Hinton & Company and the United Way of Greater Chattanooga will host the upcoming Ascension Leadership Conference 2024. The conference will take place in Chattanooga Wednesday, April 3. It aims to bring together emerging and established leaders to enhance their communication skills.
Registration for the conference is $450. The rate for nonprofit and government employees is $350. The registration fee includes conference admission, access to the conference app, workshop resources, breakfast, networking luncheon and break stations.
Register
County pulls McDonald Farm rezone request
Hamilton County is rescinding the request to rezone parcels of land at McDonald Farm in Sale Creek. Planning officials moved to rezone hundreds of acres in November to provide flexibility for Hamilton County Parks and Recreation and for potential industrial development. After analysis and input from Sale Creek residents, the county will pull the request and evaluate alternative options.
The county will delay the request for 90 days as officials and consultants explore additional zoning options that fulfill the county and community’s shared desire for additional recreational space, as well as prepare the site for industrial possibilities in the years ahead.
The county is also awaiting results from a study commissioned by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency about potential uses for the site.
The original proposal included a request for 871 acres to be rezoned as M-1, which was proposed for maximum flexibility with the land and to position the site for state investment. The county and RPA, with input from community stakeholders, anticipate presenting a revised request with a more detailed plan.
Hamilton County was recently awarded $3 million from the state of Tennessee to be used for essential water infrastructure at McDonald Farm. This request will not impact that commitment.
Ghana capital becomes Chattanooga Sister City
Accra, the capital city of Ghana, has agreed to become Chattanooga’s first sister city located on the continent of Africa.
The relationship has been in the works for more than a year, but the timing of the agreement was fortunate, coming the morning after Accra was featured in the NFL’s commercial during the Super Bowl, which officials from both cities hope will raise awareness of the partnership.
“We’re grateful to Mayor Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey and the people of Accra for agreeing to create this partnership with Chattanooga, and to Kanika Wellington-Jones in Chattanooga, who made this possible,” says Mayor Tim Kelly. “Our other sister city relationships have enriched our community, grown our economy and broadened our cultural horizons. Establishing one of these connections on the African continent is overdue. Many Chattanooga residents have West African roots, and we look forward to robust partnerships and cultural exchange, especially for our youth.”
A formal signing ceremony between the two cities will be held virtually Thursday, Feb. 29.
Sister city relationships are voluntary diplomatic partnerships between two communities in two countries, usually focused on cultural exchange. The relationship is officially recognized after the highest elected or appointed official from both communities sign off on an agreement to become sister cities. Sister city programming and logistic work is done primarily by engaged citizens on a volunteer basis.
Accra joins Chattanooga’s other sister cities, including: Wuxi, China; Hamm, Germany; Wolfsburg, Germany; Givatayim, Israel; Nizhnii Tagil, Russia; and Tono, Japan.