If a Sumner County pastor, Derrick Jackson, is successful in his latest endeavor, at-risk adults from throughout the area will someday have a support system in place to obtain job skills, business knowledge and transitional housing.

At issue is a piece of property located on Winchester Drive in Gallatin.

The property was originally used for the education of African- American students, and in recent years it has served as the school district’s maintenance department building.

The maintenance department recently moved to the old Fleetwood property, and the now vacant building is being been eyed by the county as a potential landing site for the county’s emergency services, which is bursting at the seams at its current South Water location.

In 1922, the property was deeded to the City of Gallatin and the Gallatin City School System, as well as the County School System. Today, there is not a city school system, so the deed now belongs to the Sumner County School System and the City of Gallatin.

The Sumner County Commission recently deferred action on a resolution that requests that the school district turn it’s interest in the property over to the general fund.

“While the county commission isn’t listed on the deed,” said County Executive Anthony Holt. “The school district is financed through the county general fund.”

The commission is also eyeing the property as a temporary site for the already overcrowded EMS needs.

“We can’t keep growing as a county the way we are and stay in the old location,” said Holt. “EMS’s days there are numbered and we have to come up with a solution at least until the economy improves.”

Jackson, who is the pastor at First Baptist Church, located next door to the property in question, believes he has a solution that will benefit everyone involved.

“If we can get a clear deed to the property, I don’t see any reason we can’t work it out with the county to let EMS use it for the next 18 months or so while we work on getting our concept started” he said.

Jackson’s vision is to have the property fall under the already in place 501C3 non-profit status that the church holds and to develop a center for at-risk adults.

“Of course want to serve the African American community,” said Jackson, “because many of its members are at risk. But we also want to serve any at-risk adult interested in improving his life.”

Jackson referred to the fact that adults released from Sumner County Jail, who have felony convictions, face a nearly insurmountable task in starting over.

“If you have a felony on your record, even if it is for a non-violent offense, you cannot find a job, you cannot rent an apartment and you really have nowhere to turn,” said Jackson.

“But even with a felony record, you can open your own business.”

Jackson hopes to get the City of Gallatin and the school district to donate the property to his church with a clear deed so he can work on getting the concept started.

“I want to partner with Vol State, some area trade schools and local businesses. The idea is to provide vocational and trade training for at risk community members. This would include carpentry skills, brick laying, dry walling, plumbing and auto mechanics,” he said.

The center will also train its participants in small business ownership and management so that graduates can take the skills they have learned and open their own companies.

“People who have had problems and have a felony record find it almost impossible to start over because no one will give them a chance,” said Jackson. “This concept isn’t just about giving them a second chance. It’s about turning them into productive members of the community where they bring a positive contribution to it.”

Holt believes Jackson has a solid concept that is workable, if the details can be ironed out.

“I am all for working together,” said Holt. “Anytime anyone is willing to sit down and talk about a compromise I am willing to listen. I have a lot of respect for the African American community as well as the First Baptist Church but the bottom line is our focus has to be on serving the entire community and our EMS problems must be solved soon.

“If we can work out a compromise where EMS uses the building temporarily and then Reverend Jackson gets his center up and running, everybody wins.”

Holt pointed out that it is his understanding that the county cannot legally give property to a private entity but he supports Jackson’s efforts to try and get it donated through the city and the school district.

At Monday’s emergency management committee meeting, Vera Brinkley asked committee members to not support using the building for EMS.

Pointing out the property’s original intent, which was to educate African Americans, and the fact that the African American community funded the lion’s share of construction when it was built, Brinkley was adamant the building remain for educational use.

Speaking on behalf of the Winchester CDC (which operates under the First Baptist umbrella) she urged committee members to study the history of the property before deciding what to do. Reminding the committee that the intended use for that building was always education she took issue with the idea it can now be used for EMS.

“When the property ceased to be used for education,” she said. “It should have reverted back to the African-American community.”

Jackson also serves on the board of the Homeward Bound Program at Sumner County Jail. It is a program that teaches life skills to participants in the hopes they will be productive citizens once they are released.

“ Those participants work hard to prepare for their release,” he said.

“And then they get out and they are faced with the fact that nobody will hire them because of their record.

“We want to provide the next step. We want to teach them how to become entrepreneurs and succeed.”