Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 12-12-24

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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 December 12, 2024

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
Columbia Mall Acquired (Press Release)
Nashville-based Highland Capital is pleased to announce the completion of its acquisition of the former Columbia Mall site, marking the beginning of an ambitious redevelopment into a Class A power center, projected to open in 2025. This significant development underscores Highland Capital’s commitment to revitalizing Middle Tennessee’s retail landscape and boosting the local economy.
Following the acquisition, Highland Capital has engaged in negotiations and secured signed leases with several national retailers, who will individually announce their involvement soon. This strategy enables each retailer to effectively engage with the community, building anticipation for their store openings. 
Wyatt Woeltje, Principal of Highland Capital, shared his vision for the project: "The successful acquisition of the former Columbia Mall site allows us to forge ahead with transforming this area into a premier Class A power center. We are thrilled to begin this redevelopment, which promises to enhance the shopping experience and provide significant economic contributions to the community."
About Highland Capital Management
Based in Nashville, TN, Highland Capital Management is a leading investment and real estate development firm specializing exclusively in retail development. With a robust portfolio that includes over 10 million square feet of redeveloped retail space, Highland Capital is committed to improving property values and enriching communities through strategic development.

Maury County Receives Brownfield Grant (MauryCountySource)
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) recently presented a check for $20,000 to Maury County from the Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grants (BRAG) program.

Maury County will use the funds to identify priority sites for redevelopment. The grant is one of 36 brownfield redevelopment grants across the state announced in July.
BRAG grants are derived from the Rural Brownfield Redevelopment Investment Act, which protects the environment and creates economic opportunities, especially in rural settings. The legislation empowers local governments and development boards with resources needed for investigation, cleanup, and redevelopment of blighted properties.
A brownfield is a property vacant or underutilized due to potential contamination. Remediation minimizes threats to public health and the environment while incentivizing economic investment.
MTSU and CSCC Team Up With Grant (MauryCountySource)
A nearly $350,000 National Science Foundation grant collaboration between Middle Tennessee State University and Columbia State Community College will assist the Midstate region in certifying future technicians and engineers in robotics and automation systems.
It is a three-year research and development award that continues until May 31, 2027. It was awarded to Columbia State, but MTSU’s Jorge Vargas, Engineering Technology associate professor, is principal investigator for the university.
The grant comes a year before MTSU’s engineering programs — including mechatronics engineering, robotics and others — move into the new, $74.8 million, 90,000-square-foot Applied Engineering Building, scheduled to open by the fall 2025 semester with greater space and state-of-the-art equipment to better train current students and attract more prospective ones.
“We’re extremely excited to work on this robotics certification project,” Vargas said.
“It’s a matter of developing different modules for this certification mapping. There are different topics or subjects for students to do in the field after they get certified.”

The goal of this project, which was started in 2022 by Vargas, is to get certifications to technicians and engineers so they can be competitive in the work field, he said.
Vargas was joined in the effort by Daniel Garrett, a Columbia State adjunct faculty member and former MTSU Engineering Technology graduate student to establish a one-year robotics certificate at Columbia State.
MTSU faculty will bring their extensive knowledge in robotics and automation through the partnership with Columbia State. Vargas and Mehran Mostajir, dean of the Department of Business and Technology at Columbia State, hope their students earn an associate degree and transfer to MTSU to pursue their bachelor’s.
Vargas said MTSU’s portion of the grant, around $100,000, will be used to prepare modules and “help build the curriculum.”
The proposal by Garrett, who is now at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla., indicates the first group of students “will enter the program in spring 2025 and graduate by the end of the year with nationally recognized industry certifications and 16 hours of college coursework.
“Hands-on methods and classroom instruction will ensure that each student can perform programming, maintenance, setup, safety evaluations and operations with different robotic systems. As a result, Columbia State graduates can go directly into workplace settings with confidence.”
As for the impact, Vargas said “we have 500 students in Engineering Technology. It could impact 500 people. … It is open for everybody as long as you have an interest and background.
“We haven’t advertised or promoted it yet. We plan to do it in the spring when we get the modules set. I’ll talk about it in my classes and other professors will do the same. We’ll reach out to the sophomore and junior classes for sure.”
When asked how much growth is anticipated in the use of robotics in industry — auto (General Motors) and automation companies like UPS, FedEx, UPS, Amazon and others — Vargas said, “That’s a tough question. For sure, it will have a major impact in industry in our state. We’ll have more people certified in robotics and everything is moving to automated.”
Vargas said the MTSU-Columbia State collaboration will benefit these companies because their future employees can get certified without going out of state and promoting it to people in the field.
Engineering Technology is one of 11 College of Basic and Applied Sciences departments.

City Receives Block Grant (Press Release)
The City of Columbia is pleased to announce the approval of a $420,000 grant through the 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Imminent Threat Program. This critical funding, administered in partnership with the South Central Tennessee Development District (SCTDD), will support the installation of a state-of-the-art siren emergency notification system to enhance public safety throughout the city.
Mayor Chaz Molder said, “This is a banner day for our community and our efforts to improving and enhancing public safety for all residents. This is a project that I have heard from several folks across many different platforms over the years, so I am proud this project addresses direct citizen concerns and is a result of their input. Most of all, this project represents an important step in strengthening our emergency response capabilities and ensuring our community is well-prepared for all potential threats that may arise. We learned a lot during the tragic tornadoes that came through in May of this year. We learned that we have a well prepared and coordinated emergency response, and we also learned we can never be overly prepared. These sirens will ensure our community is as prepared as ever, and our citizens are safer than ever. We are grateful for the state’s support and for the South Central Tennessee Development District’s partnership in making this project a reality.”
The project will include the installation of 12 strategically placed sirens citywide. The system will feature three electrical sirens equipped with both audible alarms and voice capabilities, as well as nine mechanical sirens designed to deliver audible alarms. Once completed, the system will serve as a vital tool for mass notification.
City Manager Tony Massey expressed the importance of the grant in improving emergency readiness: “This system will be a vital resource for protecting our community. It reflects our ongoing efforts to enhance public safety and ensure effective communication during critical situations.”
By implementing this state-of-the-art siren system, Columbia is taking proactive steps to ensure our community is well-prepared for future tornadoes or other natural disasters.
Fire Chief Chris Cummins emphasized the life-saving potential of the system: “A reliable warning system is crucial during severe weather or other emergencies. This initiative will enable us to reach more residents quickly and efficiently, improving overall preparedness and response efforts.”
The City of Columbia extends its gratitude to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for their continued investment in local communities and to the South Central Tennessee Development District for their ongoing partnership in this endeavor. Updates on the project’s progress will be shared as work advances.

Spring Hill Development (CDH)
A proposed 955-home development at Rice Road and Derryberry Lane near I-65 is making its way through the approval process, receiving a favorable recommendation Monday from Spring Hill planners.
The proposed Stone Creek Master Planned Community, submitted by applicant CSDG, would consist of a mixture of 99 paired cottages, nine single-family dwellings and 847 townhomes across 157 acres. The property is located east of the existing Brandon Woods subdivision.
The Stone Creek planned development preliminary plan was approved unanimously by a 6-0 vote.
Much of Monday's discussion pertained to what exactly could be discussed at the planning commission level versus the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, who will review the plan and have the final vote on approval.
This included an engineering request from the city pertaining to a traffic signal to be installed at the intersection of Port Royal Road and Derryberry Lane, which states the signal shall be installed if construction begins prior to the construction of the planned adjacent Port Royal Commercial Park.
"The lead time for this project is going to be grading the reservoir and getting some of the initial infrastructure in, specifically some bridges crossing the creek there," Luke Talley, an engineer representing CSDG said. "We'd really like to see if the traffic signal installation mentioned be tied more so to building permit issuance, as opposed to the beginning of work onsite."
Mike Walline, VP of Real Estate at Freehold Capital Management, backed Tally's statement, and that the estimated traffic impact will "really come when the houses are built."
"Our biggest concern is getting all of this grading done, getting the bridge in place," Walline said.
"That's a very heavy lift as far as the economics of this project, and we want to make sure we can keep all of that intact and get this project off the ground. I understand you want to make sure this project gets a traffic signal if it gets ahead of the other project, but it's important that we kind of pace that with the real need."
Commissioner Jonathan Duda said the traffic signal, while important, should be a BOMA discussion. The planning commission's role is simply to evaluate if the proposal is in accordance with the city's Spring Hill Rising: 2035 comprehensive plan, and to provide a positive or negative recommendation.
"In my opinion, we find this is recommended and consistent with our growth and Future Land Use Plan, our plan for the city and that this is an improvement on past submittals," Duda said. "This is an improvement on past submittals, and [I vote] we recommend with details provided by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen when this comes back to us."
Duda added that other topics to consider are the applicant's stance regarding on-street parking, as well as providing the necessary buffer yardage between the mixed style of homes.
"You've got to be more intentional about the buffer yard in between the potential incompatible uses of townhomes and single-family homes of your neighbors. That could be an area called out and amended in the design," Duda said. "How do you meet the objectives of a buffer zone between two potentially incompatible uses with such great elevation changes?"
Alderman Matt Fitterer agreed that many of the applicant's concerns can easily be addressed by the BOMA. Fitterer brought up a previous concern regarding the elevation of the proposed townhomes, which would be built alongside Brandon Woods' single-family homes.
Spring Hill Development Director Dara Sanders assured Fitterer that the elevation would not cause any hindrance due to the property's elevation, as well as an existing easement located between the two subdivisions.
"From staff's perspective, we took the comments seriously at the work session and evaluated that scenario a bit more and found that the elevation change combined with the easement would not result in any less imposition," Sanders said.
Fitterer later motioned for approval of the favorable recommendation to the BOMA.

King’s Daughters’ Santa Mailbox (CDH)
Every year, the King's Daughters' School partners with Heritage Bank & Trust to help bring a little Christmas cheer to disadvantaged students through its Santa's Mailbox Program.
The KDS students participating in the program are typically those under state's custody and/or without a home or family to spend the holidays with, having to instead stay on the King's Daughters' campus.
The Santa's Mailbox Program has each student write down his or her Christmas wishes in letters to Old Saint Nick. The letters are then delivered to Heritage Bank & Trust's lobbies at 217 S. James M. Campbell Blvd. in Columbia and 109 S. Main St. in Mt. Pleasant.
The letters are now available to pick up by community members, who will then shop for gifts, clothing or anything else requested on the list. Gifts are then dropped off at the Santa's Mailbox area located at either of the bank's locations.
"We are so grateful to Heritage Bank & Trust for their support of our Santa’s Mailbox program," KDS Executive Director Shauna Pounders said. "Many of our students cannot go home for the holidays, so the contributions of the bank, their customers, and our entire community make their Christmas wishes come true."
Gifts must be donated no later than Thursday, Dec. 12.
After all gifts are delivered, King's Daughters' staff will wrap each gift, which will then be placed in Santa's bag ready to be delivered Christmas Eve.
"Heritage Bank & Trust is proud to be a part of the wonderful work being done by The King's Daughters' School," Jim Robinson, KDS Board Member and President and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Bank & Trust said. “We are honored to partner with an organization making such a great impact on our community."

Lessons and Carols (Press Release)
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church presents a service of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 15, at 3:00pm in the St. Peter’s sanctuary located at 311 West 7th Street in downtown Columbia, next door to the Polk Home.
This traditional Anglican service originated in the Church of England in the late 1800s and was later formalized as a Christmas service. After the devastation of World War I it has been broadcast by the BBC around the world ever since. The service includes scripture readings from the Old and New Testaments that tell the story of the birth of Jesus. The remainder of the service includes audience Christmas carols and choir anthems performed by the St. Peter’s Choir.
“This service emphasizes the importance of music in worship through carols sung by the audience and our choir. The music will feature a variety of familiar favorites and new gems,” says Dr. Peter Douglas, St. Peter’s Director of Music.
“We are thrilled to offer this beautiful and historic worship service to God and share it with the entire community,” said Father Chris Bowhay, St. Peter’s Rector. “Its rhythms of song and Scripture bring a deep sense of peace and wonder as we, like the shepherds and the Wise Men, walk toward Christmas to greet the newborn King.”
This event is free and open to the public with no tickets required. A livestream will be available on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stpeters38401 and the St. Peter’s website at https://www.saintpeterscolumbia.org/worship.

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…
Mrs. Ruby Jean Owens, 84, office manager for Smith Constructors Inc. passed away on Tuesday at NHC Maury Regional Transitional Care following a brief illness. Funeral services for Mrs. Owens will be conducted Friday at 2:30 P.M. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Friday from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM at the funeral home.

And now, news from around the state…
Forbes 400 (Tennessean)
Tennessee's exclusive one percent club only keeps expanding their wealth.
According to the Forbes 400, an annual ranking which examines the world's wealthiest billionaires, four of Tennessee's wealthiest individuals and families expanded their total net worth in 2024.
The list encompassess a total of 400 billionaires and their families, whose empires have been built across a multitude of fields, including tech, media, entertainment, healthcare, logistics, and more.
In total, the combined billionaires are worth a staggering $5.4 trillion, up nearly $1 trillion from 2023, reported Forbes. Rounding out the top five were Elon Musk ($244 billion), Jeff Bezos ($197 billion), Mark Zuckerberg ($181 billion), Larry Ellison ($175 billion) and Warren Buffet ($150 billion).
Taking the top spot for wealthiest people in Tennessee is Hospital Corp. of America founder, Thomas Frist Jr. and family with a net worth of 31.5 billion putting him at #29 on the list.
According to Forbes, Frist founded the company with his father in 1968 and owns over 25% of the company with his family. HCA Healthcare, headquartered in Nashville, owns and operates 186 hospitals and around 2,400 sites of care in 20 U.S. states and the U.K., reported Forbes.
Jimmy Haslam (8.5 billion, 130th) served as chairman of truck stop chain Pilot Flying J from 2021 until 2023. According to Forbes, Haslam joined the board in 1975, when he was a senior at the University of Tennessee and Pilot's annual revenues were about $50 million.
In 2012, Haslam became the majority owner of the Cleveland Browns.
Fred Smith (6.7 billion, 184th) is the founder of FedEx. According to Forbes, Smith came up with the idea for the company while he was a student at Yale in 1965. He launched FedEx in 1971. To date, the company generates nearly $90 billion in annual revenue.
In 2022, Smith announced that he would be stepping down from his role as CEO. He currently serves as executive chairman.
Martha Ingram and her family (5.5 billion 240th ) own book distribution and marine firm, Ingram Industries. Martha took over the business following her husband Bronson Ingram's death in 1995.
Martha stepped down as chairman in 2008 and her sons Orrin and John took over as CEO and chairman, respectively. According to her Forbes profile, Ingram Marine operates 5,000 barges and approximately 150 towboats on America's inland waterways.
Rounding out the five wealthiest Tennesseans is Bill Haslam (5.1 billion, 256th) served as the president of his family's chain of truck stops, Pilot Flying J, for four years until 1999. Throughout a series of purchases from 2017 to 2024, the Haslams sold Pilot to Berkshire Hathaway for a total of $13.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Haslam served as governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. In 2022, he purchased a portion of the Nashville Predators. As previously reported by the Tennessean, Haslam is set to soon be a majority owner of the NHL team.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
Fans have long considered Keith Urban’s shows one-of-a-kind experiences. A party-like atmosphere of song after great song, an inventive unpredictable show and always world class musicianship. As an entertainer, Urban knows how to connect with his audiences and take them on an unforgettable ride. Concert goers worldwide have raved about his live shows calling him one of the best performers of any genre. “An experience not to be missed.” “Keith Urban lays it down and never disappoints!”
It will have been three years since the 4x GRAMMY Award winner last toured, when his “HIGH AND ALIVE WORLD TOUR,” fires up on May 22nd in Alabama stopping in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena on October 17th (featuring Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen and Karley Scott Collins). Dates will go on sale starting this Friday, December 13th at 10:00AM local time. Information about the “HIGH AND ALIVE WORLD TOUR” is available at www.keithurban.com with more North American dates to be announced in the coming months.