By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—The upcoming Preserve Paris event will be different than the others held by the city of Paris so far. Instead of targeting a specific neighborhood for a clean-up, it will be in the form of a Cleanup Scavenger Hunt in which participants receive points for bagging the most trash.
City Manager Kim Foster said at Thursday night’s Paris City Commission meeting that participants also will gain points for finding certain items. “We’re trying something different with this one—trying to appeal to the younger people and get them involved, too.”
The date for the event will be Saturday, April 16, with rain date April 21.
Foster said participants will meet at a central location to begin and then fan out throughout Paris to clean-up different areas of the city.
Foster also reported the city is currently in talks with the owners of the former upholstery shop at the corner of Tyson and Manley Streets about getting the structure demolished or brought up to code.
The old shop has been unused for several years. Foster said the owners are considering their options.
Foster also reported that ninety percent of the remodeling work at City Hall has been complete in the administrative areas. Renovations to the courtroom should be completed in time for the city commission to meet at City Hall again next month. (Commission meetings have been held at the Chamber office while the work has been ongoing).
The city will begin work in the police department in the next week or two, she said.
In other business:
–Commission also approved rezoning areas of downtown Paris, as recommended by the planning commission.
Currently, most of the downtown area is B-2 (Central Business District), but outlying areas are not a good fit for that classification, City Manager Kim Foster said.
Approved by the commission was a proposal in which any area that has on-street parking would remain in the core B-2 district, while the other downtown areas would become alternate business districts.
–Following a public hearing Thursday night at which no one from the public appeared, the commission also approved an ordinance on second reading that will remove the proximity restriction for restaurants for beer licenses.
Foster noted periodically the topic of restrictions associated with beer licenses for potential businesses in close proximity (150 feet or less) to a church, school, public playground, or park is discussed among city hall staff.
Staff proposed a change to the ordinance which would remove the restriction for restaurants only and it was approved. Restrictions on beer licenses seemed counterproductive to the city’s desire for other restaurants downtown, she said.
–The commission increased the number of ABC board members to five.
–The city has received 17 applications from building owners for the available façade grants. The applications are for a combined dollar amount of $224,000, Foster said.
Photo — City Manager Kim Foster presents reports, while City Attorney Fred McLean and Commissioner Terry Fuller listen. (Shannon McFarlin photo).
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