The sale of property for use by the nonprofit group Crossville Shooting Park, Inc. that was approved by the Crossville city council last Tuesday has taken place and the closing on the sale was held last Thursday.
The sale included 147.63 acres of property between Albert Frye Road and Interstate 40, part of a property the City of Crossville purchased and used 37 acres of for a landfill some 20 years ago.
The use of the property as a shooting sports park with funding from TWRA had been considered for over 18 months and turned controversial after neighboring property owners realized the project would affect their property. After the council initially approved the sale, they reversed that decision leading to additional meetings and a test shooting to see how loud the operation might be. Following that test, a portion of the property was restricted to archery and air gun use creating a buffer between the firearm shooting area and neighboring property.
The sale would revert to the city should funding for the park not be received by December 31, 2017 and could also revert if the park is not operated as a shooting park for 180 days once it starts operation. The city will have 2 member appointments to the organization's board and the police department will be allowed to use the facility for training and practice.
The Crossville city council reversed
its stance on selling property for use as a shooting sports park and
the controversial project is back moving forward following a special called meeting Tuesday evening.
Discussion on a proposed shooting
sports park first became public 20 months ago and was discussed at
city council meetings as the group trying to build the facility were
seeking property to locate the park on from the city.
Mayor James Mayberry addresses called meeting
That property was a portion of land
purchased over 20 years ago and used for a few years as a city run
landfill. After the landfill closed the land set quietly until this
project cropped up. The project was discussed, received support from
the previous council and occasionally came back for discussion as
funding was committed and new details emerged.
Things began moving at full speed late
last year with work on a contract to sell a portion of the city's
original property to a nonprofit group formed to operate the
facility. A sales contract was approved by council at their February
meeting and a small but vocal group of residents who lived near the
proposed location began to complain about who the proposed park could
effect their homes.
In March, the contract was rescinded by
the council at a special called meeting shortly before the sale was
to close under the original contract and additional meetings were
held along with a shooting demonstration at the property this past
Saturday. Sources say that additional work by new city manager Greg
Wood and changes to the contract by city attorney Will Ridley moved
the project back to council consideration.
Crossville city attorney WIll Ridley
explains contract changes.
One change that was made to the
original deal is that the remaining portion of the property along
Albert Frye Road that will only be used for quiet activities such as
air guns, archery and education programs. This will create a buffer
between the shooting park and the closest property beside the
shooting park.
The city had already planned to retain
an area along Albert Frye Road for possible future development and
possible industrial use. The city also retains the portion of the
property previously used as a landfill and other property along the
southern edge of the original property purchased by the city.
Video of full council meeting
The discussion opened at the special
called meeting Tuesday night and Mayor James Mayberry moved to
approve the new contract prepared by city attorney Will Ridley with
the changes. Mayberry's motion received a second from councilman
Scot Shanks.
Mr. Ridley explained about the changes
to the original agreement that restricted the use of the 13.86 acres
in the Northwest corner of the property bordered on the north by
Albert Frye Rd and on the east by private property that includes a
residential cabin.
Ridley said that the property would
revert to the city if funding is not secured by December 31, 2016 and
that funding must be state of federal money.
Other provisions include that the city
council will have the right to appoint two members of the Crossville
Shooting Park, Inc. board and the city will not charge for any
building or other permits required in the development of the project.
Councilman J. H. Graham said he and
some of the property owners in the area of the park had concerns
about the road into the site and the turn off from Peavine road and
felt the road should be brought up to standards of the Crossville
Regional Planning commission. Graham felt there should be a 50 foot
right of way and a 3 lane mouth on the end of the road.
Councilman J. H. Graham talks about Albert Frye Rd.
Mr. Ridley said the road was a county
road and and he didn't feel the city could force the county to make
such improvements.
In order to hear from shooting park
board representative James Wattenbarger the council had to approve a
motion to waive the rules against public comment as council member
Danny Wyatt had a question for him. The discussion included noise
abatement by putting rubber mulch into the walls separating the
shooting stations and while that was more expensive, it would help
with noise. When asked about the road, Wattenbarger said the road to
the Carroll Co. park was smaller and longer then Albert Frye.
Also discussed was night shooting and
Wattenbarger said generally shooting ranges operate to dusk and that
time varies with the calendar. He pointed out in summer that the
time of dusk was later. The facility will not be set up for night
shooting either.
Property owner Harold Stryker suggested
making the entrance to the range come off of Chestnut Hill Road
saying it was a better road and could handle more traffic but no
action was taken on that suggestion.
The vote on the motion to approve the
new contract was unanimous with a comment from Mr. Graham saying that
he was strongly opposed to approving a contract without road
improvements in it but added, I am for the shooting range and I vote
aye.”
The April regular city council work
session set for April 4 and 5 PM will discuss several items that the
council has discussed before including once again the proposed
shooting sports park and rehiring previous city retirees.
Additional revisited topics include the
downtown Crossville sidewalk project, a splash pad for Centennial
Park and the solid waste contract.
One new item was requested for
discussion by councilman Danny Wyatt was forming a committee to
examine the possibility of changes to the city's charter. No
information was provided with the request from Mr. Wyatt about what
those possibly changes might be.
Following Saturday's noise
demonstration of firing weapons on the location of the proposed
shooting sports park for residents who live near the property,
council will discuss the sound issue. As it stands now, the shooting
park project is dead until either council reverses its decision to
rescind the sales agreement with the Crossville Shooting Park, Inc.
group that will operate the park or a new location and new grant is
secured for the project.
Albert Frye Rd. house on right. The edge of the proposed
shooting spots park property is trees on the left.
Albert Frye Rd. in front of city property. The city is keeping
40 acres on the right for future development and the
shooting park will be behind that.
This will be the third time council has
considered the repercussions and costs of rehiring former city
employees who took an early buyout two years ago but want to return
to work for the city. With the hiring back of former Crossville
police Chief David Beaty, the city discovered such employees must be
returned to the much more expensive state retirement program that the
city left because of those high costs. Council has been discussing a
policy that would allow a city manager to hire such an employee if
they felt such an employee was necessary. In addition, council is
looking at a way to offset the additional expense and how to look at
the 6 month salary bonus those employees received.
The city manager will update the
council on the downtown sidewalk project. The city expects to have
the final permit from Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)
in a matter of days. Also council will discuss the replacement of
traffic signals at the bottom of Water Tank Hill.
Council has discussed the upcoming
action necessary on the city's solid waste collection contract and a
decision is needed soon of the contract will automatically renew.
Part of the discussion has been over the differentiation between
residential and commercial properties that has caused some issues.
Also, collection of leaves and brush has been another discussion
council is considering.
The city is continuing to pursue the
purchase of a jet fuel truck for the Crossville Memorial Airport.
The city is seeking a grant to pay for 75 percent of the cost leaving
the city to pay $8750 to acquire the $35,000 used truck.
Council will also discuss four
appointments to the Industrial Development Board as the terms of the
four members appointed by the council are expiring.
While the turn out was a bit smaller,
the discussion was every bit as lively for a work session on the
proposed Crossville Shooting Sports Park held at city hall Tuesday
evening.
It appeared few minds were changed by
the discussion that included statements from the Tennessee Wildlife
Resources Agency and Cumberland Co. Mayor Kenneth Carey who promoted
the project, according to his statements, not as Co. mayor but as a
private citizen interested in promoting a strong youth shooting
program. Carey said that he had been a youth shooting coach and knew
the benefits of the program.
Cumberland County Mayor Kenneth Carey addresses the council
on the Shooting Sports Park
TWRA's Jim Bledsoe also addressed the matter of the $2.2 million grant
being tied to the current property and any changes could possibly
send the funds to another county.
But the opposition remained to the
project location. Several of those who spoke against the project
said they supported such a shooting sports park, just not where is it
proposed on city property off of Albert Frye Road just north of I-40.
There appear to be between 5 and 7 residences along Albert Frye
Road. Additional homes on Chestnut Hill Road near I-40 have also
complained about possible sound issues.
Cabin that is adjacent to the city property proposed for the
SHooting Park. The city property starts at the tree line.
While no decision can be made at a city
council work session, a proposal to hold a demonstration shooting on
the site for property owners in the area to hear the effects of
gunfire on the site was discussed and set for Saturday morning April
1, at 10 AM.
The next time that a meeting on the
topic might be held is on April 4, the date of the council's next
regular work session.
We will have more to report on the
meeting including videos of some of the comments coming.
With a city council work session set for Tuesday afternoon at 5 PM at Crossville city hall on the proposed Crossville Shooting Sports Park, we asked the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for a statement concerning the project that seemed to go quietly along for 18 months but became controversial in just the last several weeks.
The park project has been discussed for over a year and a half and the site between I-40 and Albert Frye Road has been the proposed location for most of that time. It is unclear if the county will lose the park to another county in middle Tennessee if the proposed site is not used but a long list of requirements because of the use of federal funds have already been done and the site meets all the requirements. One report indicates the cost of those studies was around $25,000.
In a special called meeting March 21, a majority of city council members reversed their action in February and voted to rescind approval of a contract that would have sold the 146 acres to the nonprofit Crossville Shooting Park, Inc. for one dollar. That vote reversed action in February approving the contract and sale after a number of property owners and area residents complained about the project being located near them and the fact that they had not been informed ahead of time about the proposed project. TWRA's statement from the Crossville regional office says,“With the number of sportsmen and women in the area that enjoy the shooting sports, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) sees the addition of a shooting sports facility as a tremendous opportunity for the citizens of Cumberland County and beyond. This center will provide TWRA additional opportunities to serve the community with not only boating and hunter education classes, but many other educational sessions for adults and youth. Funding for this project was provided directly from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and not TWRA subsidies. TWRA is chiefly funded through the sales of hunting and fishing licenses.”
TWRA has committed $2.2 million from US Fish and Wildlife for the development and construction of the shooting park that would be operated by a nonprofit organization that has been formed. The funds for the project come from federal Pittman-Robertson funding generate by excise tax on ammunition and granted to states for conservation efforts, hunter's education and shooting projects and programs.
Crossville Mayor James Mayberry called for the work session saying the meeting will discuss some of the issues that have cropped up in the matter of the proposed Crossville Shooting Sports Park listed in the meeting call as "confusion, misinformation and clarification.”
In a special called meeting that barely made the 24 hours notice requirement in the city's charter, a majority of council members approved a motion to rescind the approval of the contract that agreed to sell a portion of a 217 acre tract the city owned between I-40 and Albert Frye Road.
Council discusses shooting park motion.
Video and a more detailed story coming soon, but the vote on the motion to rescind the donation was council members J. H. Graham, Danny WYatt and Pamala Harris in favor and Scot Shanks and Mayor James Mayberry opposed.
The proposed Shooting Sports Park on
Albert Frye Road returns to the Crossville city council's agenda for
Tuesday evening after complaints came from residents near the
proposed site at last weeks council work session.
The project, brought to the city
council some 18 months ago by Cumberland Co. Mayor Kenneth Carey will
be built using over $2 million from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources
Agency on land the city is selling to the non-profit corporation that
will operate the facility. At last months meeting the council agreed
to the sale of the property under what city attorney Will Ridley
described as a binding contract. The sale is to take place by April
1 under that contract.
During city council's work session last week, discussion on the
proposed Shooting Sports Park came up as neighbors expressed
concern for noise and property values. City Engineer Time Begley
explained a diagram of the property to council.
Several property owners in the area of
the old city landfill property are now opposing the project due to
noise and property value concerns. It is unclear what action the
council can take at the March meeting.
The council's evening starts with the
monthly audit committee meeting at 5:30 PM and the regular council
meeting gets underway at 6:00 PM.
Council will also discuss and consider
action on the matter of rehiring previous city retirees. Such
rehiring will be more costly then the other hires as they would have
to be place back under the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System
(TCRS). New city manager Gary Wood has given his recommendation on
such hirings in the future.
Wrote Wood, “It would be my
recommendation as a rule to not allow these employees to return
unless there were extraordinary circumstances necessitating their
return. In those cases, if they received a retirement buyout, that
buyout would have to be paid back over whatever period of time they
had to serve to reach the 30 year threshold or five (5) years,
whichever is greater. Any other retirement non-buyout incentives
received would be deducted from incentives received upon the
subsequent separation.
Additionally, their pay should be
reduced by 5% to put them on equal footing with other employees who
now have to pay in 5% to ICMA (International City/Co Management
Association) when the retirees would not be paying that amount. This
is the only way I can see to keep the employee from “double
dipping” and maintaining some equity with employees now under ICMA.
Employees of Police or Fire could have knowledge based testing
waived, but would still need to pass the physical testing
requirements of new hires.”
Wood spoke during the work session and
said that the city had hiried back the former city police chief David
Beaty and that people seemed happy about that. Wood added that he
felt the city needed guidance from the council for future decisions.
Wood also wrote about the bridge
insurance that was offered to those who took early retirement and
that it was less of a problem but still needed a ruling by the
council.
Another somewhat controversial
discussion was an ordinance that would not allow masonry structures
to be built on the city's right of way that were higher then 6
inches. This would create a problem for the anyone who wanted to
construct a stone or concrete mailbox enclosure. City engineer Tim
Begley said there were several potential problems with those
including traffic hazards, blocking the city ability to access their
water and sewer lines.
Any such structures that currently
exist would be grandfathered but new ones would not be allowed. They
would have to be built on the owners property with a way for the
mailman to access them.
The city is working on an ordinance to
help control new cell phone and other communication towers as new
technology changes. The city staff is requesting the council approve
a temporary moratorium on such new construction and begin the process
of approving a new ordinance.
Council will also consider adding a new
full time position at the Palace Theatre. Currently there is one
full time and 3 part-time positions. One of the part time positions
would become a full time position due to the very busy schedule at
the theatre and the need for additional help.
Work continues on the city's solid
waste contract renewal. The matter was discussed at the council's
work session with much of that on the difference between residential
and commercial waste pickup. The matter has been discussed by
council before without a resolution. It is something that needs to
be addressed before the city continues toward a decision on taking
back over waste collections or putting out a contract bid.
