‘Our goal is to have classes in the new facility starting in September 2026’- TCAT President Dr. Debbie Petree

TOP PHOTO: TCAT at Jacksboro’s campus is ever changing with its biggest ever project for expansion underway.

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- New TCAT facilities at Jacksboro are being constructed on the old campus, and that construction has stirred a lot of excitement and anticipation. The most thrilled person on campus about all the activity is quite likely TCAT President Dr. Debbie Petree.

Petree began her 18th year at TCAT on July 2 and says she’s going to miss the character of the old building. “It’s impressive just thinking of all the students who have passed through here and being a part of this history,” said Petree.

Above is the construction of Building A while TCAT President Dr. Debbie Petree points to a rendering of Building A.
Building A will be on the right as you enter the TCAT campus.

Building A will house administration and student services, a one stop shop, according to Petree. Elsewhere in Building A, there will be class rooms for Practical Nursing, Emergency Medical Technology on the first floor. The second floor will accommodate Cosmetology, Computer Information, Administration Office, Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Technology. The second floor will also have a 100 capacity meeting room that can even be broken into two rooms.

Here is where Building B is being constructed, at the very back of the current TCAT campus. TCAT President Dr. Debbie Petree points to a rendering of Building B.

The length of Building B will come out to a football field and a half.

At the back of the current TCAT campus, Building B is being constructed and will house Welding, Automotive Technology. Power Sports and Machine Tool Technology. “We’ll be adding Diesel and Industrial Maintenance Technology once Building B is completed,” said Dr. Petree.

Most of the current TCAT buildings, which were the original structures, will be razed to make room for the new parking lot.

TCAT President Dr. Debbie Petree explains that once the old building is gone, there will be a new 400 space parking lot in its place at the front of the campus.

With the new campus, TCAT will be doubling its square footage. It’ll go from 46,000 to 94,200 square feet.

Though a lot has changed since TCAT opened in 1967 as a State Area Vocational-Technical School, the memories remain for the thousands who have passed through its doors. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-07/28/2025-6AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF WLAF’ S CHARLIE HUTSON)

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