Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 8-15-24

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Daily News from MuleTown to Music City and beyond. Listen to Tom Price read the news of the day from Kennedy Broadcasting, WKOM & WKRM Radio.

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for August 15, 2024

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
Accused Teacher Case Dismissed (MSM)
A 16-count indictment against a Maury County teacher was dismissed last week after prosecutors said they could not meet the burden of proof.
Kenny L. Anderson Jr., of Columbia, was indicted in February 2024 by a grand jury on 16 charges that allegedly took place between 2020 and 2023, including rape, incest and sexual abuse by an authority figure.
On Wednesday, Aug. 7, the charges were dismissed in Judge Caleb Bayless’ court.
District Attorney General Brent Cooper, in a statement to Main Street Maury, said, “After a thorough review of the case, we felt that we would have difficulty carrying our burden of proof, at this time. Unfortunately, these type of cases rarely have any independent physical evidence and rely solely on the word of one party against another. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is a very high burden, often requiring more.”
Anderson had been free on $200,000 bond since his arrest. He was suspended by Maury County Public Schools in August 2023 after an investigation into the allegations began. MCPS has not yet commented regarding Anderson’s job status.

Maury County’s Athletic Fields (CDH)
Maury County is in the midst of the largest athletic facility improvement project in the county school system's history.
Last year, the Maury County school board drew up a deal that would have the Maury County Commission borrow $28 million in funding for Maury County Public Schools for athletic facility improvements that the school district would then pay back.
The proposal was approved by the County Commission and the money immediately became available for use. MCPS has 20 years to pay back the borrowed sum and it has become a regular item in the school district’s budget.
“When you think about our athletic programs, our athletic facilities, you know, that's our front porch to the world,” MCPS superintendent Lisa Ventura said.
Upon approval of the funding last year, a list was created to address the most pressing needs of facilities across the county.
“So we created a list of priorities, ADA, Title IX things that needed to be addressed first, and the things we could do easily we went ahead and did,” said Eric Perryman, Maury County assistant superintendent of operations. “But (we) really started planning for the larger projects, which led to stadium renovations, which led to turf, which led to different types of things that have come along.”
Every Maury County high school has had its gym floors redone, while all middle and high schools have also had storage facilities built for athletic equipment. There are plans to add artificial turf at every Maury County public high school baseball, softball and football field in the county.
In addition to each school getting artificial turf, here is what else the money is paying for:

Mt. Pleasant football had locker rooms renovated. The softball facility was renovated entirely. New basketball goals added to the gym and new dugouts for baseball and softball.
Columbia Central's back gym and locker rooms will be renovated while each sport will soon be getting its own locker room. Baseball received new dugouts and softball will be getting an indoor facility.
Santa Fe's weight room was renovated and new basketball goals were installed in the gym, which was renovated ahead of this project.
Culleoka is planning a new indoor practice space for basketball and Hampshire will be getting a second outdoor practice space. New dugouts for baseball and softball at the schools are also being planned for the future.
Spring Hill was able to finish renovations to its gym, while bigger renovations are set to be underway soon.
“(There are) so many projects still in the works that our campuses are transforming," Maury County Schools district athletic director Chris Poynter said. "And it's showing you that there's so much more to Maury County Public Schools ... and it also shows how much our district cares about our communities and providing them with that quality space, place and an experience when they go to our campuses.”
Not included in the facilities project is the new Battle Creek High's athletic facilities, which include baseball, football and softball fields all complete with artificial turf.
Currently the most high profile projects this money is being used for are at Columbia Central, Mt. Pleasant and Spring Hill.
Columbia Central and Mt. Pleasant will each be getting artificial turf for their high school football fields. The turf project at Mt. Pleasant was completed just before the school year's start, while the turf project at Columbia is being planned for the offseason.
Along with those upgrades, Spring Hill’s athletic facilities are set to be totally revamped. Spring Hill already had its grandstands and lighting upgraded ahead of this project and the additional funding will allow for a handful of needed changes.
Spring Hill’s fields sit at the bottom of a hill below the school and water drainage has been a continual issue, primarily affecting the softball field. Part of the county's funding includes a massive draining improvement. The softball field at Spring Hill will also be relocated to further ensure it remains above water.
Further renovations are planned for the football stadium field, including new restrooms and concession stands as well as new lights and turf, essentially creating a whole new facility. The renovations at Spring Hill are expected to be completed by next year.
Maury County school officials say there is about $12-14 million left in the budget with bids open on two large projects.
“We still have a continuous running list (of projects) … but it all is predicated on the cost of the project before, and so it's kind of a domino effect," Poynter said.

Sen. Haggerty Economic Tour (WKOM Audio 2:00)
Yesterday, Senator Bill Haggerty was in Maury County as part of his statewide economic development tour. He stopped by World-Wide Stages in Spring Hill, where Front Porch Radio’s Delk Kennedy caught up with him and got to speak to the senator about what he is learning about the economy in across the state…

Bear Creek Widening Project (CDH)
Columbia City Council is taking another shot at partnering with Tennessee Department of Transportation to begin the long-awaited Bear Creek Pike widening project.
The project would widen 7.2 miles of the highly-trafficked road from U.S. Highway 31 to the Interstate 65 interchange's ongoing $29 million in upgrades.
However, the Bear Creek project has experienced numerous delays, denials and other setbacks over the years.
These have included new laws for roadway projects that didn't exist at the time of the Bear Creek project's initial approval, such as additional requirements for right-of-way acquisition.
On Thursday, council members voted to reapply for a potential partnership with TDOT to address the changes, get an upgraded design and, hopefully, break ground within the next few years.
"I did not anticipate a turnaround for a reapplication so quickly, and so this came as a nice surprise," Mayor Chaz Molder said. "Hopefully, this second time request will be the charm, or at least the second time within 12 months anyway. This is more like the 12th time we have attempted this."
The city had previously applied for the TDOT partnership in 2023 but was not included in the state's 10-year grant program, stating the city had committed $4.5 million for the project and asking TDOT to provide $10 million over the next 10 years.
However, despite the 2023 application not being granted, City Manager Tony Massey said the city "wasn't going to give up."
Prior to last Thursday's vote, Bob Graham, a Columbia resident living off Bear Creek Pike, shared his concerns about the project, specifically regarding turn lanes from nearby businesses onto the road.
Graham cited the left turn lane out of McDonald's located just off the U.S. 31 intersection as one example, and how it already presents a safety hazard for drivers.
"Vehicles are allowed to come out of McDonald's and turn left, and there is even a left arrow painted on the ground there," Graham said. "That intersection is less than 100 feet from where they are being allowed to turn, and they cross over two sets of double yellow lines. The intersection has become very dangerous ... and someone has to look at this situation."
Molder said concerns regarding the left turn lanes like the one at McDonald's have been brought to the city's attention and will be addressed as the project takes shape.
"There are improvements at that intersection that have been underway, as well as design and engineering, for quite some time now," Molder said.
Massey added that "This has been brought to our attention and we are looking into it."
City Engineer Glenn Harper shared details about what now stands in the way of getting the project off the ground, as well as an estimated start date if TDOT were to accept the application.
Harper said the project is currently in its right-of-way process, which due to recent changes, is a main reason for the latest delays.
"When this project started, we were not required to get right-of-way for the driveway ties, but that changed," Harper said. "When you have to acquire easements to tie in the driveways, that adds another 24 months to the project because of the appraisal/reappraisal process. That's where we are at."
Harper added that the project will also include eliminating concrete medians allowing left turns out onto the road, which could potentially cause issues with traffic flow during construction.
"It is illegal to turn left across the double yellow lines, and so we can do that with enforcement. We can reach out to the McDonald's and see if they will put a right turn out only. That used to be the case where that median was hatched at one point, but during a repaving project the hatching was removed and now it's just a double yellow turn lane."
Harper also said a big part of the ongoing delays is due to the process and approvals required when state and federal money is involved.
"It's just the process for federal funding, that's all," Harper said. "We are fully funded for construction at this point, and were given next to $9 million to do so."

North Columbia School and Admin Building (MSM)
The Aug. 6 meeting of the Maury County school board featured a lively unplanned debate over the rejected proposal to build an elementary school in north Columbia.
The first item of business was whether to go ahead with building an administrative office for the school district on the property of the old McDowell Elementary School. Michael Fulbright, however, made a motion to shelve the question of building that office until the county could commit to building a northern elementary school.
The North Columbia Elementary proposal had been voted down 16-5 at the June meeting of the County Commission because citizens objected “unanimously” to a new school. Commissioners voted with their constituents’ concerns, citing traffic, slow enrollment growth and poor educational outcomes.
School board Vice Chairman Jackson Carter, who had strongly advocated for the proposed school at the June meeting, agreed with Fulbright that “the idea that we can put the needs and wants of adults over the needs of our children is not only irresponsible, but violates the very job that we were put on this board to do by our constituents.” Chairman Will Sims and Board members Jamila Brown and Bettye Kinser also said that the north end of Columbia needs a school.
Board member Wayne Lindsey agreed in principle, but he reminded the board that the County Commission holds the purse strings for such a project and had already made its decision.
“This amendment may have consequences that you don’t see now,” he said. “If you draw a line in the sand, that we either get this project or nothing, we may get nothing.”
Lindsey pointed out that the proposal wasn’t on the docket for the August meeting, and that Fulbright’s motion would impede new business if passed.
Sims replied that the County Commission had intruded on the School Board’s prerogative by withholding funds for the necessary school, and objected to being “micromanaged by a funding body.” But board member Marlina Ervin agreed with Lindsey, that the two issues were separate and that the school board should preserve its relationship with the County Commission by letting the school proposal slide. Kinser also pointed out that most of the board members would be leaving their posts after this meeting, and it was not their place to obstruct the incoming board members.
Fulbright’s resolution passed 8-2. The school board committed to prioritize the needed elementary school over the needed administrative office, insofar as it’s in the board’s power.
Discussion then continued to the building of the school district office. County Finance Director Doug Lukonen made clear that the project has been stopped since the end of February but is moving forward; the Building Committee wanted to verify that the school board still wanted the office. The cost of the project has been estimated at $50 million, with $2-3 million in land and $180,000 in architecture fees accounted for. The cost would first be paid by the sale of other pieces of property and then supplemented by the County Commission.
Lukonen also pointed out that school district employees are currently dispersed in makeshift offices among active schools, so bringing them into one building would benefit students by freeing up rooms for teaching. Finally, he said that the Commission could hypothetically fund both a new elementary school and a new administrative building, though with some future difficulty.

New PILOT in Mt. Pleasant (MSM)
An unnamed plastics company could soon invest over $15 million into Mount Pleasant’s economy and create 35 new jobs.
The numbers were presented to the Mount Pleasant City Commission at its July 16 meeting as part of a request for a PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) program). Under the program, companies can receive tax benefits for a limited period of time as an incentive to invest in the local economy.
The company, listed with a codename of Major Oak in the PILOT documents available on the city’s website, could move into the Cherry Grove industrial site of Mount Pleasant. According to Maury Alliance, “Cherry Glen Industrial Park is located directly off Highway 43… and has 234 certified acres available for development with numerous options for lot configurations, ranging in size from approximately 10 to 150 acres. The site includes four internal roadways for convenient site access and all major utilities have been extended to provide access to each available lot.”
Maury Alliance further states that since 2014, three new companies have located their operations within Cherry Glen Industrial Park: Smalticeram USA, Inc, The Doug Jeffords Company Inc, and Fuel Total Systems.
“We work with the state of Tennessee and the TVA economic development team to help attract the right type of businesses that fit well within the community to locate here,” said Travis Groth, Maury Alliance Vice President/Economic Development. “When a PILOT agreement is considered or proposed, there is a comprehensive cost benefit analysis performed upfront to make sure the community is going to come out in a positive way.”
The proposal presented to Mount Pleasant commissioners states in part that “Project Major Oak is in the plastics industry and expects to make a capital investment of $15,150,000” and “expects to employ 35 employees, with a weighted average salary for its employees of $43,383.”
The agreement states that the city will provide a 50 percent abatement in ad valorem taxes on the company’s property for a five-year period. The estimated economic impact of the company is $10.95 for every $1 of investment, according to the PILOT documents.
Mount Pleasant’s commissioners unanimously gave their approval to the proposal.
“I appreciate what y’all do for our city, not only our city but our county,” Commissioner Mike David told Groth, who spoke at the meeting regarding the PILOT. “Without y’all, we wouldn’t be here.”
The PILOT is also subject to approval from Maury County’s Industrial Development Board. That group is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 9 a.m. at First Farmers & Merchants Bank in Columbia. Whether the PILOT will be voted upon then was not immediately known.

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…
Cheryl Lynn Powell Church, 71, retired Clerk & Master for Maury County, and resident of Columbia, died Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at Maury Regional Medical Center.
A Memorial service will be conducted Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Riverside United Methodist Church with Rev. Tony Brown officiating. The family will visit with friends Saturday, August 17, 2024 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Riverside United Methodist Church. 

Brian William Safian, 77, retired Medical Technologist for Centennial Medical Center, and resident of Burns, TN, died Monday, August 12, 2024 at his residence.
Funeral services will be conducted Friday, August 16, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Stand Cemetery with military honors provided by Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19. The family will visit with friends Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and again on Friday from 11:30 a.m. till time of service at the funeral home. 

Now, news from around the state…
Newest Addition to Nashville Skyline (Tennessean)
The newest addition to the shining towers of Nashville's Church Street has hit the market.
Prime, a unique 38-story apartment building developed by Nashville-based Giarratana and shaped like stacked boxes, began pre-leasing last month and will soon welcome its first residents. While the building is not yet open, prospective renters can partake in virtual-reality tours of the studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom floorplans.
The building at 805 Church is the sister tower to Alcove, another Giarratana residential development that opened last year across the street. The architecture of both buildings resembles a stack of boxes but Prime is more vertically aligned than Alcove. The two structures mirror one another on opposite sides of Church Street.
Prime, designed by Chicago-based Goettsch Partners, also features 12 two-story floorplans called "Sky Homes." Apartments are advertised for rent starting Sept. 1 at prices ranging from $2,095 to $10,425 per month.
Luxury amenities on site include a saltwater pool, dog run, resident lounge, fitness studio and remote work areas.
"Prime is introducing condo-level living to Nashville’s downtown renters," Giarratana Management Chief Operating Officer Chari Lewis said. "It is a truly unparalleled living experience, combining luxury, convenience, and exceptional design, inside and out."
The building is strategically located near the Nashville Yards development, which is set to welcome hundreds of office workers in addition to the Amazon's two-tower campus already open nearby.
"Prime residents will have access to the best downtown Nashville has to offer, from major employers to vibrant cultural and entertainment options at Nashville Yards, which will be right at their doorstep," Lewis said.
Prime is the latest in a string of projects led by the development firm, which is also currently working on what will become Nashville's tallest tower, a 750-foot tall building at 1010 Church Street, named Paramount.
Giarratana, led by longtime downtown Nashville developer Tony Giarratana, is one of the city's most prolific urban residential builders. His first apartment building was Cumberland on Church in 1998 and he's since opened The Viridian, Belle Meade Court Condominiums, The Marquee at Belle Meade, Encore, The SoBro Rental Residences, 1818 Church Street Apartments, the 505 and Alcove.
In addition to Paramount at 1010 Church Street, the company is also building Rock Block Flats on Midtown's Elliston Place, which is an extension of Church Street.

Welcome back to Southern Middle Tennessee Today!
Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
Everyone knows what happens when kids are let loose in a candy store, but what about giving children free rein of an entire recording studio? The 18-year-old nonprofit Notes for Notes does just that — and the outcome is equally as sweet.
Some kids find an outlet for self-expression, others a lifelong passion. Some receive a hand-pressed record with their own music and a handful even find an opportunity to perform at Bonnaroo.
The nonprofit has 27-and-counting recording studios all across America — four of which are spread around Nashville. The studios provide youth free access to musical equipment, instruction and recording studios, aiming to use music as a positive influence in kids' lives.
To learn more about Notes for Notes, head to notesfornotes.org.