Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 10-18-24

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for October 18, 2024

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
City Cracking Down on Short Term Rentals (MSM)
A proposed ban has hit Columbia’s vacation-rental market fast and hard. Laws governing short-term rentals booked on Airbnb, VRBO and other sites had been on the books for two years, but without enforcement and publicity they remained paper tigers until mid-August.
At that time the city suddenly served papers to property owners in residential areas, ordering them to shut down their short-term rentals. They promised to revisit the question at an Oct. 23 forum (5-6 p.m. at City Hall), when leaders will take comment from the public and possibly revise the short-term rental laws, and invited people to fill out a survey before the forum.
Zoning ordinance 4400 (instituted in 2022) was the law cited for the shutdown. The ordinance requires that “the owner… of such a Short-Term Rental Unit must reside on the premise,” barring the owner of a second or third house from using it for an Airbnb or VRBO. The other was the “commercial” classification of short-term rental businesses, which excludes them from the residential character districts (zoned CD-2 CD-3, and CD-3L) and Planned Unit Districts (PUD-R, PUD-MU) where many had been located. Short-term rentals are still permitted in urban character districts (CD-4, CD-4C, CD-5, CD-5C), which allow for mixed and business use.
City officials explained that they had been prompted to act on the existing laws by noise and disruption complaints.
“Complaints from within the community about STRs stem from isolated incidents of loud or un-neighborly behavior,” said City Planner Kevin McCarthy.
Between them, these laws seem to have wiped out a significant share of vacation rentals in Columbia. Airbnb did not reply to a request for pre-shutdown data, but the current map shows 35-45 available locations on a given day in the greater Columbia area when searching under very inclusive settings (one adult, a non-holiday weeknight, no special requirements). This is in a visually attractive town of 47,000 which budgets hundreds of thousands of municipal dollars to fund its tourism department and self-advertises in magazines and on billboards.
In the Short-Term Rental Unit Act of 2021, the Tennessee General Assembly set out guidelines for the regulation of STRs. Local STR prohibition laws passed after 2021 (such as the 2022 revision to local zoning ordinance 4400) “shall not apply” to STRs that were in business before the law passed, as long as they held a valid local permit or the local government hadn’t yet instituted a permit system.
Paul Keltner, director of Development Services, said that Columbia followed the relevant state laws. Before 2022, the city regulated STRs like hotels under zoning ordinance 3638 (before 4400 recognized them as a separate category), and gave out permits to owners who applied for one. Keltner stated that the city only shut down rentals that had been established since 2022 and were operating without permission and out of zone.
Still, the abrupt enforcement of city laws understandably caused a great deal of confusion. Rental owners were upset at overnight enforcement without prior notice, and at the prospect of facing upkeep costs and property taxes on the rentals after at least two months without income from them.
“Those whom I know with STRs have no wish to be long-term rental landlords,” said Susan Doerr, who bought a house in Columbia to visit her daughter’s family and rents it out the rest of the year on Airbnb. “Why should the voices of those who are clamoring for more long-term rentals override the wishes of responsible homeowners?”
The laws, their enforcement, and the upcoming forum are ultimately prompted by a question: how short-term rentals might be good or bad for Columbia, and how to manage them accordingly. Many citizens weighed the issue from what might be called the “stakeholder perspective:” thinking in terms of property rights and neighborhood quality of life.
Doerr argued that rentals give work to cleaning and maintenance workers around town and stimulate local business by putting people closer to the town center, instead of in chain hotels next to chain restaurants at the end of Bear Creek Pike. They also tend to beautify the neighborhoods they’re located in.
“We strive to make the inside and outside of our homes appealing,” said Doerr. “In my Columbia neighborhood, I see some of the long-term rentals with overgrown grass and weeds and… cars parked on the lawns… Not with STRs. We take pride in providing a welcoming home away from home.”
“All of the short-term rental platforms have regulations in place to prevent large parties or disruptions to the community,” said Suzanne Roberts, who with her husband owns an Airbnb triplex in Columbia. “Most owners have strict policies on [the] number of guests, rules, smoking… Airbnb holds the guests accountable for any damages done to a property.
“Airbnb owners keep very good care of their property, making the value of other homes in the area keep and increase their value,” Roberts added.
Roberts and Doerr also argued from the benefits they provided to Airbnb guests, especially the advantages over the Bear Creek Pike chain hotels: a home-like atmosphere, the chance to cook instead of ordering meals out, room for adults and children to stretch their legs in yards and neighborhoods.
“We have loads of notes that guests have written us saying how much they love the home and appreciate the amenities we offer,” Doerr said proudly.
Maury County Commissioner Gabe Howard was very strongly in favor of re-legalizing STRs, saying the city had shown contempt for property rights by shutting them down.
“Airbnbs are a good thing for the community,” he said. “I’ve heard no good arguments for why they would prohibit them… If somebody wanted to stop Airbnbs, there’s processes in place, they can form HOAs.”
However, vacation rentals tend to reveal larger and more systemic problems, like affordability, housing supply and the bulk purchase of housing by investment firms – problems which cities and towns across the country have attempted to solve with aggressive legislation.
Not everyone is aware of this angle on the STR question.
“I have only heard mention of real estate scarcity as a concern over the last few days,” said McCarthy, but others are, like Commissioner Howard and Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder.
“Cities across the country are dealing with the dynamics, if not dilemmas, that short-term rentals create,” Molder said. “We want to… maintain the continuity of residential neighborhoods and ensure it retains the residential feel… while recognizing that short term rentals can likewise provide value… [when] properly implemented.”
Airbnb captures 26 percent of the whole short-term accommodations market (the second-largest behind Booking.com‘s 35 percent), dwarfing the next-largest sites and apps which each claim less than 8 percent. With its dominant market share and more than six million listings worldwide, Airbnb has become a shorthand for app-based STRs and their effect on the areas where they cluster.
Stan Alderson, now a Columbia resident, watched them transform his Shelby Hills neighborhood in East Nashville between 2009 and 2021. Whether the relation was causative or merely correlative, property values and long-term rents exploded at the same time that more and more Shelby Hills homes were turned into STRs. (Rental owners acknowledge and even celebrate the tendency of STRs to raise property values in their neighborhoods.)
Alderson watched tenants move away as the new rents overtook them, and fixed-income homeowners sell their retirement homes to stay ahead of property taxes which rose with the valuation of their houses – part of a growing problem that affects even homeowners.
“As more and more Airbnbs came into the neighborhood, rents went up… and many long-term residents… were forced out,” Alderson said. “The evidence is overwhelming that STR’s negatively affect the renters and the poorest people in a community… [and] they adversely affect long-term rental prices in every area that has a significant number of [them].”
Neighbor turned against neighbor in the quarrel over whether Airbnbs were good or bad for Shelby Hills. Tired of the fighting and the disappearance of his neighbors, Alderson finally moved back to Columbia.
Short-term rentals are not the ultimate cause of all affordability and supply crises – simple increased demand, from the number and affluence of people moving to Middle Tennessee (over 190,000 between 2021-2023) in the pandemic years, is almost certainly the spark that caused Columbia’s housing-price explosion, not the conversion of a few dozen homes and lofts into vacation rentals. Compared to the 35-45 Airbnbs here, there are a little over 300 apartments and 180 houses available in the town for rent at present, not counting the occupied ones.
Rental owners and local officials deny that there were, or ever will be, enough Airbnbs to cause a similar crisis here; demand will never be high enough to create the same problems in a non-resort residential town like Columbia.
“Columbia is not Nashville and it’s not Gatlinburg,” said Roberts. “And while STR owners acknowledge there should be some regulations, I do believe having some STR options for out-of-town guests brings a lot more good than harm.”
Commissioner Howard agreed. “A lot of those [restrictions] are in really big cities. I understand trying to get ahead of [a problem],” he said, “but… there are tens of thousands of homes in Maury County that are currently being built… [and] in the current real estate market inventory. That may be a national crisis; it’s not a Maury County problem.”
The people of Columbia will have a chance to air their opinions on the existing STR laws and the future direction of such laws. From 5-6 p.m. Oct. 23, there will be a public forum at City Hall, seeking comment on the matter. All residents with an interest in the question are invited to attend and to fill out the city’s survey. Learn more at www.columbiatn.gov.

Boys and Girls Club Gala Raises Money (MSM)
Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Tennessee, a leader in youth development, recently announced that its 25th annual Great Futures Gala raised an impressive $313,000. These funds will help expand the Club’s services and programs, ensuring that young people in the community continue to have access to the resources they need to thrive.
“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from our community,” said Ginny Wright, Executive Director of Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Tennessee. “The funds raised at this event will go directly toward enhancing our programming and providing more opportunities for the youth we serve. We are also thrilled to announce that, as of Oct. 7, 2024, all teen membership fees have been waived, ensuring that cost is no longer a barrier for teens who want to participate.”
Held at Worldwide Stages in Spring Hill, the Gala featured inspiring speeches, live musical performances and a lively auction. A highlight of the evening was a heartfelt testimony from Josh, a long-time Club member, who shared how the Boys & Girls Club has helped shape his life.
“The Boys & Girls Club has shown me many ways to improve. I have developed leadership skills by being an example for younger members. No matter how I behave or even when I mess up, the staff have always let me come back and treated me like everyone else,” Josh said.
Besides waiving teen membership fees, the Club is poised to reduce fees for all other members in the near future. This initiative ensures that more youth can benefit from the Club’s impactful programs without financial barriers.
This year’s Gala was made possible by the generous support of numerous sponsors.
The vision of Boys & Girls Clubs of America is to provide a world-class club experience that ensures success is within reach for every young person who enters our doors. Founded in 1999, Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Tennessee serves more than 1,500 youth annually across three Clubhouse sites and eleven school-based locations. In partnership with Maury County Public Schools since 2016, the Club has expanded its reach to provide vital services to children and families throughout the region.
For more information, please visit Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Tennessee at www.bgcsctn.org.

African American Heritage Society Lecture (MSM)
The Maury County African American Heritage Society invites the community to hear its October program as part of its “African Americans Making History” series. Sheryl Sweeney and Johne Stewart will speak on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Maury County Library in Columbia.
Sweeney is the athletics director at E.A. Cox Middle School. She started her coaching career at Whitthorne Middle School as the girls’ assistant basketball coach and held this position for three years.
She continued her coaching career in Spring Hill as the middle school’s girls’ basketball and softball coach for the next five years and assisted with the high school girls.
Sweeney has been at E. A. Cox Middle School for the past 26 years and has been the head girls’ basketball coach for 10 years. In addition, she has assisted with the boys’ basketball, volleyball and softball teams.
Stewart is the head girls’ basketball coach at Columbia Central High School. Prior to joining the team at Columbia Central and while earning a Master of Business Administration, she served for two years as a graduate assistant coach at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio.
Stewart was a four-year starter at Memphis Central High School and graduated in 2018. She averaged 10 points per game as a sophomore; and helped the Warriors advance to the Tennessee State Championship game in both her junior and senior seasons, averaging 20 points per game during as a senior, and finished Memphis Central High School with a career total of 2,000 points and earned MVP and All-Tournament honors.
After high school, Steward played three seasons at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla., before transferring to Southeast Missouri State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in social science.

Fall Activities in Maury County (CDH)
As fall continues to set in, with it comes many community events and seasonal opportunities to make the most out of the season.
Whether it is visiting a local pumpkin patch or dressing up for this year's annual Haunting in The District, the fall season is ripe with activity and fun events for the whole family.
The city kicked things off last weekend with the rescheduled Columbia Fall Fest and Kiwanis Chili Cook-off, which was initially postponed due to inclement weather.
However, Fall Fest is only the tip of the iceberg for fall events and things to do over the next month.
The fall season can conjure up many images, such as the changing leaves or Halloween decorations adorning neighborhood homes, but none are arguably more synonymous with the fall season than a Jack-o-Lantern.
Maury County's farming communities annually offer opportunities to visit local pumpkin patches, while also taking part in other traditional fall-related activities like hayrides, corn mazes and getting a hands-on look at farm life.
Hidden Bee Farm and animal sanctuary, 753 Carter's Creek Pike in Columbia, is holding its annual fall events, including activities like picking a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, participating in the hay maze and obstacle course, chucking a pumpkin, taking a hay ride or feeding the rescue animals.
Prices vary depending on activity. Activities last through October.
Proceeds go toward supporting the farm's animal rescue efforts.
Visit https://hiddenbeeanimalrescue.org for more information.
Pumpkin Paradise, 3005 Sheegog Lane, offers much of the classic hands-on pumpkin patch experience, from hayrides to flying pigs, a corn box (like a sandbox, but with corn), as well as a farmer's garden growing fresh produce.
Pumpkin Paradise is open every weekend through Nov. 2, with hours running 2-6 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 1-6 p.m. Sundays.
The Row & Co., 206 Depot St. in the Columbia Arts District, will host a night of pumpkin carving and movies with The Harvest Glow event Saturday, Oct. 19. The event runs from 4-9 p.m. and will feature a pumpkin carving contest from participating local businesses, followed by a screening of "Monsters Inc." at 6:30 p.m.
Pumpkins will also be available for purchase at the Harvest Glow event.
Young or old, the fall season is also about dressing up in this year's Halloween costume, loading up on candy and having a scary good time with friends and family.
Limoland Pumpkin Patch, 8076 Columbia Highway in Pulaski, offers pumpkins and fall activities. Limoland, a diversified family farm located north of Pulaski, was founded in 1982.
A family fun area is open to all with a big slide, haystacks, corn maze, farm animals, and weekend barrel train rides.
Hours are Monday through Saturday 10 am-6 pm, Sunday 1 pm-5 pm through Oct. 31. Admission is $8 for adults, children 3 and up is $8, children under 3 are free with paying adult. Call 931-363-5744 for more information or visit http://www.limolandfarm.com.
The Awaken House coffeehouse and venue, 3035 Reserve Blvd in Spring Hill, will hold a Fall Fest Oct. 25-26 including food trucks, live music, a petting zoo, pumpkin patch, kids activities and vendors.
Visit https://www.theawakenhouse.co/ for more information.
The City of Columbia will once again celebrate All Hallows Eve with its annual Haunting in the District on the downtown square from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31.
Presented by the Maury County Visitors Bureau, Haunting in the District brings families and people of all ages together for a safe and fun night of trick or treating on the downtown square.
Get your scare on at Millers Thrillers Haunted Woods, which has been entertaining guests for years, always stepping up the frights and thrills each October. You'll fight off a hoard of zombies with paintball guns, learn about a local phosphate legend in the Hillbilly Hollar haunted trail or simply bask in the fun time of Columbia's long-running haunt at its Entertainment Zone.
Miller's Thrillers is located at 1431 Carters Creek Pike and is open from 7-11 p.m. every Friday and 6-11 p.m. every Saturday through Nov. 2 and will be closed on Halloween.
On Friday, Oct. 18, Columbia Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat, 106 S. James M. Campbell Blvd., will host a special Trunk or Treat event from 5-7 p.m.
The following weekend, the United Farm & Home Co-op, 957 Riverview Lane, will host a Halloween themed Cruisin' the Co-op: Classic Cars & Candy Bars from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25. This will also be the final Cruisin' the Co-op car show of 2024.
On Saturday, Oct. 26, Fall Funfest will take place at Woodland Park, 821 W. 9th St., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event will feature food trucks, outdoor games, as well as pumpkin carving and a photo booth. The event is hosted by Tristar Realty, with proceeds benefiting C.A.S.A. of Maury County.
Head down to the Rebel Bar and Grill, 307 Riverside Drive for its Haunted Bash starting at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26. Enjoy a spooky night of karaoke and dancing, as well as a $25 all-you-can-eat buffet. There will also be a $100 cash prize for best costume.
As a town with a celebrated history, uncovering the past sometimes involves digging up a few old ghosts, some whose spirits are known to still haunt many of Columbia's historic buildings and sites.
Now in its 15th year, Downtown Columbia Ghost Tours takes visitors around the downtown square, with tour guides sharing eerie tales of former Columbia residents, some of which are known to still haunt the area.
Downtown Ghost Tours will start promptly at 8 p.m. Fridays at the Maury County Courthouse steps. Tickets are $10 per person and cash only. Reservations are required by calling [phone].
Another Columbia haunted tour tradition is the Rose Hill Cemetary Tour, which returns from 7-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26. Guides will lead guests around the historic Rose Hill Cemetery by lantern light, with costumed actors bringing to life a few former Columbia residents.
Tickets for the Rose Hill Cemetery Tour are $10. For more information, call [phone]. Also be sure to bring a flashlight.

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…

Carl Smith Leland, 86, long time resident of Westover Park in Columbia, died Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at Maury Regional Medical Center.
Honoring Carl’s request there will be no services. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com. Memorials may be made to Pleasant Heights Baptist Church Disaster Fund 2712 Trotwood Avenue Columbia, TN 38401; Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home 1310 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN 37027; or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org.

Joseph “Joe” John Pfieffer, 76, lifelong resident of Columbia died Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at Poplar Estates Retirement Center.
A graveside memorial service will be conducted Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Morton Cemetery. Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.

And now, news from around the state…
Nobody Trashes Tennessee (Press Release)
The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) Nobody Trashes Tennessee (NTT) litter prevention campaign is rolling out its new patch this fall for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts that conduct litter cleanups in their communities. Launched in 2023, the patch program recognizes scouts for their efforts to help keep their communities clean and safe.
The new patch features Trashsquatch, the campaign’s loveable mascot that is on a mission to end littering and is available for scouts conducting their second cleanup service project. Scouts conducting their first cleanup will receive the original Nobody Trashes Tennessee logo patch.
“We launched our patch program last year and it was widely received by scout groups throughout the state,” said Brittany Morris, TDOT Transportation Program Supervisor. “As we continue to expand our youth outreach, the new Trashsquatch patch offers another incentive to those that participated in 2023, to join us once again, especially during No Trash November.”
While scouts may conduct their cleanup and access educational resources all year long, the new patch is being rolled out just in time for No Trash November. In its fourth year, No Trash November activates Tennesseans of all ages to participate in cleanup events held in their communities.
“Last year’s No Trash November campaign included more than 150 events with over 2,200 volunteers who collected more than 86,000 pounds of litter from the state’s roadways,” said Morris. “This year, with the help of participating scouts – and with Trashsquatch cheering them on – we aim to grow the initiative’s reach even more.”
Currently, all three Girl Scout councils and all six Boy Scouts of America councils serving Tennessee have partnered with Nobody Trashes Tennessee on the litter prevention education and patch program. Additional youth service groups with patch programs are also welcome to participate. The patches are provided following the cleanups at no cost to the participating organizations or individual scouts.
To learn more, visit nobodytrashestennessee.com. To find an existing cleanup in your community or to register your own event, visit the event calendar. For groups with members 12 and older who wish to commit to quarterly cleanups, participating in the Adopt-A-Highway program will earn them both a patch and a roadway recognition panel.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
Sometimes you can't beat a big bunch of junk, which is exactly what you'll find at the always popular Big Bleu Pickin' Party.
Bleu Belle Boutique's (formerly Bleu 32) recurring event is always a mishmash of vendors, local businesses, food trucks and live entertainment, not to mention all the people.
As always, the Big Bleu Pickin' Party will take place in the public lot at the corner of East 7th and Woodland Streets, commonly known as Motor Alley. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and is free to attend.
For more information, call [phone].