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City, county working together for Omni Drive
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Omni Drive might find a new home with the city of McMinnville. An agreement between city officials and county commissioners could split the cost of renovation, with the city adopting it after.
Mayor Jimmy Haley says discussions between himself, Warren Count Executive John Pelham, County Commissioner Gary Prater, McMinnville Public Works director Bill Brock and Warren County Highway Department director Levie Glenn are promising for the street.
“What we are trying to do is reach an agreement between the city and county to get that road paved, bringing it up to city standards,” Haley said. “The county is getting the property deeded to them. We may have to split the cost with the county. Once it’s brought up to code, then it will be given to us as a city street.”
While the street is now located beside Cheer Mental Health, it cannot be found on either the city or county’s road list.  It was originally made by private developers on private property.
The road is on two pieces of private property, connecting Sparta Highway with Magness Drive. Brock says the entrance from Sparta Highway needs work done by the state in order to make the left turn from Sparta onto Omni more accessible.
“It was years ago when I first asked the state to cut the concrete island back towards the mall to allow people more of a turning lane at Omni Drive. They refused to do it. I’m asking, again, for that to be done.”
Tentative agreement between city and county: The street will be deeded to the county. After the street is brought up to the city’s specifications by the county, the city will adopt it and pay half the cost of renovation. Upkeep of the street will then be the city’s responsibility.
Vice Mayor Ben Newman says he is in favor of the agreement.
“We don’t need a street out there that is being used like a public street,” he said. “These businesses are on it. It’s beneficial to them, if the road is good. If it is good, maybe some of those offices will open back up.”
The cost of paving is estimated to be between $30,000 and $35,000, says Haley.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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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