Motlow College has the land to further expand its robotics program.
The full Warren County Commission has voted unanimously to donate 4.3 acres of land to Motlow for an Advanced Robotics Training Facility.
According to County Executive Herschel Wells, Gov. Bill Haslam has dedicated $25 million to colleges across the state and officials from Motlow and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) will be attempting to obtain $5 million of that money to build a robotics center.
“Motlow, in conjunction with TCAT, is going to apply for a $5 million grant out of this $25 million,” said Wells. “If they can get that, they will need the land to construct a building for robotics.”
Officials are also hoping that offering advanced robotics training courses will draw attention and revenue from industries such as Yorozu, Nissan and Volkswagen by providing those manufacturers with a place to send employees for training. It’s been said those employees currently have to go out of state to Detroit and Chicago for such training.
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips was in McMinnville on Thursday to learn more about the proposed robotics center.
The land is located next to TCAT and the donation is contingent upon Motlow receiving the grant from the state for the project. If Motlow does not receive the grant, the land will revert back to Warren County. The vote was held Monday night.