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RailYard Workspace to Host Ribbon Cutting, Open House

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McKENZIE — The RailYard Workspace is hosting a ribbon cutting and open house on Friday, January 22, 2 p.m. at the new facility on Broadway Street in downtown McKenzie adjacent to the McKenzie Memorial Library and the newly-opened, newly-remodeled McKenzie Station Bar and Grill.
The approximately 5,000 square-foot office and meeting space has two floors of offices and conference rooms to serve the needs of businesses.
Monica Heath, executive director of the McKenzie Industrial Board and executive of the new McKenzie Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the development of the co-working space has been a year in the making. McKenzie Industrial Board voted to purchase the former store front that previously served as the start-up location of Overflow Church. The Industrial Board chose to create the co-working space similar to those throughout Tennessee.
Gary Simmons, chairman of the Board of Directors of the McKenzie Industrial Board said the new co-working space is a super opportunity for McKenzie, especially those budding entrepreneurs, who are eager to start a business. It provides an opportunity to start a business with daily, weekly or monthly access. It offers those without high-speed internet or an office to have a place to work and meet. Jackson, Nashville, Dyersburg all have similar co-working spaces, which have become really popular, said Simmons.
This Friday, the public has the opportunity to participate in a ribbon cutting and open house celebration. Heath said the a limited number of persons can participate in individual tours throughout the day to achieve social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. One can phone 731-352-2004 or email mckenzieindustry@gmail.com to schedule a tour.

What visitors will see are four private offices for long-term rent, individual work desks for daily use, two conference rooms for short-term rent by business and industry, a kitchen area and handicap-accessible restrooms. The original brick adorns the interior walls along with railroad-style decor and photographs of the railroad by Alivia Green and Christian Nunnery. The audio-visual equipment in the conference rooms have internet and the big-screen televisions have the necessary interface connectors for all type of training and internet training.
The rent includes all utilities, internet and wi-fi access, and 24/7 access for some level of renters. The facility will have controlled access at the entry point and it will have surveillance by security cameras.
Visitors can rent workspace by the day. Heath said the facility cannot be rented for social events, such as baby showers. The first event in the facility was a Christmas pop-up market.
The project was beseiged with setbacks, such as the entire roof blowing off and flooding the building. An unplanned new roof and new ceiling slowed the progress, but certainly enhanced the longevity of the facility. The building also unexpected had to be totally rewired to meet current electrical codes.
Heath said local contractors and suppliers provided the supplies for construction. Suppliers and contractors included: Construction Solutions of McKenzie, Trevathan Electric, A-Plus Heating and Cooling, Carroll County Lumber, Bennett Hardware, Armour Siding and Windows, Williams Furniture and Merchants Outlet Mall, Howard Happy, represented by Candy Lowe of McKenzie, Elliott Signs of McLemoresville, David Gordon Roofing, and Nikolas Heath, who performed much of the demolition.
Heath estimates the project costs $250,000, which was funded, by a grant from TVA, Tennessee Economic and Community Development, some insurance proceeds, and the McKenzie Industrial Board.