By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support local journalism.
Upcoming meetings
Placeholder Image

Unless otherwise indicated, county meetings are held at the Warren County Administrative Building located at 201 Locust Street and city meetings are held at City Hall located at 101 E. Main Street.

Tuesday, June 26

The county Highway and Bridge Committee will meet at 4 p.m. to consider budget amendments and transfers.

The county Procedures and Rules Committee will meet at 4:30 p.m. to consider nonprofit budget requests for fiscal year 2018-19.

The city Building and Grounds Committee will meet at 5:20 p.m. to discuss a plaque about John Houston Savage and consider a proposal for GIS support for Data Management and Applications.

The city Security and Safety Committee will meet at 5:45 p.m. for continuation of Plan Review.

The city Water and Sewer Committee will meet at 6:15 p.m. Four items of business will be under consideration: 1) consider chemical bids; 2) discuss ½ ton truck purchase; 3) review the 2018-19 proposed water and sewer budget; 4) discuss Mt. Leo Church of Christ sewer backup.

McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen will hold its regular session at 7 p.m. Consideration will be given to an ordinance to amend the city administrator policy to change the minimum qualifications to include experience and training in municipal administration, as well as four resolutions: 1) authorizing the city of McMinnville to participate in The Pool’s Driver Safety Matching Grant Program; 2) authorizing the city to participate in The Pool’s Safety Partners Loss Control Matching Safety Grant Program; 3) entering into a professional services agreement with KCI Technologies to upgrade six existing traffic signals; 4) approve the Economic Impact Plan submitted by the Industrial Development Board of McMinnville-Warren County.

Thursday, June 28

The county Financial Management Committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. to consider: 1) request for qualifications for professional airport services for Warren County Memorial Airport; 2) award bid for medical supplies and medications for Warren County Sheriff’s Department for 2018-19; 3) RFP for VOIP phone system for Warren County Schools; 4) award bid for grading and drainage at Dibrell School; 5) award bid for grading and drainage at Eastside School; 6) review of delinquent taxes; 7) budget amendments and transfers, if any; 8) surplus property approval and disposal, if any; 9) trustee’s report; 10) review of finance director applications.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
local news.png

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