July 22, 2015

Chamber Building Design Underway


By Tony Marks
– The Collierville Herald –

As the one-acre site for a new Collierville Chamber of Commerce changes hands from Schilling Enterprises to the chamber, how the building will be designed is getting under way.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved accepting the land donation from Schilling Enterprises and then giving it by quit-claim deed to the chamber.

The transfer allows Schilling to take advantage of tax benefits for donating the land to a non-prophet organization.

Plans by fisher & Arnold, Inc. show the .96 acre site at the southeast corner of Poplar Avenue and future Schilling Blvd. West. It is about 95 feet at its widest point and 789 feet long. It backs up to a 100-feet wide right of way for the Norfolk Southern rail line.

Through the wedge-shaped parcel seems a challenge for architect firm Fleming & Associates, who have drawn some preliminary plans, the chamber is confident in the site. Last month, its board of directors accepted the Schilling Farms site as the future home of the chamber, now located in the Campbell House at 215 South Center St.

“It is larger than it looks,” said Dale Jamieson, who is chairing the committee in charge of the move. “The site certainly will accommodate the type of building that we are going to need.”

Jamieson said the current location is 2,500 sq. ft., and not all of it is usable space.

“What we determined was that a building that would have approximately 5,000 square feet in it would meet our needs,” he said.

In the past few months, early work on the design has begun, he said, with the pro bono work of Fleming & Associates and Fisher & Arnold.

In order to fit the site, Jamieson said the building is being designed as a two-story building. He said it will give adequate parking and frontage on Poplar Avenue. One of the things that we looked at was our ability to conform to very strict design and architectural covenants in Schilling Farms,” he said.

Jamieson said he hoped to have the building design set by the end of the year, in time for a membership drive to help fund its construction.

In other business, Ray has appointed the Executive Committee including Harry Smith as past chairman, Rick Lassiter as vice chairman for Community Development, Bill Nelms as vice chairman for Economic Development, Dean Wingo as vice chairman of finance. Charles Engelken as vice chairman of government relations, Sherrie Rinehart as vice chairman of member development.

Board of directors include Wright Cox, Linda Dick, Bob Grich, Dale Jamieson, Jewel Jordan, Frank King, James Lewellen, Sheri Mulllis, Trena Street, David Thompson, Harold Walker and Julie Yancey.