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Scott named assistant director
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Justin Scott has been named the new assistant director of McMinnville Parks and Recreation. Scott was chosen to fill the position vacated by Greg Wanamaker, who retired Oct. 31.
Scott started with Parks and Recreation as a programmer in 2005. He worked his way up to Wellness and Aquatics manager, overseeing the pool and managing the Wellness Center, a position which is now open.
Scott’s new job means he will be in charge of operations for McMinnville’s youth baseball league, and other leagues including flag football, indoor volleyball, adult and youth soccer, and basketball.
“I had already taken over a couple of leagues knowing Greg was leaving. I helped run the indoor youth soccer league. I am very comfortable with soccer. I have played soccer all my life,” said Scott. “One of the biggest challenges for me right now will be the youth baseball league. It is such a large program. I had the opportunity to oversee other leagues and am currently working with some now. But, I haven’t dealt with youth baseball that much. I am looking forward to it. I am very excited!”
Applications for the position of Wellness and Aquatics coordinator are being taken at City Hall, 101 East Main Street. Potential candidates must have a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university with a major in exercise science, health education, health science, health promotion or other health-related field and two years of pool supervision experience, among other requirements.
A full job description and requirements may be found at www.mcminnvilletenn.com. The deadline to apply is the end of business Friday, Dec. 6.

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