By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support local journalism.
Alderman decide against eliminating parking places
Placeholder Image

McMinnville officials will not restrict parking on Court Square to allow easier access to Main Street for trucks and trailers coming up Depot Bottom Street.
A joint meeting of the Safety Committee and Streets and Sanitation Committee was held Tuesday night. Aldermen Rick Barnes, Billy Wood, Jimmy Bonner and Mike Neal voted unanimously to make no changes to parking.
Bringing the item under consideration two weeks ago was Bonner, who said he had received complaints from people who had a hard time making the right turn from Depot Bottom Street onto Court Square while pulling a trailer.
At that time, Bonner recommended making two to three of the parking spaces “no parking” from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mayor Jimmy Haley was asked to meet with area business owners to see how they felt about the idea.
Haley reported that losing parking spaces during peak business hours received a negative response.
“They were all sympathetic to the request, but they didn’t want to lose parking places,” said Haley. “They said during court days, there isn’t a single place to park. Eliminating two or three more parking places from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. is their business hours.”
Currently, there is a sign at the corner of Depot Bottom Street and Colville Street that informs motorists no trucks are allowed.
Bonner asked about the possibility of adding trailers to that sign.
“There is no sign that says no two-axle trailers, for instance 16-foot trailers,” said Bonner. “When that cattle trailer came up there and got hooked on that bollard, there is no sign that says no trailers allowed. Is there anything we can put up?”
McMinnville Public Works director Bill Brock says he remembers the cattle trailer incident.
“He could have made it if he had a little more patience,” said Brock. “I went down there right after it happened and asked him why he kept pulling when he should have stopped. He said he thought he could roll over it. He should have backed off, but he didn’t.”
When Bonner said a wider area to make a bigger swing would have prevented the incident, Brock said, “You don’t need to be downtown pulling a cattle trailer. I’m sorry. That’s not what downtown was built for. It was made for pedestrian traffic and vehicle traffic.”
Neal then made the motion to leave the parking spaces unchanged, which was accepted.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
local news.png

Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community