Moss is chosen as new Chamber of Commerce Director

The Brownsville-Haywood County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors recently announced the hiring of Renee Moss as its executive director. Moss, a native of McNairy County, comes to the Chamber with a variety of skills and will officially assume her new responsibilities  July 2.

"We're excited to have Renee," says Chamber President Bob Wallis. "We look forward to working with her and to what all the future holds for our Chamber."

Renee Moss

For the past seven years, Moss has served as curator of the Buford Pusser Home and Museum in Adamsville, Tenn., where she is responsible for day to day operations. She is an active member of the Adamsville Partnership, a professional organization that works with issues such as business development and livability in the community. Moss is the current secretary of the Partnership.

Moss  also serves on the McNairy County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is a graduate of McNairy County Leadership. She is actively involved in the Youth Leadership program, is an official Miss Tennessee Pageant judge and serves on the Board of Directors of the Tourism Association of Southwest Tennessee.

"I am honored by the warm reception I have received from the citizens of Brownsville and Haywood County," says Moss.  "I am looking forward to meeting everyone and working with such a supportive group of individuals."

The community is invited to a reception welcoming Moss on Monday, July 9, 4:30 -6:30 p.m., at the First South Community Room on West Main. A short program will be presented at 5:30 p.m. 

Brownsville to receive Historic Preservation Fund Grant

Gov. Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Historical Commission recently announced 28 grants to support the preservation of historic and archaeological sites, districts and structures. Among them, a $18,000 grant for surveying of the Brownsville historic districts.

“History becomes real when you visit these sites, and it matters that the state helps reflect on and protects its historic places,” Haslam said. “Today’s announcement represents more than $600,000 in assistance to communities across the state, ensuring that Tennessee’s rich history will continue to be shared with future generations.”

This year’s selection process emphasized projects conducting architectural, archaeological and historic site surveys.  Such projects are designed to identify and to record historic districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects built before 1960 that are significant to Tennessee's history.

Surveys could be for a specific geographic area or for sites associated with themes or events significant in the state's history.  Priorities for funding survey projects included areas experiencing rapid growth and development, other threats to cultural resources, areas where there are serious gaps in knowledge regarding cultural resources, and thematic surveys based upon existing historic study units produced by the State Historic Preservation Office.

“These grants help facilitate the protection and revitalization of Tennessee's treasured historic buildings, sites and neighborhoods – places that make our state unique,” said Patrick McIntyre, executive director of the Tennessee Historical Commission.  “Heritage tourism is one of our state's biggest industries, and restoring historic buildings creates construction jobs and is key to helping create a sustainable environment.”

Assistance also was made available for other types of historic preservation projects, including preservation planning studies for towns, neighborhoods and historic districts; the preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places; planning or pre-development work necessary to undertake restoration of a historic property; and restoration of historic properties. For restoration or restoration pre-planning, properties must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The grants come from federal funds allocated by the Department of Interior under the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act. The programs in Tennessee authorized by this Act are administered by the Tennessee Historical Commission. The grants pay for up to 60 percent of the costs of approved project work, and the grant recipient must provide the remaining 40 percent of the costs as matching funds.

The grant recipients and/or sites of the projects include:

Anderson County: Coal Creek Watershed Foundation, Inc. - $9,000 for the restoration and painting of the Briceville Community Church.

Carter County: Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park – $24,000 to survey the grounds of Sabine Hill for the locations of outbuildings and other possible features on the 4.28-acre site.

Claiborne County: Claiborne County Historical Society - $16,740 for brick and stone work restoration and repairs to shutters and windows for the historic Claiborne County jail.

Fentress County: Sgt. York Patriotic Foundation - $45,708 for the continued rehabilitation of the north addition of the York Agricultural Institute building.

Haywood County: City of Brownsville - $18,000 for a survey of the city’s commercial and residential historic districts.  

Montgomery County: City of Clarksville - $15,000 to update the city’s existing historic district guidelines, including revising and expanding the standards with more detail and graphics.

City of Clarksville - $20,000 for a restoration plan for the Smith-Trahern Mansion.

Putnam County: Silver Point Community Association - $7,788 to repair and replace missing and broken windows in the West End Church of Christ in the Silver Point community.

Rhea County: Friends of Cumberland Trail - $12,000 to prepare a multiple property submission and nominations for historic resources associated with the Dayton Coal and Iron Company.

Rhea County - $15,000 for the restoration and repair of the Rhea County Courthouse’s windows and doors.   

Roane County: City of Harriman - $25,000 for the structural repair and stabilization of the Temperance Building.

Sullivan County: Sullivan County Government - $10,200 to survey and update the National Register nomination for the Blountville Historic District.  The revised nomination will include Battle of Blountville Civil War information.

Sumner County: Fullerton Laboratory for Spatial Technology (Murfreesboro, MTSU) - $15,842 to use airborne remote sensing technology to survey the topography of the Castalian Springs area, in an attempt to locate prehistoric and historic sites in the vicinity and compare the data with previous ground observations.


Multi-County Grants:
Tennessee Division of Archaeology - $35,009 to fund a survey of Rosenwald Schools and sites located throughout the state, involving schools built in the United States primarily for the education of African Americans in the 20th century.

Tennessee Preservation Trust - $15,000 to fund the 2013 Statewide Historic Preservation Conference.

Tennessee History for Kids - $8,000 to fund posters for Tennessee schools and libraries, highlighting historic preservation in Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee State University - $35,000 to digitize data for historic /architectural survey files and for survey data entry for computerization of survey files.

East Tennessee State University - $11,500 to survey rock shelter selection by prehistoric inhabitants of the Upper Cumberland Plateau, using GIS technology.

University of Tennessee - $21,896 for a prehistoric site survey of the South Cumberland Plateau, a cooperative effort between UT and Sewanee: The University of the South.

Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University - $9,470 to prepare a multiple-property submission and two National Register nominations for properties associated with the East Tennessee marble industry.

Upper Cumberland Institute / Tennessee Technological Institute - $15,000 to fund survey data entry for the computerization of historic and architectural survey files.

South Central Tennessee Development District - $50,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the South Central Tennessee Development District.

East Tennessee Development District - $32,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the East Tennessee Development District.

First Tennessee Development District - $25,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the First Tennessee Development District.

Greater Nashville Regional Council - $25,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the Greater Nashville Regional Council.

Southeast Tennessee Development District - $52,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the Southeast Tennessee Development District.

Southwest Tennessee Development District - $54,028 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the Southwest Tennessee Development District.

Upper Cumberland Development District - $50,000 to fund a preservation specialist staff position for the Upper Cumberland Development District.

For more information about the Tennessee Historical Commission, please visit the website at: www.tn.gov/environment/hist.

Leadership Haywood County graduates Class of 2012

Congratulations, Haywood County Leadership Class of 2012!

Turn up the volume and watch this great video about their adventures!

Tennessee's largest Solar Farm located in Haywood County

Tennessee has cut the ribbon on the state’s largest solar power array. DOE Deputy Secretary Poneman, Deputy Governor Ramsey and University of Tennessee President Dr. DiPietro joined a crowd of almost 200 to celebrate the opening of the West Tennessee Solar Farm in Stanton, Tenn. The Farm officially began generating power Thursday, April 12, 2012.

Haywood County Mayor Franklin Smith speaks at the official opening of the West Tennessee Solar Farm located in  Stanton, Tenn.

The Haywood County facility is capable of generating 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 500 homes and offset 250 tons of coal each month. That makes it the largest solar-energy array connected to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s grid.

“The West Tennessee Solar Farm opens a new chapter in the history of American solar power, tying together economic development, public education, and future research capabilities that will cement Tennessee’s leading role in this fast-growing, high-tech sector,” said Dr. Joe DiPietro, president of the University of Tennessee.

The Farm features 21,000 photovoltaic solar panels spread across more than 25 acres. The generated electricity is being distributed through purchase agreements with Chickasaw Electric Cooperative and Tennessee Valley Authority.  Signal Energy designed and built the Solar Farm.

“The University of Tennessee owns and operates the Solar Farm, and looks forward to using it as a great teaching tool,” said Dr. David Millhorn, executive vice president of the University of Tennessee. “ It’s exciting that the Farm will serve as a proving ground for the generation of new solar energy technologies. A utility-scale test site is a game changer in the solar energy field.”

“We are excited the West Tennessee Solar Farm has become a reality after years of hard work and planning,” Molly Cripps, director, ECD Energy Division said. “The Solar Farm will serve as a visible reminder of the possibilities the advanced manufacturing and energy technologies sector hold for Tennessee.”

More than 100,000 job hours were worked during design, build, installation and connection of the West Tennessee Solar Farm. In excess of 20 vendors supplied American-made parts and skilled labor.

“Signal Energy’s work as the design/build firm on the West Tennessee Solar Farm underscores our commitment to help institutions like the University of Tennessee and the State of Tennessee bring large-scale, innovative renewable energy projects to market and employ a skilled workforce to build our nation’s clean energy future,” said Ben Fischer, president of Signal Energy a leading design/build firm for the North American renewable energy industry.

Court Square closed to traffic next 2 weekends

PLEASE PARDON OUR PROGRESS!

Streets Closed! Businesses Will Be Open!

In order to make some necessary repairs to the pedestrian walkway project around Court Square, the City and TDOT will close all access to the Square over a period of two weekends in April:

Friday, April 13^th 6:00 p.m. until 

Monday, April 16^th 7:00 a.m.

Friday, April 20^th 6:00 p.m. until 

Monday, April 23^rd 7:00 a.m.

The streets around Court Square will be fully open and operational during the weekdays, and we hope to keep the inconvenience to a minimum for all downtown merchants and property owners.   

Weekend traffic will be detoured from Main Street to College Street via Jackson and Wilson Avenues.  We apologize for any inconvenience this causes, but these repairs are necessary for the long term stability and beautification of our Court Square.

Please call City Hall @ 731.772.1212 with any questions.  

Remember, although the street will be closed, Brownsville court square businesses will be open during regular business hours.

Haywood County students invited to enter art contest

All Haywood County school students are invited to participate in the 2012 Cinco de Mayo Heritage Celebration Art Contest. Deadline to enter is Friday, April 27. Winners will be announced at the Cinco de Mayo Heritage Celebration Saturday, May 5, on the Brownsville Court Square. The event and contest is sponsored by the Brownsville Business Association.

"This is the second year for the event and art contest," says Vickie Cooper, event coordinator. According to Cooper, over 60 students participated in the contest last year and organizers are confident that this year they will see a similar response.

"Celebrating Community" is the theme students are asked to use for their artwork. The art can depict what makes our community unique, someone or something that represents the community or simply something the artist loves most about our community.

Cooper says the theme leaves room for interpretation and creativity of the students. Students are also encouraged to name their artwork and judges will base the winning selections on composition, design and overall creativity.

"Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Brownsville and Haywood County's diverse heritage, bringing the kid's into the event and letting them tell our story through their artwork is a great way to share and showcase our different cultures."

For complete instructions and entry form, visit www.shopbrownsvilletn.com, or pick-up an entry form at All That's Victoria, 9 South Lafayette, Brownsville. For more information, contact Cooper at 731-772-4477.

Sonnets to Orpheus opens April 13

"Sonnets to Orpheus" is the name of the latest exhibit to be presented April 13 - June 2, at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, Tenn. The collection of mixed media art is the work of Jackson, Tenn., native Lendon Noe and explores a series of poems written by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke depicting the Greek mythical musician, Orpheus.

"Rilke’s sonnets are filled with beautiful metaphors that to me are breathtakingly visual," says Noe. "While I don’t seek to illustrate his work, I have been immeasurably inspired by it."

Noe is the former Professor of Art at Lambuth University where she taught for 28 years. She has recently opened a studio and gallery at DCA/DCPR in Jackson and is a partner and instructor with Silver Creek Workshops.

"My work hovers between realism and pure abstraction and I am attracted to many different media and techniques."

Noe began as an oil painter but explains that she now does a lot of drawing, incorporating acrylics and inks, collage and image transfers. Inspired by nature, many of the works in the Orpheus collection depicts trees and nature.

" I look for poetic references and metaphors involving all kinds of plant life and birds."

The public is invited to a special exhibit opening and reception Friday evening, April 13, 6-8 p.m., to meet the artist and learn about her inspiration and interpretation of the sonnets.

The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center is a tourist information center and three regional museums located at Interstate 40 and Exit 56 in Brownsville, Tenn. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. All exhibits and museums are free to the public. Groups and tours buses are welcome. For more information, call 731-779-9000 or visit online at www.westtnheritage.com.