WKOM/WKRM Radio
Southern Middle Tennessee Today
News Copy for January 16, 2025
All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.
We start with local news…
Maury County Crashes (CDH)
The Maury County Fire Department responded to a rollover crash on I-65 Tuesday afternoon.
It happened at the 35 mile marker around 4pm.
The vehicle was completely blocking the interstate causing a major backup. Crews arrived and pulled the vehicle out of the roadway to allow traffic to flow again.
As units cleared the accident and exited the interstate at the 32 mile marker onto Mooresville Hwy they came upon an accident that had just occurred between a commercial vehicle and a passenger car. One occupant was trapped and Rescue 21 went to work extricating the driver. Units stood by for Lewisburg FD and Marshall EMS to arrive.
No additional information has been released.
Bear Creek Fire Department Causes Stir (CDH)
Discussions to construct a new Maury County fire station off Bear Creek Pike was brought before the county's budget committee this week, with concerns stemming from its potential cost.
The proposed fire hall, which would be located at the site of the former Marcy Jo's Mealhouse near the intersection of Bear Creek and Highway 431, appeared Monday on the committee's agenda regarding a $147,700 contract with 906 Studio, PLLC for architectural design.
However, much of the discussion focused on the entirety of the project itself with the proposed funding being a little more than originally anticipated.
"I support the idea of a new fire station there, but I don't support the idea of a $5 million or $6 million fire station there," said District 8 Commissioner Gabe Howard, who represents the district in which the fire hall will be located. "We were presented a range of $3 million to $6 million. I wouldn't support spending $147,000 if the number that's going to come back is $5 million or $6 million."
According to 906 Studio's proposal, the new fire hall would consist of a two-story wood frame "fire house" with a separate 6,420 square-foot pre-engineered metal apparatus bay.
Howard added that other fire stations at Carters Creek Pike and Hampshire Pike, both also designed by 906 Studio and completed within the last five years, only cost roughly half the amount.
"One of the things I heard about Hampshire was that it was $1.8 million," Howard said. "I get that the land and setup is different, but we were presented $3 million to $6 million, and I don't think I can support this tonight if that's the thought process moving forward."
Maury County Finance Director Douglas Lukonen responded.
"If it's the same footprint, I don't see how it would be $5-$6 million," he said.
Although there could be other issues county leaders haven't been made aware of yet.
"I don't know if the fire department has a specific plan, a larger building, or if in geotechnical studies they found major issues with the land that are going to cost a lot more in site work," Lukonen said. "There are more details to really determine."
Howard later corrected himself, saying the estimate was actually closer to $4-$6 million. He also made a motion for the item be sent to the Maury County Building Committee for further research and information gathering, which was seconded by District 10 Commissioner Tommy Wolaver.
"It appears to me you are spending $147,000 for the architectural drawings on a building we've already got, folks," Wolaver said. "That's ridiculous, and I'm sorry, but we need to be better stewards of people's money than that. We need to tell them how much money they've got, tell them how to build it and that's it."
The resolution was ultimately voted to be sent back to the building committee.
Maury Regional Airport to Undergo Upgrades (MSM)
When Maury County’s leaders had finished building their new Regional Medical Center in 1953, they found themselves with a pile of leftover bricks and no idea what to do with them. The bricks ended up in an unusual project: a general aviation terminal just north of Mount Pleasant, the first in the state of Tennessee, which opened in the late 1960s. For airport chairman Tom Apker, that terminal helped establish Mount Pleasant as an air-traffic hub, but it hasn’t been updated since 1974 and doesn’t do justice to the airport’s importance for the county.
“[T]he terminal [has] received only the minimum investment to keep the doors open,” Apker stated. “It presents a tired, outdated image; a reminder of the long-gone days of the heavy chemical industry… which used to dominate the county.”
When structural engineers finally judged the old terminal too dilapidated and out of code to renovate, Apker’s Mount Pleasant Airport Authority resolved to build one that would inspire municipal pride and attract more commercial air traffic.
The Mount Pleasant Airport renovations will begin on Feb. 1, last until March 2026 if the current schedule holds out, and cost $4.5 million according to the architects. The Tennessee Aeronautics Division will give the airport a $500,000 grant for the project after it passes a five-year review, and bonds issued by the County Commission will pay for the rest.
“The Airport Authority is most grateful to Maury County for including approximately $4-4.5M for the Airport’s terminal in their last bond issuance,” Apker said, and his agency will pay the county back “with interest” out of their yearly FAA disbursements.
The changes to the new terminal will be pretty minor, all things considered. It will be ADA-compliant, especially the bathrooms and walkways, and comply with current regulations that separate high-voltage power junctions from other parts of the facility. The parking lot will be expanded and updated for security, vehicle maneuvering, and ADA access.
“Other than the ADA and code deficiencies of the existing terminal building, the airport has done an excellent job of meeting our obligations as the federal and state requirements have changed over the years,” Apker said.
Even with its aged terminal, the Mount Pleasant Airport still attracts high traffic volumes and even higher revenues. It boasts the only runway more than 6,000 feet long, capable of landing a Boeing 737, in the territory between Nashville and Huntsville and west of I-65. General Motors, Ultium Cells and more than 30 other local employers fly their cargo into the airport, and company executives and entertainers look more and more to avoid the hassles of BNA by taking private flights into Mount Pleasant. The airport sold a quarter-million gallons of fuel in 2024, making it one of the busiest in Tennessee after those in the four major cities.
“[T]he airport makes the first impression for Maury County on the travelers mentioned,” Apker explained. “The new terminal will not be ornate or flashy. It will be modern, clean and solid, while honoring the county’s historical presidential homes with a rotunda lobby with pillars displaying the history of Maury County.”
The FAA has recognized the airport’s importance by investing about $15 million in its runway, taxiways and ramp over the last seven years. That may sound like a lot, but Apker says it generated $13.5 million in commercial impact one year in the early 2020s. Since then its traffic has doubled, owing to growth in and outside the county, and he expects it to double again by 2030. He praised the Industrial Development Board and Maury Alliance for wisely fostering local businesses, with whom the airport is doing 50 percent more business now than at the beginning of the decade. To accommodate all this air traffic, the Airport Authority just bought 8.2 acres next to its current campus, where they plan in the next three years to build 12,000 square feet of hangars to accommodate corporate and private jets.
This may sound extravagant, but Maury County is just beginning to wake up to its potential as a commercial hub. “Maury County is on fire,” said Greg Martin when he informed the County Health and Environment Committee of the renovation in November.
Martin, who used to serve as chairman of the Airport Authority and is now its liaison to Columbia, said he was proud to watch the area grow into its natural lineaments. Spring Hill is also planning to build an airport to service its own industrial demands, but Apker expects the approval and construction of that airport to take at least ten years, by which time the new Mount Pleasant Airport will be – so to speak – well off the ground.
“Should the Spring Hill airport ever get built, the Maury County Regional Airport does not expect it to affect our operations,” he said.
City Council Postpones Short-Term Rental Debate (MSM)
The Columbia City Council voted to table all its proposed revisions to the city’s zoning ordinance and send them back to the Planning Commission, in order to give the new council members input on the laws they would be asked to pass. The drafted ordinance would have reduced the required distance between bars and residences, but instituted a new required distance from schools and parks; defined cannabinoid, vape and tobacco shops, and set their required distances; allowed short-term vacation rentals in most of the city with a simple permit or approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals, depending on the zoning of a property; and defined “major” and “minor” home businesses, and the permit system for those.
School Board member Sue Stephenson raised the discussion of short-term rental regulations, by asking the council to restrict them out of CD-2 (rural residential) and CD-3L (large-lot residential) zones. She pointed out that the IRS treats short-term rental properties as commercial real estate and state law treats them like hotels, and the covenants in CD-2 and CD-3L neighborhoods tend to ban them.
“In our neighborhood… you cannot [use] lots for any commercial purpose,” she said. “Short-term rentals are considered commercial activity if the property is subject to a restrictive covenant that prohibits commercial activity, and that’s exactly the situation we have here.”
Director of Development Services Paul Keltner told the council that state and IRS law would trump a local ordinance if the two were forced into conflict. He pointed out that towns and cities across the country have been regulating short-term rentals themselves, based on their needs and interests: some ban or restrict them to protect the residential housing supply, while others allow them to facilitate tourism and increase prosperity.
Columbia, Keltner said, landed on conditional approval by the Board of Zoning Appeals as a compromise between these concerns, which constituents had brought to the City Council meetings on the topic.
“If there is compelling evidence that says [one short-term rental] is going to [have] an adverse impact upon the neighbors… then you have a board that can vote on that,” he said.
Vice Mayor Randy McBroom moved to send the short-term rental rules back to the city Planning Commission, in order to assimilate new information and opinions that the City Council had received since the rules were drafted in the fall.
“My opinion [is], neighborhoods are for neighborhoods,” he said. “I’ve been talking to… constituents, some want it, some don’t. [And] we have new councilpeople on the board.”
To get more and better-informed input from the new councilors and city employees, he wanted to discuss the issue in Planning again – for a couple months if need be, given the gravity of the issue.
McBroom also thought that they should eliminate the requirement for Board of Zoning Appeals approval, saying that that Board shouldn’t be the bottleneck for short-term rental applications. Molder agreed, saying that a wrongly denied application could open the city to a lawsuit. As a “happy medium,” he floated the idea of banning short-term rentals in CD-2 and CD-3L and eliminating the Board of Zoning Appeals review requirement in the rest of the city. Ultimately, the Council sent the short-term rental legislation and the other zoning ordinance changes back to the Planning Commission.
Spring Hill News (MSM)
Spring Hill’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved appointments to the city’s Industrial Development Board and Parks and Recreation Commission during a brief meeting on Monday, Jan. 6.
Eight applications were received by the city for two spots on the IDB, and so members of the BOMA individually voted for their top two choices.
Sean Mayer, a vice president with CONSOR Engineers out of Brentwood, and Sydney Wilhelm, a project manager with Barton Malow, were selected by the BOMA members.
A similar procedure was used for three spots on the Parks and Recreation Commission, as the city received eight applications. Tim Hidley, Emily Shell and Patrick Severs were selected and approved by the BOMA. Shell and Severs will serve four-year terms while Hidley will serve a two-year term.
A budget amendment to the city’s 2024-25 budget related to a SAFER grant for the fire department was also approved on first reading and will come back at the next meeting.
Mayor Jim Hagaman signed a proclamation designating Jan. 20-26, 2025, as Community Risk Reduction Week, which is a grassroots effort by fire safety professionals from across the nation. The idea is to help promote awareness of CRR through programs and to demonstrate its importance to the fire service.
Spring Hill Fire Department Capt. Lisa Burns heads the city’s Community Risk Reduction program and accepted the proclamation on behalf of the department.
Fitterer to Run for Mayor (Press Release)
In a press release yesterday, current Alderman Matt Fitterer has launched his campaign for Mayor.
"Spring Hill has a unique opportunity to capitalize upon our potential," Matt Fitterer said. "Our community has incredible opportunities ahead, and with effective leadership, we can seize them. I'm running for Mayor because I believe in Spring Hill's promise, and I'm ready to work tirelessly to deliver the results our residents deserve. We can make Spring Hill a thriving, vibrant city that works for everyone. Great things are possible in Spring Hill."
According to the press release, as an Alderman, Matt Fitterer has authored over fifty pieces of successful legislation, secured a game-changing $25 million BUILD grant for the June Lake interchange, and spearheaded innovative solutions for the city's most pressing challenges. Fitterer’s accomplishments include:
Creating Spring Hill's first Special Assessment District to fund critical road improvements in addition to both instituting and increasing traffic impact fees on new development
Leading efforts to establish the Industrial Development Board, bringing quality jobs to our community
Championing the SWIFT advanced water purification project to ensure decades of clean drinking water access
Modernizing city planning while protecting Spring Hill's unique character
Facilitating the preservation of historic Rippa Villa
As Mayor, Fitterer says he has a dynamic agenda to unlock Spring Hill's tremendous potential by focusing on:
Investing in public safety to keep our growing community secure
Tackling traffic head-on through aggressive regional partnerships
Supporting local businesses while attracting high-quality employers
Expanding family recreation opportunities
Maintaining low taxes while delivering high-value services
"Spring Hill needs a mayor who will work relentlessly for its residents to improve their quality of life and build relationships with our state and regional partners,” said former Spring Hill Mayor Rick Graham. “With his experience in both public service and the private sector, Matt Fitterer is ready to hit the ground running on day one.”
Matt Fitterer brings a blend of public and private sector experience, having spent the past 15 years working for various specialty healthcare providers, striving to expand patient access to care and lower costs. Fitterer holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health-related fields as well as an MBA.
Fitterer was first elected as an Alderman in 2015,
Election Day for Spring Hill is Thursday, April 10, 2024.
The qualifying deadline is January 16th. For more information, please visit: https://www.springhilltn.org/CivicAlerts
You can learn about Matt Fitterer and his campaign to move Spring Hill forward at MattFitterer.com, or ‘Alderman Matt Fitterer’ on social media.
And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…
Sally Sowell Pennington, 94, former longtime resident of the Cross Bridges Community and Santa Fe community and most recently Hendersonville TN, died Monday, January 13, 2025 at TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center, Hendersonville, TN.
Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, January 18, at 11:00a.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Rev. Mike Pennington, and Rev. Mark Pennington officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Friday, January 17, from 4 - 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
And now, news from around the state…
Lee Calls for Special Session (Tennessean)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday announced a special legislative session to advance his signature school voucher bill.
The session, to convene on Jan. 27, will also encompass disaster relief funding and immigration issues, an unusual mix of topics to tackle in the targeted special session.
This will be the seventh special legislative session for Lee since coming into office in 2019 – more than any other governor in state history. Other special sessions have focused on COVID-19 restrictions, K-12 literacy, and public safety.
"Last year, Gov. Lee directed key state agencies to begin preparing for federal immigration policy implementation," Lee spokesperson Elizabeth Johnson said. "In this special session, we will ensure the state is best positioned to coordinate with federal, state, and local law enforcement to implement the Trump Administration's plan to enforce the federal immigration laws on the books. President Trump has made it clear that states will play a major role in partnering with his Administration to make our communities safer. Tennessee is heeding the call."
Lee's signature voucher proposal failed last year amid legislative gridlock and delayed votes through the spring. A special session, which allows lawmakers to solely focus on the specific topics designated by the governor, could clear the way for the bill.
House and Senate Republican leadership appear all on board with Lee this year.
“We believe the state has a responsibility to act quickly on issues that matter most to Tennesseans, and there is widespread support in the General Assembly and across Tennessee for a special session on the most pressing legislative priorities: the unified Education Freedom Act and a comprehensive relief package for Hurricane Helene and other disaster recovery efforts," read a joint statement from Lee, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin and House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland.
Still, the voucher issue has never been a slam dunk issue for Lee, even among Republicans, as rural lawmakers with strong public school systems have traditionally balked at similar proposals. Democrats staunchly oppose the legislation, which will provide publicly funded "scholarships" for students to use at private schools, but the minority party has little power to slow or stop its passage.
House and Senate Democrats continue to be outraged over Lee’s decision to tie disaster relief with school vouchers and immigration issues. House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons called Lee’s response to Hurricane Helene “a complete failure of leadership.”
“It is wholly egregious that he would combine overdue flood relief with other matters that require our sole focus,” Clemmons told reporters Wednesday. “That is something that every member of this body would have showed up for any time over the last four months to do and work together on to focus on those families. That's not what happened, because Gov. Bill Lee decided to wait and buy himself time until he could lobby votes on a voucher scam.”
Clemmons argued the only reason to combine the two issues in a single special session is “political leverage.”
Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)
“Hello From The Hills,” a special collaborative benefit concert co-presented by The Hello in There Foundation and Hope in the Hills, will return to Nashville’s City Winery on Sunday, January 26. The third annual event will feature Ruby Amanfu, Cory Branan, Hayes Carll, Brad Goodall, Silas House, Amanda Shires, Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr and Jesse Welles.
At the core of the event, The Hello in There Foundation and Hope in the Hills have selected three organizations to receive grants this year: Building Lives, which assists veterans rebuild their lives following service, Operation Stand Down Tennessee, a comprehensive veteran-serving agency that connects veterans with careers, community and crisis services and My Fathers House Nashville, an orginzation that provides shelter, parenting education, recovery information and life skills for fathers coming out of institutions.
Full details can be found at www.citywinery.com/nashville.
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