BusinessTN

Imagine a world-class educational venue, including a museum of natural history, art and science, as well as grounds for historical structures, botanical gardens and convention space. That's the vision for the Discovery Park of America, a $100 million development currently underway in Northwest Tennessee's Union City.

The 50-acre complex financed by the Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Foundation -- of Kirkland's home decor stores -- broke ground in 2008 with intentions to educate and inspire. "Obion County is doing everything it can to get high-risk and scholarly children to reach their potentials. If we can get Discovery Park built, it will greatly contribute to that," Robert Kirkland says.

But conflicts have delayed the completion of the park, originally set for next year, until 2012 or 2013. "There was a problem with the architects, and the deal was terminated," says Larry Snider, director of marketing and communications for Discovery Park, regarding the Ottawa-based Douglas Cardinal Architects.

By October, architectural firm, Hnedak Bobo Group, headquartered in Memphis, redesigned the park's master plan. Official architects on the job will be named by year's end. "We had over 70 architects interested in the project and narrowed it down to five," Snider says, with Hnedak Bobo Group and Randall Stout Architects among the finalists.

Despite setbacks, the objective for a visually unique structure remains unchanged. At the heart will be the Discovery Center, an interactive museum with an earthquake simulator and 60-foot-tall replica of the human body. "It will be the focus of imagination for kids who would otherwise maybe never see these types of displays," Kirkland says.

To aid success, the Kirkland Foundation will contribute $2 million per year to support operations and expansion over the next 15 to 20 years. That level of private investment implies "a large number of people coming to the city without having to spend much to get them in," says Jim Cooper, executive director of the Obion County Joint Economic Development Council.

Where growth is concerned, Cooper says, "It doesn't help if one county stands head and shoulders above the rest." That doesn't mean Obion County isn't doing its share when it comes to the area's industrial and infrastructure projects. Obion has entered the renewable energy scene with the state's second ethanol plant. Renovations to the Everett-Stewart Regional Airport, as well as a three-county effort by Lake, Dyer and Obion to construct the Port of Cates Landing on the Mississippi River, aim to facilitate access to the region.

But most advantageous to Discovery Park will be its location along the western border of the yet-to-be-completed Interstate 69. "To be successful, we will have to draw from 200 to 300 miles away, and having a highway running from Kentucky through western Tennessee will help," Snider says.

Unless new conflicts emerge, Discovery Park promises extended-stay tourism, added employment and other marginal revenue. But for Kirkland, one goal trumps all: "To fill all voids of education that the county needs." That’s an issue whose importance knows no county or state boundaries.