Groundbreaking held for new Head Start facility in Lexington

LEXINGTON, Tenn. — For over 50 years, one institution has made an impact in its local community, and now it’s time for a major upgrade.

A legacy is being continued in a new way in Lexington, and both the new generations and and older generations are coming together in celebration.

“We are leaving the historic Montgomery School here in Lexington, also. We have been there 51 years,” said Gary V. Gober, Head Start Director for Southwest HRA. “The school was built in 1948 — it was retired as a public school in 1967, we moved into it in 1973.”

Gober described the old building as being at capacity for students with a constant wait list, along with having some concerns with the building itself.

And Mike Smith, the Executive Director of Southwest Human Resources Agency, shares the process leading to the big day.

“We started this process back in 2017, applying for grants to build this building and have a new facility here for the children of Henderson County,” said Smith. “So it’s been a long process, culminating today with the groundbreaking of this state-of-the-art facility. It’s going to be, it’s going to be unbelievable for the children in Henderson County.”

The new 16,000+ square foot building will hold 99 students, with the ability to expand to 120 students, according to Gober.

Gober also shared that Southwest has multiple facilities, including the sister facility in Brownsville that is expected to open with children on October 14.

“So Southwest Head Start is trying to aggressively expand and obtain the facilities we need to be able to serve every county that we are working in now,” Gober said.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, many elected officials were present or represented, along with the community, and they were able to witness the $4.3 million check presented by Representative David Kustoff, along with a unique groundbreaking.

Construction on the building is expected to start in November 2024, after the bid process is finished, then completed and ready for students in Fall 2025.

The new facility is located on Pine Street in Lexington.

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