By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–A contingent was on hand at Thursday night’s Paris City Commission meeting to voice objections first aired at the February meeting of the Housing Board of Adjustments and Appeals. Several of the same people were in attendance and their objections center around what they perceive as disrespect shown by the city’s building inspector.
In other business, the commission also looked ahead to finding a location for the new planned fire station.
As we reported previously, the objections to the building inspection department originally stemmed from a condemnation order for the Swiss Villa Inn that has since been withdrawn as the city of Paris and the new owner work to remedy long-standing issues and make repairs before the business can be reopened.
At Thursday night’s meeting, several people again voiced objections with City Building Inspector Jesse Skidmore, including local realtor Harold Bass and property owner Rex Carter.
Bass and others at the meeting said Skidmore doesn’t show enough respect to the public when dealing with housing matters and is too quick to want to condemn or tear down properties. Bass said he sees ‘vacant lots one after another’ in the city and that city decisions to condemn properties are creating more homelessness. “Some of these properties may not need to be torn down”, he said.
Bass said the city needs to hire an advocate who would work with property owners “to help them keep up their properties”.
Carter said he “just tries to make things better than they were…tries to make buildings better than they were” and he echoed what Bass said about properties not needing to be condemned as they have been. “That’ll just keep people homeless,” he said.
On the topic of the planned new fire station, City Manager Kim Foster reminded everyone that plans for property in the 300 block of West Wood Street that would have been perfect for the fire house fell through when one of the property owners withdrew.
Previously, Foster explained that the TLM firm has had a difficult time getting the proposed new buildings (fire station and municipal building) to fit on the current property and still include all the space that’s needed, and Fire Chief Jamie Hinson had expressed logistical concerns with locating the new fire hall on the property the city already owns behind the present city hall building because it’s so difficult for the fire trucks to go uphill.
Foster said two new locations are currently being looked at: 1. The corner of Jim Adams Drive and Forbes Drive and 2. a 20-acre property in the southwest quadrant of the city.
The Jim Adams Dr. site is “a fantastic location”, but small, and offers challenges in that it would be only big enough for four bays and would not provide any room for growth.
The 20-acre site is not as favorable of a location, but it does provide a bigger space for building a larger building and does provide room for growth.
Commissioner John Etheridge told Foster to “keep up the good work” in seeking appropriate property and meanwhile, he and other commissioners directed Foster to ask the owner of the 20-acre site if they would sell a portion of it to the city instead of having to purchase the entire plot.
In other business:
–The commission heard complaints from Dan Boudrie who objects to what he views as too many cats on his neighbor’s property. The cats come onto his property, he said, and he first issued his objections a year ago.
–Foster reported that the decrease in retail sales tax revenue in September was due to an error in reporting by one of the city’s major retailers. “We received the additional amount due during the month of December which resulted in a substantial incrase of 27.56 percent due to the reported error being corrected with the state.”
–The commission approved the best proposal for banking services, as required now by the state once every four years. The city solicited proposals from all local banks and received responses from three. The best proposal reeived was from Security Bank, the current provider.
–Foster reported the new fire truck/pumper ordered from Fouts Brothers in mid-February should be ready for delivery in eight to 12 weeks. She said it is some $50,000 less than all other estimates.
Photo: City commissioners and City Attorney James Smith listen to Rex Carter at Thursday night’s meeting. Shannon McFarlin photo.