A site for the new Health Department was agreed upon during the continuation of the Board of Commissioners meeting tonight. As you are probably aware, the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Commissioners was continued for one week during the November 15th meeting so more information could be gathered on the grant process.
Sonya Rimmer made a motion, seconded by Joe Koester, to move forward with the site on 127 South, keeping the Webb Avenue (old handle mill site) as a backup in case the site change was denied by HRSA. Mayor Carey talked with HRSA and was told that a requested site change should not jeopardize the grant. After about an hour of discussion, a roll call vote was taken and the motion passed 10-8. Voting in favor were Brian Houston, Harry Sabine, Nancy Hyder, Robert Safdie, Allen Foster, Joe Koester, Jan McNeil, Jeff Brown, Sonya Rimmer and Clyde Cramer. Voting against were David Hassler, Johnny Presley, Charles Seiber, Larry Allen, Terry Carter, Mike Harvel, Roy Turner, and Carmin Lynch.
I believe that the 127 South site is the best location of the three. While the land on the bypass ended up being cheaper by the acre, the cost for site work would have been more making the sites very similar in price. The 127 site is in a great location, and already has access to utilities. It will also soon have sidewalks as TDOT is planning work in the area after the first of the year.
I’m glad to have this issue settled. While the original site at the handle mill location would suffice, the 127 site gives more area to grow at a reasonable price in an excellent location. It was unfortunate that the information provided tonight was not available to the Commission during our last meeting when the subject of changing the original location was presented. Had all the proper preparation and homework been done by those seeking to change the location, this decision could have been made during our previous meeting. However, I do believe this is the best location of the three and will prove to be an excellent site for our new Health Department.
Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. More information is available on my website at http://allenfoster.net. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to contact me.
Allen
allenfoster.com 