Chamber building ‘mirror image’ of RuCo on The Murfreesboro Post

Sidebar Ads

Chamber building ‘mirror image’ of RuCo

Related Articles

City leaders honor former vice mayor

Murfreesboro wins accounting award

New City Council is sworn in

Bratcher serves as vice mayor for final time

HUDGINS: Bondware adds option for small business

Gilley named Rutherford County Republican of Year

HUDGINS: Building supplier relocates to Smyrna

New faces for City Council, School Board

Election 2012: Murfreesboro School Board

Social media workshop slated for April 11

View All

By: ERIN EDGEMON, eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com

Posted: Sunday, December 19, 2010 7:13 am

Chamber building ‘mirror image’ of RuCo | Chamber of Commerce, City

The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center is conveniently located off Interstate 24, across the street from the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center, at 3050 Medical Center Parkway. TMP/E. Edgemon

The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center has moved to a new $5 million, 33,000-square-foot facility that “reflects the growth in the community,” said the Chamber president.

“It is more reflective of what the community looks like,” Paul Latture said of the new building funded by the Tennessee and Federal Departments of Transportation with a portion financed through the city of Murfreesboro. The new Chamber building opened Monday.

He said if you look at the quality growth the county has had over the last decade with corporations, Sam Ridley Parkway and the Murfreesboro Gateway, the new Chamber building is the “mirror image of that growth.”

The Chamber building houses a visitors’ center and gift shop, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, economic development and other support staff.

The new building at 3050 Medical Center Parkway, across the street from the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center, is three times the size of the previous Chamber headquarters at 501 Memorial Blvd.

Latture said the building is well positioned near Interstate 24 and the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center for economic development opportunities and for prospective visitors.

Chamber staff also needed the additional space that the new building provides. The Chamber had outgrown its previous facility; the economic development department had even had to relocate to an annex building.

Latture said the new building will allow Chamber and Tennessee Small Business Development Center staff to better serve economic development officials, business owners and leaders and visitors to the city.

Several conference rooms are located throughout the three-story building giving staff space to meet with a number of people at the same time.

“The better we can portray ourselves the more opportunities we are going to have,” Latture said.

The economic impact for tourism has increased each year; the visitors’ center will help visitors and residents know about the many tourist attractions in the area like the Stones River National Battlefield and Discovery Center at Murfree Spring and events like Uncle Dave Macon Days and JazzFest.

“Having the Chamber and Visitors Center here just a quarter of a mile from (interstate) exit 76 has been a dream of mine for years,” said Mona Herring, vice president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, adding that visitors need a convenient place where they can gather information about Rutherford County.

Interactive touchscreen displays will help visitors learn more about the history of the area and about places where they can stay, eat and shop.

On display in the visitors’ center will soon be an interpretive timeline of the Civil War showing the role the Battle of Stones River played in the war.

The visitors’ center will be fully operational within the next 30 days.

The first floor gift shop, which is expected to be open in about a week, will sell items reflective of Rutherford County and local artwork.

A public open house will be held at the first of the year.

Tagged under Chamber of Commerce, City

Member Opinions:

By: Bluesman on 12/20/10
That "mirrow image" is again, a case of over spending our tax dollars, just as they always do.

By: FlyerJack on 12/23/10
Thanks, Bluesman. I KNEW the first comment would be from an old stick-in-the mud like you. "Grumble, humbug, widening those roads...we didn't have traffic like this when I was a boy...grumble...new fancy hotel...old MTMC was good enough, why spend dollars on a fancy new hospital...grumble.."

Get with the times, old man. The new generation of Murfreesboro is here, and we're taking our city to places you can't imagine. Already our economic investment is paying off with economic growth. Already we are attracting new business and new residents. Believe it or not, you actually do have to spend money to make money. I'm sorry Murfreesboro is not the simple rural town you grew up in, with the nice downtown stores and plenty of surrounding farmland. But it's time to join the 21st century.

By: Paused on 12/23/10
I think ANYONE who has ever owned a business in this town and has given money to the chamber should raise an eyebrow at that building.

By: publius on 12/24/10
I am not sure what the chamber does except try to sway elections in favor of the republican party. It is a pretty building.

By: Bluesman on 12/24/10
Thanks, to you too, FlyerJ. Yes, I am old school. I know the value of the dollar. I don't believe in spending to build a Temple when we can't afford a Dog House. I don't believe in building a road (Med Center Parkway), then having to rebuild it before they get it finished. I don't believe in building school and then having to move portables in on opening day. They say this Temple will have plenty of room for growth. Maybe they can move some of the developers in, who control Rutherford and how my tax money is spent.

By: MichelleWillard on 12/24/10
Just to clear up some misconceptions:
1. Neither Murfreesboro nor Rutherford County paid for MCP to be redone. The developers of The Avenue did.

2. TDOT paid for a majority of the new building, which is funded by the gas tax collected across the state. Murfreesboro donated the land on which it was built. That was the only investment from the city.

By: FlyerJack on 12/24/10
Thanks for the facts, Michelle.

It'd be nice to get those from Erin Edgemon, who wrote this article.

By: Bluesman on 12/24/10
Thanks Michelle, give some real numbers, please?
Majority?
Developers, who and how much?
City's price paid for land?
Thanks again.

By: MichelleWillard on 12/24/10
If memory serves, the building cost $6.9 million, including the land.

TDOT gave $3 million. Christy-Houston Foundation also donated some money, but I can't remember off hand how much.

The land was appraised at $1 million when it was built. I don't know what the Boro paid for it, but I would guess considerably less because it was bought before Manson Pike was turned into Medical Center Boulevard.

So the Chamber paid for maybe a third of the final cost, around $2 million. They also sold the old building on Memorial to the Red Cross but it the sale price wasn't disclosed.