joe Brown, we have some of the best roads and bridges of any county our size. And in the next five years, we will have a new four-year university and new high schools in Loretto and Summertown.

Simply put, in our county's 200th year, we have momentum moving into the future.

By working together, being progressive and focusing on our next generation instead of the next election, our county is improving and moving forward at a historic rate. Let's keep our foot on the gas pedal and secure a better, more prosperous Lawrence County for ALL of our citizens!