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Some city officials not told about new skate park
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One proposed site for a new skate park is at McMinnville Civic Center in this open area between two ball fields.
Lisa Hobbs
Updated: Jan 17, 2017, 11:41 PM
Published: Jan 18, 2017, 12:41 AM

A break in procedure has at least one McMinnville official performing a grind about the proposed skate park.
“I was, personally, a little bit stunned to find out we have a project that has been going on since October to put a skate park in,” said Alderman Everett Brock. “Personally, I would have liked to have known. I think this board deserves that.”
His disappointment was voiced during Tuesday night’s Finance Committee meeting, of which he is chair.
Friends of the Greenway obtained a grant for $90,000 from The Steven and Kate Smith Community Trust to establish a skate park on city property. While a park has been discussed numerous times by officials over the years, partnering with a nonprofit in the pursuit of a grant has not.
Not all board members were left in the cold. Friends of the Greenway president Trevor Galligan thanked the city of McMinnville for its support in obtaining the grant during his announcement and specifically, thanked Mayor Jimmy Haley and Parks director Scott McCord for their assistance.
“If some of you knew about it, OK, but we don’t need a shadow board going on around here,” said Brock. “Let’s keep this stuff in the open.”
Brock is not opposed to a skate park, pointing specifically to the need for legal consideration prior to obtaining the grant.
“I think it’s a good idea, as long as we don’t have any problems legally – that type of thing. Those are the kinds of things that need to be discussed before we start doing things three months out. There, I’ve said my peace. That’s all,” said Brock.
McCord apologized for his role in the situation and informed officials he has contacted Alderman Ben Newman and city Parks and Recreation Committee members about taking the proposed skate park before committee.
“I take full blame for that,” said McCord. “It was brought to my attention. I acted on it. I’ve talked to Ben about getting it on the Recreation Committee to discuss in two weeks. I do apologize.”
Details of the skate park’s placement and design have not been set.
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