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Parking proposals to protect Park presented
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The Park Theater marquee has seen the installation of concrete planters to block off the space immediately in front of it to prevent further damage while city officials decide on how to permanently protect the sign. - photo by Seth Wright

The City Board of Mayor and Aldermen met Tuesday during their regularly scheduled monthly meeting to discuss an array of issues, including a recurring event centered around the Park Theater sign.

“As I’m sure you are aware, the marquee has been hit several times,” explained Parks and Recreation Director Justin Scott. “Specifically, it has been hit three times this year as I noted, in Jan., April and Aug.”

The frequency with which the sign is damaged by vehicles is owed to the fact it overhangs the street by six to eight inches, Park Theater Director Joe Harvey explained as he appeared before the Board of Aldermen. As a way of resolving this problem, Harvey suggested utilizing the parking space in front of the marquee to prevent motorists from parking there.

“The parking spot outside is actually pretty square on it. The tip that usually gets hit is in the middle of the parking space,” Harvey went on to describe the logistics of the proposed change. “Eliminating the parking space or altering the parking space to where it would have some kind of physical barrier to keep people from hitting it would be what I think would be a good idea.”

The complicated repairs incur a cost of about $3.5K each time the sign is struck.

“It’s basically a custom job any time you go to get it fixed,“ Harvey explained to the aldermen. “Neon is not easy to come by as it’s not regularly made, so it’s all custom parts. There’s a custom piece of sheet metal on the bottom, too. It’s not an easy fix, and it’s not a quick fix either.”

Ideas for design alterations for the area include an accessibility ramp or greenery, though Harvey was receptive to alderman Stacey Harvey’s suggestions of a playbill as a permanent fixture to utilize the space.

The board could not vote on a motion to approve changes during this month’s meeting, but Everett Brock and Rachel Kirby were in favor of instituting temporary changes to prevent further damage until a more permanent resolution could be found.

“I don’t see any problem with blocking it off, just temporarily,” said Brock.

“Or just (use) planters,” offered Kirby. “Until we get something a little more artsy.”

Alderman Steve Harvey, with a second from alderman Zach Sutton, passed a motioned to discuss the issue further in a future meeting, but allowed Park Theater to place planters or other barriers in the designated space in front of the marquee for the time being.

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