Photo: New Community Engagement Coordinator Abby Pierce was welcome to the city commission. Shannon McFarlin photo.
By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–At a busy and wide-ranging session Thursday night, members of the Paris City Commission welcomed new employee Abby Pierce of Camden. Pierce is the city’s new Community Engagement Coordinator and will be taking on an active role in planning events and issuing press releases.
City Manager Kim Foster told commissioners there were several good candidates for the position, which is a new one to the city.
She said Pierce “has already been a blessing to us. She graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in public relations and we’re super-excited to have her.”
Two Community Information Meetings will be held later this month to further introduce the planned city municipal building project to the community. Both sessions will be held the same day, September 17, with the first set for noon and the second at 5 p.m. Both will be at City Hall.
The sessions will be identical and will include the following agenda:
– Overview of the New Municipal Building Project
– Project Timeline and Key Milestones
– Community Benefits and Impact
– Q&A Session with City & Project Leaders
Refreshments will be provided.
–At Thursday night’s meeting, the green light was given for annexation efforts for property at the corner of Hwy. 79S and the 218 bypass for a Circle K convenience store and gas station. A separate article on that was posted Thursday night.
—During the public participation section of the meeting, George Combs asked what the hold up is on installing a new bridge on Rison St. The bridge has been out on Rison for over a year, causing some traffic problems.
Foster said there are new staff members at both TDOT and TDEC who have a different approach and that TDOT has requested review of several documents related to six parcels on Rison St. She said the delay is very frustrating for city staff, which has been filing documentation the way it has already been requested by the state. She said the documents have been reviewed by the staff and the requested additional information has been sent to TDOT for approval.
In other business:
–Foster said planning continues for the Levi Miles Foundation Park and $800.000 has already been raised for it. In 2023 a concept was created in conjunction with the Levi Miles Foundation for an all-inclusive park located at Ogburn Park. The city applied for a grant, but has not yet received it, but the project moves forward and it is anticipated that dirt work will begin in early 2025.
–The city rejected a request from James P. Williams for rezoning of property owned at the corner of E. Blythe and Volunteer Drive. The property is zoned R-11 (low density single family residential) and it was requested that it be rezoned to B-1 (Highway Commercial) to allow commercial uses at the location.
The planning commission earlier recommended that the city deny the request, calling it ‘spot zoning’ and noting that it would open the door to commercial businesses in a residential area.
Several people spoke against the rezoning request, including Carlton Gerrell, who said he loves and admires the Williams family and knows they are hard-working but doesn’t feel the location is the right one for a business.
Jessie Williams (of Williams Brothers Landscaping) said their firm already conducts business at that location without any problem. “We’ve operated there for a decade and never caused a problem with traffic.” He noted the property would be maintained and said he would be used primarily for storage with future plans for a possible nursery there.
City Commissioner John Etheridge said the location is an already congested four-way intersection, “and to get to the heart of the matter, if we rezoned there, a wide variety of things could come in there.”
–City Finance Director Tammie Hopper said the city ended Fiscal Year 2024 with an overalll 4.03 percent increase in retail sales tax revenue.
The City issued 1 (one) new standard (over $100K) business license to: Paris Coin Laundry
and 6 (six) new minimal (under $100K) business licenses to: A New Chapter (Retail Used
Bookstore), That Mattress Store LLC, Bullington Marine and Trailer (Basic Boat and Trailer
Repair), The Do-All Mechanic, Line Pro Plumbing and Hello Gorgeous (Hair Salon).
The Police Department hired three Full-time Patrol Officers and Fire Captain Johnny
Henderson retired in the month of July.
–The commission approved a rezoning request for property across from 115 Mockingbird Lane. Geneva McClung requested rezoning from PM Panned Industial to a residential zoning classification.
–The commission approved ordinances on second reading regarding uniform refuge disposal and approved amendments to the Paris Police rules and procedures to “bring them up to speed with our current rank structure”, according to Police Chief Ricky Watson.