The Ford battery plant and EV production site known as BlueOval City in Tennessee is one of two that are under-construction in that general area, with the other located in Kentucky. BlueOval City will house not only an electric vehicle manufacturing plant, but also, a battery plant operated by the joint-venture BlueOval SK, which is a collaborative effort between Ford and South Korean battery maker SK On. Trial operations are already underway at BlueOval City, and now, Ford Philanthropy – the automaker’s charitable arm – has broken ground on a new community center nearby, too.
Ford Philanthropy is celebrating the groundbreaking for what will soon become the Ford Community Center in Stanton, Tennessee, which is also the old, historic Stanton School, built in 1948 to educate African American students before desegregation. Soon, it will serve a number of nearby communities including Brownsville, Covington, and Somerville, and has come together after Ford Philanthropy hosted 2,500 hours of listening sessions with residents, with intentions for it to serve as the “front door” for services that are currently lacking. To get there, the school will undergo a full restoration with modern updates including broadband access, after which it will offer a collaborative space for nonprofits, community members, and local leaders to support long-term residents. The United Way of West Tennessee will help provide services focused on economic mobility, food security, physical mobility, and entrepreneurship services, too.
“We will see the benefit of Ford’s historic investment in West Tennessee for generations to come, and today, we celebrate another milestone for the Stanton and Haywood County communities,” said Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter. “The Ford Community Center will be a vital resource to this region and is testament to the cohesiveness and strong relationships we have fostered statewide.”
Though some local residents are seeking protection against gentrification in the area resulting from the massive growth associated with BlueOval City, the site has long been seen as a community-boosting project. Interestingly, even though the start of vehicle production there was recently pushed back to 2027, Stanton Mayor Allan Sterbinsky actually sees this delay as a good thing, as it will give the town time to complete needed infrastructure updates.
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