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Blue Building hole patched
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Lisa Hobbs
Updated: Jan 23, 2014, 11:25 PM
Published: Jan 23, 2014, 11:26 PM

Sealing the Blue Building to protect it from further weather damage is almost complete.
“They have the metal on the back of the building covering the hole,” said McMinnville Public Works director Bill Brock. “They have placed the two windows that needed to go in. I think they have some caulking to do, some down spouts to extend and a little dirt work. Then, they are done.”
Red tin was used over the hole to be more aesthetically pleasing in an effort for it to blend in with the red brick of the building. Brock says he will be conducting a walk-through of the interior.
“There’s a lot of metal on the outside of the building, but at least it will be water tight,” said Brock. “I plan to go over today and take a look on the inside. I’m particularly interested in the balcony area.”
With work nearing completion, the ball may be back in the court of McMinnville officials to determine what to do with the main structure.
In December, officials rejected an offer from Industrial Development Board director George Burke to market the Blue Building for one year in an effort to find a suitable buyer. The decision was made, in part, because city attorney Tim Pirtle urged them against allowing people into the building while it’s in disrepair, a situation that could put the city in liability if someone were to be injured.
Burke says he is still interested in an agreement with the city for the property.
“Absolutely, I think we are still interested in working with the city,” Burke said. “I’m going to retire no later than July 2015, so the sooner we can come to an agreement the better. If they will let us have it, that gives us a year to work on it. It will take a lot of work, but it’s a beautiful building and well worth the effort.
“I would really like to get a chance to find a suitable buyer before I retire,” Burke continued. “I will be 75 years old. I’ve worked most of those 75 years. I hope the city will give me one chance before I go to the house. Hopefully, whomever takes my place will feel as strongly about the building as I do. Maybe not.”
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Published: Apr 2, 2025, 11:31 PM

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