Old School Could Become Family Justice Center

June 27, 2011
Kevin Sims

There could be new life for a Hamilton County school that's sat empty for two years.  But changes to the former 21st Century Academy, or Brainerd Junior High, don't come without controversy.

The building sits just off Brainerd Road and just down the street from Michael Whinery's new home.  Over the past year and a half, he's remodeled and repainted so it's no wonder he's keeping an eye on the empty old school building.  "I think it's a building with a lot of potential," Whinery says.  "I'm just hoping whatever they do with it that it improves the community."

Charlotte Boatwright thinks she has just the thing.  "Actually it looks like this building was designed for our needs," she says, "it looks like it was designed to be used."  She and a group of others are hoping to turn the old 21st Century Academy into the Chattanooga Family Justice Center, a one-stop shop for domestic violence victims.  "(We want) to give them the tools to empower victims to come out of the violent situation (and) to develop the tools they need to make a living for themselves and their children."

That could include everything from job skills training to an alternative school for students.
Boatwright says it will have keyed entry, which leaves some like Whinery to wonder what kind of clientele will be there.  "Being as we live so close to it, it just depends," he says, "it just depends on the kinds of folks that will congregate in the area."

Boatwright doesn't believe that will be a problem, saying other cities like Knoxville haven't had issues, mainly because this won't be for the perpetrators.  "We won't treat offenders there," she says, "this will be for victims and children only."

Others are just happy that something might be moving in, arguing that an abandoned building is worse than the alternative.  "(There's) a lot of youth that's going through a lot of things right now," says resident Briana Tate, "and we really need something like that around."

Whinery doesn't doubt it's needed.  He just wants to make sure any new neighbors don't bring down the neighborhood.

Any decision on the Family Justice Center won't happen until it's approved by both the Hamilton County School Board and County Commissioners.