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Ripley accepts $1.81 million ECD grant to create child care center at UT Martin Ripley Center
Summary
The City of Ripley approved a contract with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to use a $1.81 million grant to build a child care facility in vacant space at the UT Martin Ripley Center, with YMCA to operate the center and broadband upgrades included.
The Ripley Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a grant contract with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to convert vacant floor space at the UT Martin Ripley Center into a child care facility, funding the project with $1,810,000 in ECD support.
The grant agreement, described by the mayor during the April 7 meeting, names the City of Ripley, the University of Tennessee at Martin Ripley Center and the YMCA as partners. The mayor said the YMCA will staff, equip and operate the proposed child care center and that the project includes broadband upgrades at the Ripley Center that will also benefit UT Martin.
Board members moved and seconded the contract approval and then took a roll-call vote that the meeting transcript records as “yes” from each participating alderman and the mayor; the motion passed. Alderman Frazier made the motion and Alderman Chipman seconded.
Board discussion, as recorded, emphasized local demand for more high-quality child care. The mayor framed the project as addressing a “major” community need and said the grant amount aligns with the city’s cost estimates shown to the board.
The grant contract lists the Tennessee ECD as the funding source and assigns operation responsibilities to the YMCA; the transcript does not specify an estimated opening date or a detailed construction schedule. The board did not attach additional conditions in the public record of the meeting.
Next steps recorded in the meeting: the contract was approved and will move forward per the terms of the ECD agreement and the city’s procurement process. Further project-level details, including a construction timeline, final budget breakdown and YMCA staffing plans, were not specified during the meeting.
