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Four-lane ready to pave
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The end is in sight for the four-lane to Woodbury. The final stage in the process, the paving, will be complete by July 31, 2014.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation says it’s within two weeks of contracting with a company to pave a 13-mile section of U.S. 70S, commonly called Nashville Highway.
“Once paving is complete, the entire roadway will be open,” said TDOT spokesperson Jennifer Flynn. “This is the end of the widening project in Cannon and Warren counties.”
The new four-lane will run from State Route 281 in Cannon County to Spring Valley Road in Warren County. That’s where the road will join the already widened portion of Nashville Highway in Newtown.
Bids on the project have been accepted since April 5. Flynn says the low bidder appears to be Highways Inc. with a bid just $12,763 shy of $21 million.
“Although we will know who has the low bid on this contract,” says Flynn, “the contract will not be officially awarded for at least two weeks. Headquarters Construction goes over the low bids to make sure everything is OK before they officially award contracts. They have a month, but it usually doesn’t take that long.”
While the paving project has yet to be officially awarded and the exact date paving will begin is unknown, the completion date is stated in TDOT’s bid documents.
“I don’t know when the project will get started, but the completion time for the project to be done is on or before July 31, 2014,” said Flynn. “Its completion should be very helpful to those who must travel between McMinnville and Woodbury.”
While the final paving waits to be awarded, work continues on the widening project with grading, drainage and construction of a concrete I-beam bridge. Estimated bridge completion is December 2013.

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