Architect chosen for Gateway School project

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The proposed Gateway Technical School in downtown Chattanooga now has an architect.

Tinker Ma has been selected by a committee to refit the Gateway building for a career and technical education school.

It would be the first such school in downtown Chattanooga since the closure of Kirkman Technical School.

This is still an initial step in the overall design process for the school estimated to cost roughly $40 million.

Justin Witt, the Director of Maintenance Services for Hamilton County Schools, said, “Get the architect on board. Review the existing space. That’s what is going to be critical in this space is reviewing what kind of programming of CTE will be available, the programs that they would like. We typically bring the education side because that will really affect the infrastructure of what we need to provide in the design.”

The Hamilton County Commission will vote to approve this new architect next week.

Witt says the next step following this is bringing a formal contract for construction in front of the Commission.