The University of the South is participating in the Summer Food Service Program.  Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service (not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).  No service July 4–7. Children ages 2–18 qualify for grab-and-go-meals. Child or guardian can pick up. Meals will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis at the sites and times as follows:

Altamont Public Library, 1433 Main St., Altamont, breakfast and lunch, June 7–July 26, on Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic, 19592 TN-56, Beersheba Springs, breakfast and lunch, through July 21, on Mondays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Coalmont Elementary, 7862 TN-56, Coalmont, breakfast and lunch, through July 24, on Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Community Action Committee at Otey Parish, 216 University Ave., Sewanee, breakfast and lunch, July 14–July 21, on Mondays, 3–6 p.m.

Crow Creek Valley Community Center, 10225 Sherwood Rd., Sherwood, breakfast and lunch, June 6–July 25, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Grundy Safe Communities Coalition, 14399 US-41, Tracy City, breakfast and lunch, June 6–July 25, on Fridays, 3–6 p.m. 

Morton Memorial United Methodist Church, 322 W. Main St., Monteagle, breakfast and lunch, June 14 and July 12, on Saturdays, 8–10 a.m.

Palmer Library, 2115 Main St., Palmer, through July 23, breakfast and lunch, on Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Trinity Episcopal Church, 213 1st Ave. NW, Winchester, breakfast and lunch, through July 23, on Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

To file a program complaint alleging discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (AD-3027), found online at <http://www.ascr.usda/gov/compl...; and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form.  To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992.  Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

Mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410

Fax:(202) 690-7442; or Email: <Program.intake@usda.gov>. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the May 20 meeting the Sewanee Utility District Board of Commissioners considered a request by the Wetlands Project coordinator Deb McGrath to extend the project a year or more. SUD manager Ben Beavers shared his concerns with the board.

The trial constructed wetlands, a research project undertaken jointly by the University of the South and the University of Georgia in 2015, studies wetlands’ effectiveness in cleaning wastewater. Elaborating on McGrath’s request to extend the project, Beavers said, “She wants to start sampling next summer, 2026, which would be 10 years [of operation], and get a year’s sampling to the summer of 2027. And she actually wants to go another year. I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“If they are going to continue using it, they need to take better care of it,” Beavers insisted. “They have to keep it mowed and weed-eated. There are enough mosquitoes there already.”

“The BOD [biological oxygen demand] in that lagoon has been affected almost out of range because of the duckweed and stuff that has crept in there,” said Board President Charlie Smith. [Note: BOD is a measure of the ability to support life based on the oxygen level of the water.]

“We’re going to explore ways to remediate that,” Beavers said. “If we use chemicals, I don’t know what the impact would be on their wetlands, but we have to be more concerned with the health of our lagoon than their project.”

Board member Clay Yeatman asked if there were biological controls for the mosquito problem, such as mosquito larvae eating gambusia fish.

“Before they started the project, there were millions of [gambusia]. Six months afterwards, we had duckweed and no gambusia.” The speculation is the aquatic environment would not support the fish due to the reduced BOD from the duckweed.

“Is the duckweed a problem in other lagoons?” Smith asked.

“Not yet,” Beavers said. “But there are geese and ducks and turtles that go back and forth [potentially spreading the duckweed].”

“I guess we can let it go through the summer and see what happens. It’s gotten to the point we need to shut it down unless there are good signs.”

Beavers will craft a response to McGrath stating the board would revisit keeping the project open if maintenance was kept up. Beavers will also request a legal agreement protecting SUD from liability.

The Messenger contacted McGrath inviting her to comment on the board’s decision.

“I agree with Ben. The duckweed has been a terrible problem. We certainly did not intend to bring duckweed in with the native plants that were installed. But aquatic invasives have a way of arriving on their own. Duckweed can be brought in by birds and other means. We tried seeding lagoon C with 100 grass carp [to control the duckweed]. We also installed an aerator to increase dissolved oxygen. A year later we couldn’t find any living fish. We would love to be rid of the duckweed.” McGrath is consulting with University Domain Manager Nate Wilson about the most effective chemical treatment. “It’s possible using chemicals to kill duckweed in lagoon C will kill wetland plants,” she conceded.

McGrath has hired a company to mow around the wetlands. She hopes to have an opportunity to talk with the SUD Board about her long-range plans. “The 2022-2024 monthly sampling demonstrated that the wetland is treating lagoon C water further, but two years isn’t really enough data to demonstrate anything more than a trend. I’d like to restart sampling the summer of 2026 through summer 2028 [to have ] a second consistent two-year monitoring record.”

In other business, the board discussed a complaint from a Jackson Point customer about dirt in his water. Beavers said SUD’s service line had been flushed, but pointed out, “hydrants are few and far between there.” SUD sampling at the customer’s meter and the nearest hydrant (one mile away) showed 0.23 turbidity, with 0.5 the allowed limit. Between 0.3 and 0.5 water begins to show signs of being cloudy, Beavers explained. SUD had received no complaints from other customers in the area. Beavers said there were many possible causes for sediment in the customer’s water. A leak on the customer side of the meter could be allowing dirt to enter the water line. Also, because the residence was a weekend home, the surge in pressure when the water was turned back on could cause sediment to break loose in the pipes. Beavers acknowledged the pressure was high in that area.

Pressure reduction was among the projects Beavers updated the board on. Failed pressure reduction valves were scheduled to be replaced at Jackson Point and Sewanee Summit. Pressure reduction valves in the Old Sewanee Road and Old Jumpoff Road areas were not functioning properly, according to Beavers, but the pressure demands were not as high there. SUD will replace the valves in the Old Sewanee Road and Old Jumpoff Road areas in conjunction with the Pressure Reduction and Leak Detection Project funded by SUD’s American Rescue Plan Act grant.

Other upcoming capital projects include the replacement of the membrane filters at the water plant, scheduled for Nov. 3-5; and painting the water tank, estimated cost, $400,000. Beavers is investigating grant opportunities.

Reporting on his research into firms to perform a rate study for SUD, Beavers said Raftelis, who initially quoted a $50,000 cost, would do a more limited analysis for $25,000-$30,000. Beavers also received a quote, substantially less than $25,000, from the firm who did Monteagle’s rate study. He will have a quote from the firm that did Big Creek’s rate study at the June meeting, giving the board three quotes to consider.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

With the long-discussed Arcadia Senior Living Facility near becoming a reality, an overview of the project at the May 19 Sewanee Community Council meeting sparked widespread concern from residents. The council also revisited the Dog Control Policy and took up complaints about student driving.

President of the Arcadia board George Elliott said a senior living facility in Sewanee had been talked about since the 1950s. In 2013 the Trustees tasked a committee with examining the possibility. In 2017 the concept of a non-university affiliated nonprofit facility took hold, and the Arcadia board formed.

Market research showed the community could support as many as 173 units. The proposed facility at the “test fit” site on the corner of Alabama Avenue and Willie Six Road calls for 138 units (120 independent living, 10 assisted living, and eight memory care). The facility would lease the property from the University. The buy-in fee model would return 80 percent of the cost to the resident or the resident’s estate when the resident moved out or died, with new incoming residents providing the revenue necessary for operation.

Asked how the facility would benefit Sewanee, Elliott argued it would “free-up housing” when faculty and staff retired. A resident insisted most incoming professors could not afford those homes. She also objected to the proposed business model which would “recruit people to live here.”

Elliott acknowledged that usually a senior living facility anticipated drawing residents from people living within 25 miles of the site. Given the demographics of the Sewanee area, “That would not be enough people,” Elliott explained. The facility hoped to draw residents from the nearby metropolitan areas of Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Nashville.

“Why this big [a facility]?” asked council representative Katie Gohn. “This is as small a number as would work according to the research our consultants did,” Elliott insisted. “It could be smaller, but not less than 100.”

A resident cited a typical buy-in cost at a senior living facility as $400,000. Another resident, dismayed by the prospect of such a high cost, said she wanted a place where people who made $15 an hour could retire. Elliott said he could not reveal the “pricing model” as it was not set. The Arcadia Board hopes to establish an endowment to subsidize financially challenged residents.

Elliott agreed a traffic study was needed. One of the features that made the proposed site attractive was “walkability” to central campus and downtown. In response, a resident pointed out both the central campus and downtown were uphill from the proposed site.

Others objected to the lack of a Skilled Care unit and, instead, reliance on outside providers, often located in Nashville or Chattanooga, a long drive.

Although agreeing he was in favor of freeing up housing, council representative Walker Adams said, “It’s too much, too fast.”

Citing the name, “Arcadia at Sewanee,” Gohn said, “There’s this inference that there are amenities here that are good outside the amenities of living in a beautiful, natural place. There is a huge tie to the University. The need arose from people who want to stay in the community, but how does that change when you’re marketing to people in Huntsville, Nashville, and Chattanooga?”

At the March council meeting a committee formed to review the Dog Control Policy. “The committee is divided on the issue of less control or more control,” said Provost Scott Wilson. Sue Scruggs, executive director of Marion Animal Resource Connection, said she frequently received calls and read Sewanee Classified posts about dogs at large. Scruggs proposed Sewanee could again begin to operate a dog pound where stray dogs were detained, and owners could be charged a fee when they claimed their dog.

Discussion followed on whether renovation of the dog pound would require a concrete surface, which would be expensive. Scruggs said from her experience a concrete surface was not necessary.

Gohn commented the current policy already prohibited dogs at large.

Council representative Phil White reminded the community Sewanee had a Dog Park on Lake Cheston Drive where dogs could run and interact with other dogs off leash.

“A lot of the problem has been enforcement,” said committee chair Marilyn Phelps. “My big thing was to have the policy move toward clear enforcement. [The current policy] is very vague, ‘may this, may that,’ rather than what will be done.”

Phelps also brought to the council’s attention residents’ complaints about student drivers speeding and the hazard to pedestrians. According to Phelps, the students ignored pedestrians who signaled them to slow down and sometimes speeded up instead.

“Sewanee wants to provide broadly educated people, but also to make good citizens. That’s always been an important part of the University’s mission,” Phelps said. “Somehow the good citizen part and being considerate of your neighbor has gotten lost in the shuffle.”

“I will raise [the issue] in the session we do with students on ‘living in community,’” said Dean of Students Nicky Campbell. “Most of our students would be mortified to know that’s the way the community feels.”

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Projections for the 2025-2026 school year call for Sewanee Elementary School to have three fewer teachers and two fewer educational assistants unless there is an influx of in-zone attendance, according to Franklin County Director of Schools Cary Holman. The decrease in staff would seem inimical to another circumstance. “Of 12 new out-of-zone requests for attendance at SES, nine were denied,” said school board member Sarah Marhevsky. The too easily overlooked criterion in these metrics is “in-zone” versus “out-of-zone.”

According to school board Student Assignment policy 6.205, “the school for which [students] are to attend by residency,” (i.e., a student’s zone) is “defined as being the school destination of the bus going by their house.” Policy 6.206, Transfers Within the System, provides for a student residing in the Franklin County School District to attend a school other than the school the student is zoned for if the parents provide transportation. Policy 6.204, Attendance of Non-Resident Students, provides for out-of-county or out-of-state students to attend school in Franklin County. In both cases, power to “grant such transfers” falls to the director of schools.

However, Policy 6.206 lays out specific guidelines for the director of schools to follow in making the decision. “Each year, the Director of Schools/designee shall review the number of spaces available in each school by grade, class, and program levels ... The Director of Schools/designee shall reserve a reasonable number of enrollment spaces at each school to account for the enrollment of zoned students.”

Asked what constituted a “reasonable number of enrollment spaces,” Dr. Holman gave an example. “59 students in Grade 2 with three teachers = 19 per class. As a result, there would be few open seats. Due to unforeseen circumstances during the summer, seats must be locked to ensure available seats for in-zone students at the beginning of the year.” [Note: For grades K-3, the average class size cannot exceed 20, and the maximum is 25.] Holman said faculty and staff decreases are anticipated across the county.

“It’s definitely Dr. Holman’s right to turn down out-of-zone, and particularly out-of-county, students,” Marhevsky conceded. “It’s just not what has traditionally been done at SES.” At SES, the situation is complicated by the number of out-of-county students. “Right now, 25 SES students are from out of the county,” Marhenvsky said. Huntland has 15 out-of-county students. “The schools with the most out-of-county students are the ones at the edges of the county,” Marhevsky observed. District wide, 57 students are from out-of-county.

“There have always been students who were denied based on space. Because Dr. Holman required SES to decrease from 10 to 7 classroom teachers, however, the decrease in teachers necessitates turning down more out-of-zone students,” Marhevsky said. She speculated that in the past out-of-zone students were factored into Sewanee’s numbers when determining how many teachers to hire. Particularly troubling, according to Marhevsky, among the nine applicants denied 2025-2026 attendance at SES were a number of out-of-county rising kindergarteners who attend Sewanee Children’s Center (SCC). “Families who sent their children to SCC could reasonably expect that their children could go on to SES with their peers. It’s been rightfully upsetting to many,” Marhevsky insisted.

“Some of our families are connected to the Sewanee community and not any other,” said SCC Director Sarah Ralston Stark. “They may live in Jumpoff right over the Marion County line and work at the University. Before [their children attending school in Franklin County] hadn’t been an issue. And now it all the sudden is. That’s the thing that’s throwing people.”

“Enrollment is monitored and adjustments are made as needed,” Holman said, explaining the staffing decrease at SES and denial of nine applicants. “We review new and previous year requests each year.”

For the 2024-2025 school year. SES had one kindergarten teacher, two first grade teachers, two second grade teachers, one third grade teacher, two fourth grade teachers, and two fifth grade teachers. For 2025-2026, plans call for two teachers for third grade and one teacher for all other grades. At present, 25 students, the maximum number, are enrolled in the second grade.

Asked what would happen if another in-zone student enrolled at SES, Dr. Holman said, “The principal would need to make some internal teacher placement configuration decisions.” Asked if that meant split classes, a teacher teaching two grades, Holman replied, “Correct.”

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“Chancellor Willis ruled the council had made procedural mistakes regarding the revocation of RBT’s vested property rights. She, however, gave no weight to the intention of the council,” said Monteagle resident Lucy Keeble at the May 19 Monteagle Council meeting, commenting on the lawsuit brought by RBT against Monteagle for revoking the developer’s vested property rights on their truck-stop project. Other residents spoke out as well, expressing concern about the proposed RBT truck stop negatively impacting the community’s drinking water supply.

“The substance of what you did was so critical to the growth of this town,” said resident Mary Beth Best. Revoking the developer’s vested property rights for failure to meet required benchmarks meant the RBT developers were subject to compliance with Monteagle’s new stormwater ordinance. The developers could not refuse to comply claiming they were grandfathered in, so the ordinance did not apply to them.

Keeble stressed the potential for runoff from the truck stop parking area to pollute Laurel Lake, Monteagle’s drinking water supply. “You must do all in your power to make sure the stormwater ordinance is upheld,” Keeble insisted. “No grandfathering should preclude necessary action.” She cited Tennessee law on vested property rights, “Those rights shall not preclude local government enforcement of any government standard when the local government determines … the development plan or property which is the subject of the building permit … seriously threatens the public safety, health or wellbeing of the community.”

The initial controversy arose when RBT sought to have their building permit reinstated. [See Messenger, August 30, 2024] In response to the citizens’ remarks on May 19, Building Inspector Travis Lawyer said, “I appreciate all your input. I’m still going to follow this. I’m not going to give up on this, and I’ll see this is done in the standard with the code and the law … I’m gathering paperwork on environmental impact along with the city code and statute I’m supposed to follow.”

In regular business, the council approved the 2025-2026 budget on first reading. The budget, as approved, is posted on the Town of Monteagle website.

The council also approved an ordinance amendment authorizing Development Review Fees to recoup expenses the city incurs when prospective developers consult with city engineer Travis Wilson. Alderman Grant Fletcher voted no, arguing the language of the ordinance differed from the language the planning commission used when reviewing documents. Alderman Nate Wilson said the language under question referred to review prior to review by the planning commission.

The task order approved by the council authorized work to proceed on the new I-24 bridge at exit 134 and stipulated the Tennessee Department of Transportation would bear the cost of infrastructure relocation, although the town would be liable for the cost of inspection. Alderman Dean Lay proposed the inspection be done by a firm other than the engineering firm doing the work. Alderman Nate Wilson said the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance explored that possibility, but learned it was more costly.

Mayor Greg Maloof announced plans to restripe the highway lines at exit 134 in the near future, even though new striping would happen with the bridge project. The projected start date for the bridge project is August 2026 or October 2026, depending on yet undetermined factors.

Reporting on the Imagine Monteagle town plan, N. Wilson said the consulting firm reviewing the town’s ordinances found some overly complex and others lacking in detail. The planning commission is reviewing the consultants’ recommendations. The Imagine Monteagle Tourism Committee invites artists to submit designs for a new Monteagle logo. Send designs to Tourism Committee Chair Iva Michelle Russell at <iva@ivamichellerussell.com>.

Monteagle will host a First Responders Day at Hannah Pickett Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 31, with free hotdogs and popcorn. “We want to get the kids outside and playing and get them to know who their first responders are,” said Police Chief William Raline. “Some children are scared of police officers, because sometimes you might have to arrest their uncle or dad or mom. We want to change that way of thinking.” Thanks to donations from local businesses, 10 boys’ bicycles and 10 girls’ bicycles will be given away.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“We are not in the business of closing schools,” said Franklin County School Board Chair Cleijo Walker at the May 12 board meeting addressing rumors that Sewanee Elementary School would close. In regular business, the board approved the 2025-2026 budget.

Walker broke from the agenda to comment on the rumors about SES. “There are lots of rumors flying around that we had on our agenda to close schools in the county. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Walker insisted. “It’s not on our agenda to close Sewanee. That’s the one we keep hearing about. That is not true. We want it to be as strong as it can be.”

Nearly a dozen Sewanee residents along with Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen attended the meeting. “Thank you for the leadership of the public schools here in Franklin County,” Pearigen said in response to Walker’s announcement. “I’m sure Sewanee Elementary is grateful, too.”

Introducing the 2025-2026 budget for board approval, Walker observed, “I feel better about our financial situation than I did earlier.” The budget calls for a 4.5 percent starting salary increase for teachers and a 3.5 percent increase for all other certified staff, along with step increases based on years of service. The budget also added a step increase for teachers serving 25 years or more. Last year’s budget had no years-of-service increase beyond the 24th year. Classified employees will receive a 3.5 percent raise, with step increases for some categories of employees.

Board member Sarah Marhesky reported on action by the state legislature impacting public education. The “Say Yes to Recess” bill passed. Effective, July 1, 2025, elementary school students must have 40 minutes of physical activity per school day, outdoors when possible, and PE class twice a week, for a total of at least one hour; the PE class time does not count toward the daily 40-minutes of physical activity. Middle school and high school students must have 90 minutes of physical activity per week.

The Pre-K Funding bill, which the board supported with a March resolution, did not pass. The bill would have allocated additional state funding for Pre-K students with special needs. A bill the board opposed with a March resolution also did not pass. The bill would have allowed public school to refuse to enroll students unlawfully present in the United States. The Hamilton County School passed a resolution modeled after the Franklin County School Board’s resolution. Argument in the legislature attempted to circumvent a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plyler vs. Doe that “illegal alien children living in the United States could not be excluded from a free public education based upon their immigration status.” “I expect this bill will come back next year,” Marhevsky said.

In January, School Health Coordinator Chris Hawkersmith challenged the board to walk 8,000-10,000 steps (approximately four miles) a day to help advance a Tennessee Department of Education Coordinated School Health grant opportunity. Hawkersmith announced the top performer in the challenge. Director of Schools Cary Holman walked 293 miles; Walker walked 308 miles; and Human Resources Supervisor Roger Alsup walked 336 miles.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

On April 16, University faculty and staff received a communication from Provost Scott Wilson announcing the University Child Care Center (UCCC) was closing Aug. 1, all UCCC children would be offered a place at the Sewanee Children’s Center (SCC), and UCCC Director Elizabeth Sowell would become the Sewanee Children’s Center director. Explaining the decision, Wilson said, “The University recently engaged an external consultant to explore whether consolidating the two centers could offer programmatic advantages and improved financial sustainability.” Several red flags reared their heads for UCCC parents. Over the course of the next week and a half, negotiations between the University and the SCC addressed many of the concerns.

A longstanding difference between the UCCC and the SCC was that the Children’s Center did not offer infant care. “The Children’s Center is working on becoming licensed for infants and toddlers which should happen by Aug. 1,” said SCC Director Sarah Ralston Stark. The facility currently enrolls 35 children but is licensed for 69 and anticipates an enrollment of approximately 60 in August.

This, of course, depends on how many UCCC parents transfer to SCC. SCC tuition is significantly higher, although anxiety about the cost difference has largely subsided. “The SCC offers scholarships, accepts DHS certificates, and the University has agreed to help University families with small subsidies for an [undetermined] amount of time,” said Sowell. “The Children’s Center’s tuition reflects what the true cost of childcare is,” said Stark. Although pleased to learn about the subsidy, faculty spouse Thomas Lavoy observed, “The big unknown is for how long the University will be making the $2,500/child ($5,000 max) contribution.” Lavoy went on to point out, “Subsidized childcare is an attractive benefit to potential faculty.”

Other concerns have not been so easily addressed. The UCCC calendar coincides with the University calendar; the SCC calendar coincides with the Franklin County Schools calendar. The SCC sets the calendar a year in advance, said Sowell, making changes to the 2025-2026 calendar unlikely. But Sowell added, since SCC was a cooperative, it might be possible for “parents to effect change going forward.” Also significant, many University families have children in both childcare and in the public schools so they juggle multiple vacation schedules. In other families, only one parent is employed by the University and the other parent has a different vacation timeline. “There is no perfect calendar for every family situation,” Sowell conceded.

Another change for UCCC families trailed upon the cooperative structure of the SCC. Not only was the cost higher, but families were expected to put in volunteer hours, “2 hours per month (or 5 per semester for After-School families),” according to the SCC/UCCC Transition Family Handbook. But volunteering opportunities are wide and varied, and Sowell stressed the requirement was not such a difference as it might at first seem. UCCC families were no strangers to being involved, Sowell insisted, and turnout at events was high. “The benefit is you bring families in and get them engaged and create a village for the people the program is serving.”

Stark informed the board in the fall that her family would be moving at the end of spring semester. For Sowell to assume the director position was an easy and logical fit. “The Children’s Center will be in really good hands with Elizabeth,” Stark said. With the anticipated increase in enrollment, the entire UCCC staff has been offered positions at the SCC. “A lot of teachers are still deciding,” Sowell acknowledged. “It’s a lot to weigh. They have strong connections to the children and families and want to continue the relationships, but there are also benefits and retirement to consider.” A UCCC parent who spoke to the Messenger anonymously said, “The UCCC/SCC merger is very sad for UCCC teachers who have been serving Sewanee for over 20 years and will now lose their medical benefits, retirement, and other University benefits. I know of two teachers like this.”

Although most of his initial discomfort has subsided, Lavoy said, “I wish the powers that be had thought a little bit more carefully on how to roll out the announcement [rather than the way they did] in an email in the middle of the day coming up on the end of the semester, with some teachers finding out about it that way.” New to the community, Lavoy and his wife moved to Sewanee last August and his wife just recently signed a contract for a tenure track position. “Having the rug pulled out from under our feet after we sign on to stay here for a very long time is not a good feeling,” Lavoy confessed. He worried about the University “attracting a solid faculty if they cancel commitments to faculty member families.”

At bottom, though, Lavoy agreed with the decision, “Having the two separate centers was not really good for either of them, and if this merger means my daughter can have the best possible experience here in Sewanee, then I am for it.”

The SCC dates its origins back to 1949, then called Sewanee Nursery School and Kindergarten. Providing a historical perspective on the UCCC, retired University archivist and longtime Sewanee resident Annie Armour Morgret said the program began in the 1980s as a community effort based at the School of Theology. The University offered the program the current building. That program evolved into the University sponsored UCCC.

“UCCC families indeed have valid concerns,” said Sowell, “But, I think these concerns stem from an overarching feeling of loss. Our families care deeply about the UCCC program and the caregivers they have trusted with their children. This closure is incredibly difficult. And that loss, that change is tough to navigate. That being said, I wholeheartedly believe that in the end, the move to SCC will ensure that families do have access to high quality early childhood education experiences for decades to come.”

Join us for the 68th season of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. From June 15–July 13, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival will host more than 30 concerts, including Faculty Artist Series, Cumberland Orchestra, Sewanee Symphony, Opera Scenes, Jacqueline Avent Concerto Showcase, Student Chamber Ensembles, Composer Showcases, Aria Showcases, OperaFest Masterclasses, Festival Brass, Chamber Intensive Showcase, July 4th Patriotic Celebration, and Opera’s Greatest Hits at Angel Park.

If you wish to purchase tickets in person, you may do so at our office during regular business hours. The Sewanee Music Center office is located in Guerry Hall, Room 129. Tickets are also available at the door for all events.

Patrons who purchase individual tickets will receive a confirmation email that can be used for admission. Patrons who purchase season passes online or in person will receive a confirmation via email. This confirmation may be used at each ticketed performance you attend.

The season subscription, $200, allows you full access to all concerts during the 2025 Festival. To reserve your tickets, go to <https://www.showpass.com/m/2025-ssmf-season-subscription/;.

A comprehensive listing of all events is here < https://ssmf.sewanee.edu/events/;.

The Sewanee Arts and Crafts Association’s (SACA) Spring Fair will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, May 10, at Shoup Park on University Avenue in Sewanee. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by SACA.

Exhibitor’s include: Alessandro’s bakery, baked goods; Claire Reishman, clay; Colleen Kay, crocheted textiles; Danny Phifer, etchings; Full Circle Candles, candles; Dennis Jones, jewelry; Sisterhood of St. Mary’s, candles, rosaries; Coyote Cove, soap and skincare; Pearl Campbell, candles; Susan Parry, jewelry; Patricia Goubeaud, floral art; Jeanie Stephenson, bronze sculptures; Merissa Tobler, pottery; Mike & Mary McElwain, jewelry; Marcus Holden, forged copper and iron; Sewanee Children’s Center; Ryan Ghertner, pottery; Luise Richards, sewing; Stacy Clark, textiles, pottery; Bell’s Tie Dye Emporium, tie dye; Pate Sisters, jewelry, cards, vests; Bow Ties by Emily, sewing; Susan Cordell, pottery; Cardinal Lake Pottery, clay; Faith Vaughn, jewelry; Randy McCurdy, flowers in glass, Amber Clarkson, jewelry; Melissa Holloway, soap; Bill Mauzy, wood; J.Denise Miller, prints; Connie Hornsby, fiber; Stephanie Hale, sewing; Ben Paty, wood; Nancy Oliver, skincare; Cheryl Lankhaar, painting; Sam Prickett, collage; Charlotte Grissom, jewelry; Ron Van Dyke, metal and stone.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The Sewanee Civic Association’s May 5 awards ceremony honored Sewanee local legends Ken and Lynn Taylor and Doug Cameron. Selected by community nomination, the 42nd annual Community Service Award went to the Taylors. The nominating petition praised the Taylors’ talents and contribution of “grace and good taste” to “making Sewanee a better place to live.” The SCA board selected Cameron for the Summa Cum Award. Cameron, who received the 1986 Community Service Award for being “a volunteer nut,” commented at the time, “I’m not done yet.” Cameron’s generous giving of his energy and insight to the community in the 39 years since then stand as proof.

The Taylors’ nomination highlighted the couple’s behind-the-scenes role at Lessons and Carols, weddings, and countless University events, bringing a special shine to everything they touched. The petition described the couple’s shop Taylor’s Mercantile, as “an oasis of beauty and necessity” offering visitors a shopping experience that calls for lingering and leaving behind the world’s too prevalent “unsavory, derelict influences.”

Cameron served on the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department for more than 50 years and is a 32-year veteran of Sewanee EMS. The list of local boards he has lent his time and wisdom to include the Community Action Committee, Blue Monarch, Mountain Goat Trail Alliance, and the SCA. He is a founding board member of Housing Sewanee and the South Cumberland Regional Land Trust. Beyond Sewanee, Cameron has served on the board of the Cloud Forest School Foundation, the Land Trust for Tennessee, the Tennessee Environmental Council, Leadership Franklin County, the American Canoe Association, and Merrie-Woode Foundation. For his commitment to outdoor adventure and conservation, he was recently inducted into the Southeastern Whitewater Hall of Fame.

Following the awards ceremony, SCA President Kiki Beavers updated members and guests on SCA projects and programs. SCA hosts Sewanee Classifieds, an online community bulletin board, with SCA dues paying members automatically subscribed. The Community Chest Fund drive is within $3,800 of reaching the $123,456 goal. Sewanee Elementary School, the Children’s Center, the Mountain Goat Trail, Community Action Committee, and Senior Center are among the quality-of-life enriching Sewanee presences that rely on Community Chest funding. The SCA will accept donations until the end of May, in the hope budget cutting won’t be necessary. Send donations to Sewanee Community Chest, P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, 37375.

This past year SCA also hosted a school supply drive for Sewanee Elementary School children, and two nonfood supply drives for the Community Action Committee to provide the financially challenged with necessary items that cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits (i.e., food stamps) such as cleaning supplies.

The SCA’s most ambitions project, the Welcome Center located in the former Hair Depot building, will soon enter Phase 3, opening the center for public use. The $170,000 project, underway for the past three years, required significant renovations to the building. Grant funding, contributions, and an especially generous donation from the University class of 1973 have moved the project forward. The Center will feature a Historic Downtown Sewanee display and interpretive displays provided by Tennessee State Parks and the South Cumberland Tourism Partnership. Structurally, a new front door and windows are still needed along with replacing a rear gutter. The final critical need is for volunteers to staff the center on Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., May through October. Sewanee residents Bruce McMillan and Annie Armour offered to strategize on finding staffing volunteers.

The SCA elected the following as officers for 2025-2026: Beavers, president; Ken Taylor, recent past president; Trae Moore, vice president; Ben Trahan, secretary; Bentley Cook, treasurer; David Michaels, member at large; Kate Reed, member at large.

The SCA will begin accepting Community Chest applications in August. Dues are payable Sept. 1-30 for 2025-2026, marking the SCA’s 117th year.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“What I hope comes across from the documentary “Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror” is how the toxic stew of extremist rhetoric and anti-government propaganda that inspired Timothy McVeigh in 1995 is not fringe anymore,” said Lee Hancock. “It’s mainstream. And that’s horrifying. The Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh has been cited as a hero and inspiration.” Hancock, a Sewanee resident and Sewanee grad (C’81), is the Associate Producer of the documentary. One hundred and sixty-eight people died from the explosion at the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. The nine-story structure housed offices for the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, military recruiters, and a credit union. “They were just ordinary people serving as federal employees,” Hancock insisted. The Murrah Building also housed a day care center. The casualties included 19 children.

“McVeigh said he was inspired to take revenge because of Waco,” Hancock observed. In 1993, a gunfight with federal agents resulted in the Branch Dividian religious cult holing up in their Waco, Texas, compound for 51 days. The siege ended on April 19 in a fiery inferno fulfilling the prophecy of cult leader David Koresh, with over 70 Branch Dividians dying, 28 of them children. Hancock, then a reporter for the Dallas Morning Star, covered the Waco tragedy from day one. “The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms made terrible mistakes trying to end the thing,” Hancock acknowledged. “But in the end, the Dividians set fire to their own building. They committed suicide rather than coming out, because that was what their messiah David Koresh told them, ‘You’ve got to go through the fiery end times.’ Waco has inspired horrible misinformation and conspiracy theories.”

Hancock’s role as a consultant for the 2023 documentary, “Waco: American Apocalypse,” led to her involvement in the Oklahoma City project, both directed by Tiller Russell. The day of the bombing, when it dawned on her the fiery inferno at Waco happened the same day, April 19, the lightbulb came on: “This is about Waco.” But Hancock stressed other influences impacted McVeigh, as well: the NRA, anti-government rhetoric from extremist groups, gun show propaganda. “They’re taking away our guns, our rights,” McVeigh complained in taped interviews following the bombing. McVeigh’s bible was white-supremist William Pierce’s “The Turner Diaries,” a novel portraying an attack on the FBI headquarters in Washington with the same kind of truck bomb Timothy McVeigh would use.

Some refer to him as Saint McVeigh according to Hancock. McVeigh served in Desert Storm and earned a Bronze Star, yet he would later comment, “I have no choice what my government uses me for.” The statement, cited by those who revere him, stands in contradiction to lesser-known facts about McVeigh. Following the Iraq War, McVeigh applied to become a Green Beret. McVeigh dropped out of the program, but based on what Hancock learned from her research, he would have been rejected, regardless. The military psychiatrist who interviewed McVeigh concluded, ‘He’s not made for this program.’

McVeigh called the children killed in the bombing, “collateral damage.”

The 84-minute documentary “Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror” is fast paced and painful to watch. Hancock interviewed Oklahoma City residents and first responders for the project. “It was a privilege talking to those folks,” she said, “hearing their stories of loss and recovery. The remarkable resilience demonstrated by the community has come to be known as the Oklahoma Standard. People from all walks of life, all creeds, all political persuasions came together to help with recovery and find survivors.” Particularly poignant are the testimony of a mother whose infant son died in the explosion and the account of rescuers who returned to the building, midst threats of yet another bomb, to free a woman buried alive beneath the rubble. The explosion blew off the entire front half of the building, from the roof to the ground floor.

With smoke still billowing from the structure, law enforcement officer Charlie Hanger stopped McVeigh for driving a vehicle without a rear license plate and ultimately arrested him for carrying a concealed weapon. “For the same traffic stop today, because of changes in gun laws, they would have let him go,” Hancock said.

Equally jarring, McVeigh would have bonded out and been released before anyone connected him to the bombing if it had not been for court delays. In custody for the weapons charge, he watched the rescue efforts on TV, his first glimpse of the devastation he caused. The VIN number from a truck axle found blocks away traced back to a Ryder rental truck, the truck that housed the bomb, a truck rented by McVeigh, although under an assumed name. Initially, investigators believed a natural gas leak caused the explosion, then suspicion turned to two middle easterners driving a brown SUV. “The FBI threw everything they had at the case,” Hancock said. The agency eventually connected the truck to McVeigh and connected McVeigh to two accomplices.

“It became the largest FBI investigation in history until the Jan. 6, 2020, riots,” Hancock stressed. “And it’s still playing out. It’s still resonating in really scary ways.” On her list of domestic terrorism events which make reverent reference to the Oklahoma City bombing and the hallowed day of April 19 are painfully familiar names: the Atlanta Olympic bomber used ‘April 19’ as his media-contact code; the Columbine shooters planned their attack for April 19, but an ammunition delivery delay caused them to postpone; the Michigan militia founder who took over a national wildlife refuge proclaimed, ‘McVeigh died for your sins.’

Hancock cited statistics from the Center for Strategic and International Studies showing that from 2020-2024 the number of domestic terrorist plots almost tripled compared to the previous 25 years. “McVeigh visited Waco,” Hancock said. “And Waco was where Donald Trump launched his reelection campaign. The rhetoric Trump used then is extremely reminiscent of McVeigh’s anti-government talk about how out of control and terrible the government is. Normalizing this extremism and hatred and divisiveness and the politics of division can have horrific consequences.”

The documentary is available on Netflix <https://www.netflix.com/title/...;.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the May 6 meeting, the Monteagle Planning Commission approved the preliminary plat and site plan for a 10-home subdivision on Highway 41 across from the National Guard Armory. The Commission also approved a lot-dimension variance for the project.

Oak View Patio Homes developer Jessie Goodman said his plans called for “patio homes,” by definition single-family dwellings with one or more floors, no common walls with other residences, and a zero-foot setback allowed on one side to maximize the amount of useable outdoor area for a patio or other outdoor-living uses.

Town planner Jonathan Rush said only one lot had a zero-foot setback, and the lots were far larger than required. Granting a variance was needed since, in length, the lots exceeded the 3:1 prescribed ratio. “There is no reason not to grant the variance,” Rush insisted. He pointed out many lots in Monteagle exceeded the 3:1 ration, and the planning commission might want to “investigate” why Monteagle adopted the 3:1 rule.

Goodman said the deep lots were needed to accommodate septic system field lines. Asked by Commissioner Ed Provost why he did not connect to public sewer, Goodman said Monteagle had capacity issue due to inflow and infiltration of ground water into the sewer system and the adjacent landowner was unwilling to grant an easement to connect to public sewer.

Looking to future planning and zoning decisions, Alderman Nate Wilson said commissioners had received several documents prepared by Inc Codes, the planning consultant firm Monteagle had engaged: a copy of Monteagle’s current zoning ordinance document with suggestions made by the consultants and a document listing issues which, in the consultant’s opinion, should not require a vote by the commission. The commission had also received a copy of Monteagle’s 2016 zoning ordinance for comparison. Wilson asked the commission to review the documents and make comments by Monday.

Monteagle Mayor Greg Maloof updated the commission on two projects being undertaken by developers. The commission should expect to receive the Hampton Inn site plan for review at the June meeting. The Dubose developer was engaged in resolving parking issues.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“Lack of clear policies is not the developer’s problem. It’s difficult to follow rules when they are unclear and change depending on who you talk to,” insisted developer Paul Fantuzzi at the April 28 Monteagle Council meeting, calling the city to task over his just recently learning of problems with acquiring water service for a proposed development. Following his 10 months of consultation with the city planner and receiving reassurance the necessary utilities were available, Monteagle Utility Systems supervisor John Condra refused to sign off on the site plan and turned the project over to the city engineer who recommended infrastructure upgrades. “Sadly, Paul is correct,” concurred Mayor Greg Maloof.

Fantuzzi questioned why the engineer was not consulted earlier, why he never met Condra until the week before the final meeting, and why Condra did not attend any prior meetings. Maloof has scheduled a meeting with city engineer, Travis Wilson, and Fantuzzi to resolve the issue. “There are questions that need answered not just for him [Fantuzzi], but for all the developers that follow him,” Maloof said. “I told the [city planner] Jonathan Rush nothing gets approved until [city engineer] Wilson approves it.” Maloof noted water and sewer service availability in any given location depended on line size and demand in that area.

In his defense, Condra said, “I didn’t have a thing to do with this. I wasn’t brought in until the last. He [Fantuzzi] was told by a certain employee he could hook on. I never told him that, and that is why I would not sign off on the site plan.”

The difficulty prospective developers encounter in Monteagle reared its head again in a discussion about an ordinance amendment authorizing Development Review Fees to recoup expenses the city incurs when prospective developers consult with engineer Wilson. “I don’t object to the fee, but it takes months to get something in writing,” complained prospective developer Jessie Goodman. “There is no formal process.” Alderman Nate Wilson agreed with the need for a fee, but objected to the amendment requiring all projects with a site plan to be reviewed. “This is more onerous than it needs to be,” Alderman Wilson said. He recommended the fee only apply to subdivision and commercial developments, not residences. The council voted down the amendment, with only Alderman Dan Sargent and Maloof voting for approval. The council will hold a workshop to take up issues with the amendment.

The council approved two other ordinance amendments on first reading with a split vote.

Alderman Wilson and Alderman Grant Fletcher voted ‘no’ on an amendment providing for more detailed regulation of food trucks. Wilson was unsatisfied with stipulations addressing how sales tax was collected. Fletcher wanted more clarity about what constituted “permanence.”

Alderman Wilson also voted ‘no’ on Alderman Dean Lay’s motion to approve the 2025-2026 budget with the stipulation the budget be posted on the website before the second reading. Wilson objected to the budget’s failure to prioritize capital reserves and the decrease in the amount held in capital reserves. Lay said he hoped residents would review the budget and welcomed feedback.

The council unanimously approved allowing small box discount stores in C-3 commercial zoning and rezoning the Holy Comforter Church property from R-3 to C-2. Sargent noted the property would be sold for a doctor’s office. Maloof observed the rezoning was compatible with the commercial zoning of adjacent properties.

In a discussion about homeless people in Monteagle, Police Chief William Raline said three individuals staying behind the Circle K had been asked to leave. He said these were the same individuals who had been staying behind the Mountain Inn. Raline is attempting to find them a residence. “Every shelter between here and Nashville is full,” Raline said. Monteagle has one other homeless person, as well.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has closed the I-24 rest areas due to a water leak, according to Condra. TDOT has not been able to find the cause.

Monteagle will hold Sparkle Week the second week in May. All discarded items for pickup must be street side by the evening of Sunday May 11. Pickup will occur over the course of the next several days.

The council will meet next May 19, rather than on the last Monday of the month, to avoid conflict with Memorial Day.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“If we find out any of those trees are on private property, we will regroup and figure out what we need to do,” said Jimmy Davis at the April 29 public hearing on the Franklin County Airport Clearing Obstruction Project. Davis serves as University Director of Business Services and the Fixed Base Operator for the Franklin County Airport located on the Domain. The airport will undertake removing obstructive vegetation from the runway approach to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. Based on a preliminary aerial review of the project, Davis does not anticipate the need for tree cutting on private land. The engineering and environmental assessment team engaged by the airport provided an overview of the project.

“The state requires a 20:1 approach surface to the runway that is obstruction free,” said project engineer Glen Heath. For every 20 feet of distance, the tree height cannot increase more than one foot. Clearing for instrument landing would require a 34:1 approach surface, Heath noted, meaning lower vegetation for longer distances so more tree cutting. “The instrument approach [criterion] was taken off the project. It’s not worth it,” Heath said.

Heath explained the logistics of the proposed vegetation removal. “When removing obstructions, you want the vegetation to be 10 feet below [the threshold] because the vegetation will continue to grow.” Heath pointed out trees grew two feet a year. The project is federally funded through the Tennessee Department of Transportation. “They [the airport] would prefer to cut everything they can to the ground, because once the state pays for this process one time, they will not pay for a second trimming,” Heath stressed.

Davis anticipates a dense area near the Mountain Goat Trail will be clear cut, with two other areas undergoing selective cutting. “Where the trees are really thick and tall, if we don’t clear it all, we will be back doing it in just a couple years.”

Evaluating possible environmental impact is the other guiding principal of the project. Because of its “size and scope” the project required an environmental review, Davis said. According to Environmental Scientist Amana Heritt, researchers identified four endangered species in the county, Northern Pine Snakes, Northern Long-eared and Indiana Bats, and White Fringeless Orchids. Due to possible habitat destruction from tree cutting, the research team undertook an extensive search for the orchid; none were found. Likewise, the endangered snake and bats were not observed, but tree cutting will occur between Oct. 15 and March 15 when the species are hibernating. “We want no impact to the environment,” Heritt observed.

Heritt explained there were three levels of environmental review, with the project calling for a midlevel review. “We started out with a Categorical Exclusion [review] and the state aeronautics moved it up to an Environmental Assessment [the midlevel review].” For the runway obstruction clearing four years ago, the state only required a Categorical Exclusion review.

The obstruction clearing four years ago resulted in contention and a legal battle with neighboring landowner. “This [current project] has not had the impact of what was going on four and a half years ago,” said Franklin County Mayor Chris Guess. “That was a communication and attitude and personnel issue.”

“If any of the trees that need to come down are on private property, we need to have a conversation about it,” said Matt Hughes who served as a community spokesperson on the committee that formed to resolve the controversy in 2021.

“If trees on private property need to come down, we will have a conversation about it and figure this out,” Davis insisted. “This whole thing is about relationships and trust.”

“We hope to have bids in hand, a contractor on board, and ready to go by October,” Heath said.

A campaign by the Parish of St. Mark and St. Paul (SMSP) to raise maintenance funds and establish an endowment to preserve its campus has exceeded its goals. Originally seeking to raise $900,000 to care for the church, parish hall, and old rectory, so far SMSP has raised $1.04 million, and an additional $312,000 in planned gifts.

The process to launch a campaign began in January of 2024 when the vestry (church board) considered the long-term outlook for the parish. So as to take a proactive approach rather than just react to building system failures, the Vestry hired a facilities evaluation company, Building Solutions, to give them a sense of future maintenance needs.

The Building Solutions report, in turn, led the church to explore the possibility of a fund-raising campaign. The last such campaign was completed in 2014, when the parish hall was renovated and Kennerly Hall added.

In conjunction with the consulting firm Horizons Stewardship, there was a nine-month exploration of the feasibility of such a campaign. Parishioners were consulted about their priorities and willingness to contribute.

In the process, SMSP got a clearer sense of how the community regards it. As several put it, SMSP is not just a church but “the beating heart of Sewanee.” Standing at the border of the University and downtown Sewanee, the church, many pointed out, plays an important role in community life.

This includes the Community Action Committee, which provides food and some housing assistance to the surrounding community, and providing space for the Sewanee Children’s Center, which has provided early childhood education in the parish basement for 75 years. There is also Thurmond Memorial Library, which opened in 1902, while the parish hall serves as a meeting place for a wide range of community organizations, including the Red Cross, Folks at Home, the Rotary Club, All Voices Choir, prayer circles, book discussion groups, various spiritual and wellness retreats, and other activities.

The church also invites the community in for its yearly Oktoberfest and Mardi Gras celebrations.

Out of its self-exploration, the campaign committee arrived at the theme “Our Hope in Years to Come,” the name taken from the familiar Issac Watts hymn, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.”

Parishioners stepped up with contributions, three-year pledges, and planned (estate) gifts. Of the $1.04 million raised, at least $372,000 will go towards an endowment and the rest will go to facility needs, as identified by Building Solutions. The endowment, which will be invested to grow over time, will provide support for additional ministries of the parish for years to come.

The first project is a new church roof, whose picturesque cedar shingles, installed in 2004, have proved vulnerable to severe weather and are beginning to fall off and leak. A number of the HVAC systems will be replaced and some drainage issues addressed. There has also been some good news as Building Solutions reported that the old rectory, Brooks Hall, is in relatively good shape and will not need immediate attention. With the new financial footing provided by campaign gifts, the church will be able to be more deliberative in its process, addressing needs before they arise rather than simply reacting to breakdowns when they occur.

“St. Mark and St. Paul exists for Christian ministry,” said parish rector Rob Lamborn. I am deeply gratified by the generosity members and former members have shown to invest in the practicalities that make ministry possible — what I call ‘the infrastructure of love.’ We warmly invite others who would like to contribute in any amount toward this parish thriving long into the future.”

The church may be reached at P.O. Box 267, Sewanee TN 37375, (931) 598-5926, or <stmarkstpaul.org>.