by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“We’re here to celebrate the ones who defied the challenges,” observed Dr. Tallulah Crawley-Shinault at the Feb. 21 Cowan Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church annual Black History Celebration. Crawley-Shinault spoke on the topic, “The State of Black Children: A Call to Arms,” offering sage advice on “things we can do to make a difference” in how black children experienced the future and how the future experienced them. “America and democracy need their representation,” she insisted.

A champion of education, community leader, and scholar, with a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Foundations from Illinois State University, Crawley-Shinault shone a harsh light on the ways “economic drivers” fostered “disparity in education, health, and criminal justice.” She came armed with research to make her point: the academic achievement gap between black and white children correlated with socio-economic statistics. One in five black children live in high poverty communities; 23.3 percent live in areas with food insecurity; the job deficit in the black community is 20 percent; in 2023 the infant mortality rate for African-American children was twice the national average; 38 percent of black elementary school age youth and 50 percent of black high school age youth experience mental health problems triggered by racial discrimination and prejudice; 60 percent of people killed by firearm homicide are African-Americans; black males age 18-24 are 23 times more likely to die from gun violence.

“This is not a new problem and not a local problem. This is a national problem,” Crawley-Shinault argued. Addressing the question, “What can we do about this?”, Crawley-Shinault highlighted the importance of helping young people “develop resilience.”

“Talk with your children about being black, about racism, about attitudes — not in a negative way, but in a way that’s going to protect them.” She emphasized the need for maintaining an “egalitarian” world view, “teaching our kids that everyone is equal. God created us all equal. There are no good or bad people. There are some people who do bad things.” Crawley-Shinault also pointed to her mother’s insistence, “An education is something no one can take away from you. Go to your child’s school, meet the principal, support the teachers, ask them to send homework home so you can help your child learn.” And Crawley-Shinault’s final advice: vote. “Our freedom to vote is being jeopardized,” she stressed. “Whatever the requirements are, if its stand on your head, a government ID, proof of citizenship, vote.”

A fitting accompaniment to Crawley-Shinault’s thought-provoking insights, Sandra Brown’s Black History quiz continued an annual tradition at the Mt. Sinai Black History Celebration. Brown’s questions ranged from those everyone could answer to those no one could: the first African American to play in major league baseball, Jackie Robinson; the first African-American woman to serve in the House of Representatives, Shirley Chisholm; the first state to abolish slavery, Vermont; the first African-American doctor, Dr. James McCune Smith.

Pastor John Patton brought the evening full circle with closing remarks inviting a challenge to “change the terminology ‘first black.’” “We are strong resilient people and we are products of strong resilient people. We have always been resilient. We have always been smart. We have always been entrepreneurs. We have always been what no other nationality of people has to get up on a yearly basis and proclaim. We are being identified by somebody else when we say ‘you were the first.’ We need to change that mentality, think a little deeper about the phrases we use. You have been given permission by somebody else to say the first black woman, the first black man that was smart enough. What is in us innately is not something given to us by somebody else.”

by Leslie Lytle, Messenget Staff Writer

At the Feb. 24 Sewanee Utility District Board of Commissioners meeting, SUD customer Ron Summers appeared before the board a second time objecting to the grinder pump fees established by the board in November 2024. The $8 monthly fee for customers with grinder pumps offsets the cost of maintaining and replacing the pumps, $40,000 annually according to SUD Manager Ben Beavers. When Summers addressed the board in December of 2024, he lacked written evidence to document his claim that he was told when he paid for the pump and installation, cost $3,000, future maintenance and replacement costs would fall to SUD. At the Feb. 24 meeting, Summers came armed with a letter from SUD customer Marvin Pate supporting his argument that he should not be charged a monthly maintenance fee. Summers also cited former SUD manager Kevin Gilliam as being in full agreement.

When Summers bought his home in early 2000, a septic tank system handled waste. Regulations required Summers to connect to public sewer and to install a grinder pump. Beavers explained that for most of SUD’s 700 sewer customers, gravity flow sufficed to transport waste, but approximately 200 required a grinder pump to move waste to the main line.

Pate read about Summers’ initial complaint to the SUD board in the December 2024 Messenger and wrote to Beavers and the board confirming Summers’ argument that once he paid for the pump and installation, he would have no additional charges. “I support his statements,” Pate wrote, “as they exactly match the understanding that I was given when I was required to install a grinder pump at 692 Hat Rock Road, at the time I built a new house there around the year 2000.”

Pate cited Kevin Gilliam, then the SUD manager, as the person who made him aware of the terms of the arrangement. Summers recently met with Gilliam. Summers said Gilliam concurred with what he and Pate claimed and advised him, “Get the board to have a vote, and you can stop it.”

“We’re not unsympathetic,” said SUD Board President Charlie Smith. “State law says we have to operate at a profit. Either we have to go up on everybody or—.”

“Why don’t you do that?” Summers asked. “This is not my fault. I pay 25 percent extra for having a grinder pump when it was already paid for. If you have a problem with the money the pumps are costing, go up on everybody. I didn’t want that grinder pump. I was forced to get that grinder pump. It’s not fair me paying 25 percent more for my water.”

Summers cited other customers whose recollection of the agreement with SUD at the time of installing the pump matched his. He acknowledged several years ago SUD replaced his disabled pump at no cost to him. Beavers said new pumps cost $1,500-$1,600.

In regular business, new commissioner Amanda Bailey was sworn in to serve a four-year term. The board reelected Smith to serve as president and Clay Yeatman to serve as secretary for 2026.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The Feb. 23 Monteagle Council meeting opened and closed with testy discussion about police issues. The first dealt with filing a complaint. The second grappled with the council taking corrective action regarding a police officer.

“We don’t investigate just on a rumor,” said Police Chief William Raline emphasizing the importance of filing a written complaint against an individual. Raline explained if the investigation found evidence of a crime, the case went to the county district attorney for further investigation, and if the DA found evidence the case went to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. No complaints have been filed since Raline served as chief.

Raline noted in the case of a complaint against a police officer, the investigation also began with the department, unless it was a complaint against him, i.e., the chief of police. In that case, the investigation would fall to the mayor if the complaint was administrative and if criminal, such as excessive force or inappropriate touching, the county would investigate, then the TBI.

In response to a question from a resident, city recorder Debbie Taylor said the city had forms for filing a complaint against an employee, and either the police form or the city’s form could be used to file a complaint against a police officer.

Alderman Dean Lay speculated “people would feel intimidated” filing a complaint against a police officer. Speaking about complaints in general, Lay said, “I go to the mayor if I learn about a complaint.” He noted, however, if the complaining person did not give their name, “I wait to see if someone else brings it up. Often complaints don’t have merit.”

Alderman Nate Wilson suggested the police form for filing a complaint be changed to stipulate the council investigated if the complaint was against an officer. “If the complaint is within the police department, it makes sense for the council to be aware,” Wilson said. Raline concurred although highlighting the distinction between an administrative and criminal complaint.

Alderman Grant Fletcher said both the police complaint forms and the city employee complaint forms should be available at city hall to minimize intimidation. A resident recommended both complaint forms be made available by email or by postal mail. “I feel a person shouldn’t have to sign their name to a written complaint,” Lay said. “If you feel intimidated, send me an email. The mayor has always talked to me. That process works.”

Taking up the issue of the September arrest of Monteagle business owner Rodney Kilgore by Monteagle police officer Sargent Hafiz Karteron, Alderman Dan Sargent said, “The judge found the officer at fault. There should be some corrective action taken. The plaintive would like to see this officer leave the city of Monteagle’s police department. A number of community members feel that way. The council can make the decision if the police chief doesn’t. We’re obligated to the citizens to act.”

Wilson and Fletcher insisted they lacked information on the case. “There is still an ongoing investigation,” Raline said. “There were three parts in the arrest. One part was concluded. The other two aren’t.” Lay offered background, explaining Grundy County Judge Trey Anderson ruled on the kidnapping charge and sent the case back to Marion County. On April 28 the Marion County grand jury will rule on the destruction of property and resisting arrest charges. “We need to wait until the grand jury meets,” Lay argued.

In response to Sargent’s objection to the body cam footage of the incident appearing on Facebook, Raline said he released the body cam video in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Kilgore has also filed a civil case in federal court in addition to challenging the criminal charges against him. “The video has nothing to do with right or wrong,” Fletcher stressed.

Fletcher and Wilson requested full documentation of all related court decisions on an ongoing basis.

In another police matter, the council amended a November decision to purchase eight automatic rifles, cost $17,976. Raline acknowledged he in error failed to note the cost reflected the vendor receiving the department’s two no-longer-serviceable rifles as part of the deal. The council voted to sell the no longer serviceable rifles separately and due to budget constraints to purchase only six rifles not to exceed $17,976 in cost, charged against the drug fund budget. Lay voted against the purchase. In the November vote he passed.

The council also voted to approve on first reading two zoning ordinance amendments. One amendment deletes language stating a sketch plan sufficed for new commercial development under 1,000 square feet; as amended the ordinance stipulates all commercial development requires a site plan.

The other amendment rezoned R-2 property to R-3 property so three small adjacent lots would all have R-3 residential zoning, rather than a mix of R-2 and R-3. Owner Lay said at present one of the lots was partially zoned R-2 and partially zoned R-3.

In another zoning ordinance issue, resident Jeff O’Neal asked the council to make a public statement supporting his court challenge to a developer who wanted to make a road through his property to gain access to a proposed subdivision on landlocked property. O’Neal claimed the subdivision was created 40 years ago without the consent of the planning commission.

“I don’t know where we have any action we can take,” Fletcher said. “If it’s in court, we shouldn’t talk about it,” Sargent pointed out. In support of O’Neal’s position, Wilson cited Monteagle ordinance stipulating a developer would not be issued a building permit if there was no road access.

SAS Head of School Karl Sjolund has announced that he will step down from his position effective at the end of the 2026-2027 school year.

“After prayerful consideration, I believe that this is the right moment for a new chapter — both for me personally and for the school,” Sjolund said. “The fundamentals at SAS are strong–incredible students, exceptional faculty and staff, dedicated board members, and a growing endowment. In other words, the school is building real momentum, which makes this a natural time to begin preparing for the next generation of leadership. Sharing this news now allows for a thoughtful, well-planned transition and ensures the school will continue its upward trajectory.”

Phil Woodlief, president of the SAS board of trustees, praised Sjolund for his leadership and accomplishments as head of school.

“Over the past decade, Karl has led the school with clarity of purpose and a deep commitment to our mission ​​as an Episcopal school rooted in honor, trust, and openness.. He guided SAS through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping protect the health of our community while preserving the continuity and strength of our academic and residential programs,” Woodlief said. “His stewardship further strengthened our relationship with the University of the South, paved the way for the establishment of the Cumberland Scholars Program and the completion of the Outdoor Learning Complex, and led to endowment growth that provides long-term stability and flexibility for the future.”

Woodlief added, “The Board of Trustees will begin a national search for a new head of school. We do so with confidence in the strong foundation that has been built and with gratitude that Karl will continue to lead SAS through the coming year.”

Sjolund said that he and his wife, Susan, have enjoyed living and working on the mountain for the last decade. “Serving SAS has been one of the great honors of my life, and we will always be thankful for our time here and the people who make this place so special.

“I’m excited about the year ahead and fully committed to making it an outstanding one for our students and faculty. There is important work still to do, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving this community with energy and focus.”

On Saturday, March 7 at 10 a.m. the Hospitality Shop will reopen at 574 Georgia Ave., just three blocks from Stirling’s, or if you are coming from Highway 41A, turn at Finney Lane and take a right at the top of the Lane on Georgia Ave. The Shop is a block down on your left. Look for the balloons! Convenient parking is available at the Shop. We’re well stocked with spring merchandise and fresh household goods. The smoothness of our transition rests on the shoulders of Shop Manager Maryann Strobel, assistant manager Diane Rinck, chief hauler David Law and Special Project Manager Anita Colley with the support of countless volunteers who provided muscle, haulage, and good cheer.

The 60 some years at the old site were good ones. In that time, we’ve provided nearly 400 scholarships to high school seniors in Franklin and Grundy counties. One of our current senior scholars, Sydney Curl, is in her last semester at UTK after a powerful summer internship at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Our donation bins at the side of the new Shop will open March 5. Please donate during daylight hours as we don’t want to disturb our new neighbors. Our days and hours remain the same: Tuesday, Thursday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As usual we ask that all donations are in good resale condition and come bagged or boxed when placed in the bins.

by Blythe Ford, Messenger Staff Writer

Next week, a new production begins at the University of the South’s Proctor Hill Theatre in the Tennessee Williams Center. “The Moors” by Jen Silverman, directed by Ivy Francis Moore, C’26, will run from Wednesday, Feb. 25 through Sunday, March 1. The play is a dark comedy inspired by Victorian novels such as the work of the Brontë sisters, and follows the events that ensue when the isolated lives of two sisters and their dog are interrupted by the introduction of a governess and a moorhen.

“The Moors” is, on the surface, a humorous play about quirky and strange characters, but with a dark undertone. The humor comes from the unexpected interruption to a frankly miserable existence: two sisters living alone with their downtrodden dog in a manor in a remote and barren setting, one sister cowed by the other, and neither truly able to function as the people they know themselves to be. The arrival of first a governess given a mysterious invitation by the sisters’ absentee brother, and then a stranded moorhen with a broken wing, introduces situations that neither of the two sisters nor even the dog knows how to handle. It is those situations that bring forth unexpected outbursts and emotional conflict, exposing the effects of isolation and oppression on each of the characters. In the words of the director, Ivy Francis Moore: “The bursts of passion that occur in the show are fleeting moments of vulnerability and lead to disaster due to the characters' limited worldviews.” As amusing as that disaster may sometimes be, the play also lays bare the real life consequences of long term violence and loneliness. As Moore pointed out, “it asks the audience to listen to the changing world around them and break out of their self-centered bubbles.”

Moore presented “The Moors” as an option for his senior project and honors thesis; the play was ultimately selected due to “its intimate setting, literary basis, and female-focused story,” which Moore felt was particularly fitting for Sewanee. Moore has spent his four years at the University directing smaller productions, including last year’s “Twelfth Night” in Angel Park. When asked if there is anything he would like to point out to the audience about the stylistic choices of “The Moors,” he explained that the set and costuming choices balance “realism and ‘historical accuracy’ and more creative, strange, and expressionistic choices,’” citing the extreme desolation of the moors and the costumes of the animal characters as examples. Combined with the play’s premise and plot, these choices create a separation from reality even as they expose truths about it.

Join any audience next week to enjoy a laugh and a thought-provoking experience; “The Moors” will be performed on Wednesday, Feb. 25 through Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 1 at 2:30 p.m. All performances will be in the Proctor Hill Theatre in the Tennessee Williams Center in Sewanee. Free tickets at <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-moors-tickets-1981449908014>.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“Library boards and school boards are pulling books and hoping nobody makes a stink about it,” said Christina Soontornvat, children’s book author and Coordinator for the Tennessee chapter of Authors Against Book Bans. “We need to engage with them and tell them why we think they should not do this.” At the Feb. 10 Spoken Word gathering, Soontornvat talked about how a book ban directive to the public schools had extended its reach to include all public libraries in the state.

A year and a half ago, Tennessee amended The Age Appropriate Materials Act. “Public schools cannot have books in their libraries that have in whole or in part nudity, sexual excitement, excess violence and sadomasochism,” Soontornvat said citing the law. “There are so many problems with the language ‘ in whole or in part.’ A book about art history with a picture of a nude statue by Michelangelo could get pulled off the shelves, which is exactly what’s been happening. And what qualifies as excess violence? ‘ The Illiad’ could be excess violence. ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ you wouldn’t be able to read that in school anymore. Some teachers have gotten rid of their whole classroom libraries. Teachers and librarians are afraid and confused.”

Franklin County Schools removed 58 books from their libraries. “It’s been bad enough for school libraries,” Soontornvat insisted, “but this past fall Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett sent out a letter to all the public libraries. A very threatening letter intimidating them, saying ‘you need to make sure your libraries are age appropriate.’”

Now public libraries are pulling books as well. Rutherford County has scheduled a meeting for next month to decide whether to comply.

In addition to demanding public libraries “undertake an immediate age-appropriateness review,” Hargett’s letter also stipulates public libraries must comply with President Trump’s Executive Order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” arguing Trump’s order prohibits use of federal funds “to promote gender ideology.”

Soontornvat called the bluff on the threat. “An executive order is not a law,” she insisted. “It doesn’t apply to state libraries and county and city public libraries.”

“The freedom to think and read is so important,” she stressed. For those who want to learn more, Soontornvat recommended the film The Librarians, a documentary recounting how librarians are stewards of the freedom to read. She also suggested visiting the Authors Against Book Bans website to sign up for updates and calls to action.

Tennessee ranks number three in the nation for censorship of the written word, outpaced only by Florida and Texas.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Eager for her two young sons to take swimming lessons, Hannah Palmer was told the former public swimming pool in her East Point, Ga., neighborhood closed in the 1960s, because it fell into “disrepair,” a simple enough answer. A too simple answer that avoided confronting “things too sad to talk about,” Palmer observed. Feb. 16 in Convocation Hall, writer, researcher, and installation artist Palmer shared insight into the “why” beneath the burial of the East Point pool. Her newest book “The Pool Is Closed: Segregation, Summertime, and the Search for a Place to Swim” tells that story, a story that is far from an isolated incident peculiar to the East Point community neighboring Atlanta. Not coincidentally, the burial of public swimming pools throughout the United States in the 1960s coincided with the 1964 Civil Rights Act ending desegregation.

During the 1940s, the Work Progress Administration (WPA) funded constructing swimming pools in small communities throughout the country. “How you make anything happen in a community is people put in the elbow grease. It’s not just tax dollars,” Palmer insisted. The original spring-fed WPA pool in East Point was replaced, but the new Spring Avenue pool, like WPA pools elsewhere, thrived because it was a community project. “A lot of the maintenance was done by volunteers,” Palmer stressed.

The same spirit of volunteerism sustained the Randall Street pool constructed for the black East Point community in 1954. Although one-fourth the size of the Spring Avenue pool in a location Palmer described as “across the tracks,” the same spirit of enthusiasm prevailed. At both pools, photographs depict vibrant, energetic crowds. Today, though, a parking lot sits on top of the Randall Street pool and a history museum on the site of the Spring Avenue pool, a museum that did not acknowledge the pool even existed until Palmer began researching the pool’s history.

Following the passage of the Civil Rights Act, a bomb threat closed the Spring Avenue pool for the rest of the summer. The following summer regulations stipulated people could only swim in the pool in the neighborhood where they lived, in effect segregating the black and white East Point pools. Curious about if the East Point pools were ever desegregated, Palmer asked the current police chief, an African American. His answer: his mother forbid him to swim in the Spring Avenue pool. “For the black community, there was a sense you weren’t welcome or safe at the white pools,” Palmer speculated.

And soon, in East Point and small towns all across the United States the WPA pools and their successors were buried. “A generation lost their pools and never got them back,” Palmer said. The white community withdrew their support for the pools. The money went into private pools or country clubs, circumstances exacerbated by white flight.

The story of Sewanee’s swimming pools follows a similar path, noted Woody Register, Director of the Sewanee Roberson Project for Race and Reconciliation, sponsor for Palmer’s visit. The Fowler Center, constructed in 1994, sits on the site of the Juhann Gymnasium pool celebrated as being “open to the entire community” at the 1957 dedication — for the entire “white” community that is, following the directive of benefactor Jesse Bell duPont who paid for the “whites only” pool. The same year, Sewanee built a separate pool for the black population. In 1959, the first African Americans enrolled in the seminary, the Reverend Joseph Green and the Reverend Bill O’Neal. Although instructed to use the black community pool, Green and O’Neal went to swim at the pool in the gym. The other swimmers got out of the water, Register recounted, and the next day a sign appeared on the door, “closed for the summer.”

To bring attention to the story of the country’s buried swimming pools, Palmer constructed installations at the site of the two East Point pools, as well as at the site of a buried WPA pool in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. “Maintaining a swimming pool is not a small project,” Palmer said in closing. “How we hold onto water is similar to how we hold onto history. Someone needs to be tending it and maintaining it constantly as a labor of love. Without that it slips away.”

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The history of Sewanee Elementary School is a story about “of, by, and for the people.” The opening of school this coming fall marks SES’s 100th birthday, a birth that may have never happened without the assistance and fundraising efforts of the Sewanee Civitan Club (SCC), the forerunner of the Sewanee Civic Association. But the story actually begins 50 years earlier with the like-minded generosity of a man from, of all places, New Jersey.

In 1867, Jabez Wheeler Hayes leased a 100-acre plot that would become the site of St. Mary’s convent. Hayes built a large steam sawmill and a schoolhouse near the railroad station. In 1872, the school had 75 students, and 100 students by 1875. Women from University families often served as teachers of children whose parents could not read and write.

Recognizing the need for a community place of worship, the parish church consecrated in 1875 served both white and African American parishioners who held services at different times, with the parish church also becoming the schoolhouse for both black and white children. In 1891, the white parishioners relocated to the newly constructed Otey Memorial Church and schooling for white children shifted to the Billy Goat Hill School while the black children continued to attend school at the parish church.

Located on Billy Goat Hill near the Mountain Goat Railroad, a potbellied stove heated the two rooms and hall at the Billy Goat Hill School, with well water for drinking carried in buckets from the depot, a privilege assigned to the best students. Studies included Latin, plane geometry and algebra. By 1899, the two instructors teaching nine grades had 150 students. By 1916, the charges assigned to the then three teachers had doubled to 300. In the early 1920s with the school overcrowded and in disrepair, the newly formed Sewanee Civitan Club made building a new school its mission.

The proposal called for locating the school on land leased from the University at the site of the St. Mark’s Church which had continued to be the place of worship and schooling for the African American community. Since the University owned the land, the county refused to fund the construction. The University committed to contributing stone and pledged $1,000 toward the $10,000 fundraising goal. A play given by the French club raised $43. Bridge parties, a play presented by village children, and a fancy dress ball netted another $75. By the summer of 1924 the church had been torn down and reconstructed as a school for the black community at Happy Hollow, and the cornerstone was laid for the Sewanee Public School (SPS), a structure today called Sewanee Elementary School.

Community members donated labor after leaving their day jobs. In the fall of 1926, SPS opened the doors to students, with four classrooms, an auditorium, and five teachers charged with teaching eight grades and two years of high school. The county paid the teachers salaries and the SCC paid for the building’s upkeep, insurance, and occasionally subsidized teachers’ wages, as well. Eventually, the county began paying rent for the building to offset expenses, but during the depression years the rent was waived. By 1929 the school had 180 pupils and 245 by 1932. In 1933 townspeople and local charities funded the construction of four more classrooms. In 1943, the SCC funded extending the school year from eight months, the county’s practice, to nine months for both white and black students, enriching the opportunities for learning and extracurricular activities.

The Woman’s Club provided hot lunch for five cents a day at SPS. Sewanee resident Waring McCrady, who started first grade there in 1944, remembers classmates unable to pay bringing canned green beans and other vegetables from home to contribute to the school lunches rather than paying in cash. Robin Bates, who started first grade in 1957, recalls classmates paying for their lunches by sweeping the auditorium and setting up the tables for lunch.

Another memory that stands out for Waring is children coming to school barefoot or only coming on the days when they were the child selected to wear the one pair of shoes children in the family shared, families living in homes with mud floors and newspaper pasted to the walls to keep out the wind.

A “good reader,” the first-grade teacher sat McCrady in a circle with other “good readers,” instructing the children to “read to the period,” then pass the book to the next person. “One girl read ‘ Mr.’ and passed the book,” McCrady said, laughing. For John Patton, who started first grade in 1963, the beginning of integration at SPS, being read to by volunteers left a lifelong impression. “When they read to us, I could see the story in my mind. It later influenced my ministry in both my teaching and preaching,” Patton said.

Unlike the integration experience of African Americans at the other county schools, Patton insists, “There was no trauma for us.” Karen Vaughan, then Karen Kirby, started SPS in the third grade when her father came to seminary at Sewanee in 1959. She remembers integration as “no big deal. We all played together anyway.”

“There are things I can’t talk about with other black people,” John Patton conceded. When he mentioned Girl Scout cookie sales to a black acquaintance in the valley, they replied with disbelief, “You had girl scouts?” John’s younger sister Evelyn was in both Brownies and Girl Scouts. “People from Winchester tell Blacks from Sewanee, ‘ You act like you’re white. You act like you’re special,” Evelyn Patton said. “We grew up in the Sewanee bubble.”

John Patton said the early instances of racism he experienced were “subtle. We were young. It didn’t scar us,” he observed. His first experience of racism was when accompanying his father to do yard work. As he’d been taught, he naturally addressed the couple living there as “Mr. and Mrs.” It shocked him to hear the couple’s daughter call his father by his first name “John.”

Evelyn Patton first experienced racism attending ballgames in Tracy City and other off the domain schools to watch her brother play sports.

Robin Bates repeated a school yard rhyme containing the “N word” one afternoon when visiting a classmate’s home. “I learned the rhyme at school. I didn’t know what the N word meant,” Bates said. His playmate’s father came out of the house and suggested a substitute word, “tiger.”

In 1950, the Sewanee Civic Association (SCA) (having assumed the role of the SCC) solicited funds to construct a new school for the African American community, named the Kennerly School honoring African American educator John “Fess” Kennerly who had devoted much of his life to teaching the local black children.

By 1955, the financial demands of maintenance and improvements at SPC had become more than the SCA could manage, especially with winter on the way and a new furnace needed. The SCA turned maintenance and renovation of Sewanee Public School over to the county in exchange for the promise of a new furnace and cafeteria.

The first brick addition came in 1960, with two more classrooms to meet enrollment demands, and the SCA petitioned the county to begin integrating the school one grade at a time, beginning with first grade. This never happened.

In 1963 eight families with school age children, four black families and four white families, the majority from Sewanee, filed a lawsuit against the county to end segregation. The final decision in June of 1964 stipulated children, regardless of their race, would attend the school in their zone. But the Sewanee community had already taken action on its own. Determining the African American Kennerly School with only two rooms and two teachers for eight grades was inadequate and geographic rezoning could not be used to solve the segregation problem, SPS started phasing in black children in the fall of 1963. In the summer of 1964, a voluntary tutoring program eased the transition for children from black families, with full integration underway when classes started in the fall of 1964.

The shift of all the African American children to SPS required four more classrooms. The SCA raised $50,000 to fund the construction. Community members made loans with no guarantee of repayment, according to Bates. Others sold their life insurance policies. Otey Parish Hall offered space for use as classrooms, as well. John Patton recounted having three black teachers during those first years of integration at SPS.

In the 1980s, when Vaughan taught at SES, a drumbeating Klansman and his robed colleagues appeared in the school yard. Vaughan said Principal Ruth Ramseur confronted him, demanding, “Get off my campus. Leave now.” “Ruth was a small woman,” Vaughan observed, but the men heeded her demand and left.

For SPS students, though, lack of awareness of racial differences did not translate into lack of awareness about class.

McCrady recalls a group of children on the lawn waiting for the bus chiding a black child who walked past and shouting racial slurs. McCrady later asked his mother what the “‘N’ word” meant, and she scolded him, threatening to wash his mouth out with soap if he ever used the word again. Who were the harassers and why was their behavior so different from children who lived on the domain? McCrady attributed the animosity to generational bitterness tracing back to mining families losing their jobs to African American convicts leased from the state by the mining company, men often unjustly imprisoned to supply the post-civil-war labor vacuum.

“There were fights almost every day,” John Patton said. “We’d all be playing ball together and someone would say something, and it would start.” For John and Evelyn Patton, the animosity came from the “across the tracks people.” “They believed the University treated the Blacks better than them,” Evelyn Patton explained. The Blacks held positions she described as the “dirty jobs,” cooks, groundskeepers, janitors. As John Patton pointed out, though, receiving “a paycheck” was preferable to eeking out a living by subsistence farming or sharecropping.

Bates cited yet further awareness of class division in the groups he identified as skilled laborers, such as carpenters, and professional people, such as physicians. “As kids, we just knew who was in what group.”

But Vaughan insisted, “It didn’t matter if you spent the summer in France or laying bricks with your daddy, when you walked through the doors at SES, everyone was an individual.”

John Patton’s favorite teacher was his third-grade teacher Elizabeth Majors. “She failed me,” John said. “She was hard. She was hard on everybody. She cared about you.” John went on to excel in a successful 40-year career.

Elizabeth Majors’ name came up frequently in speaking with former SPS students. Vaughan’s childhood recollection of “Miss Majors” was “tall. She always wore heels.” When Vaughan returned to SPS to teach in in 1980, she was shocked to discover Elizabeth Majors was in fact, quite short, not the towering symbol in the childhood memory of Vaughan and many others.

Much has changed over the years. When Bates was in school, unmarried teachers were addressed by their first name and married teachers by their last name. “Miss Mignon” became “Miss Winn” when she married.

State law required children to attend school until the age of 16. A girl in McCrady’s fourth grade class turned 16 midyear, left school, and immediately married.

Both McCrady and Bates received paddlings for minor offenses, but the paddling was likewise minor. “I wondered if it was supposed to hurt,” McCrady said. Apparently, though, class was not a determining factor. McCrady’s brother received a paddling “that made his bottom red.”

The recent emphasis on testing dismays Vaughan. “Teaching became a job, not a profession. It’s all about the numbers, not the people.” Vaughan’s favorite class to teach is first grade, the joy “of seeing the lightbulb come on when they learn to read and learn math skills. Helping kids learn makes me happy. Teaching the love of learning makes me happy.”

Bates fourth grade class performed “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in French, with his mother Phoebe Bates volunteering as a French language tutor. With volunteering long a hallmark at SPS, the Friday School program formalized the idea in 1977, with community members sharing their expertise and experience teaching an array of classes ranging from yoga, to sewing, to gymnastics.

When SES opened its first library in 1948, community members donated many of the books. Rightfully, the school’s Sewanee Parent Organization (SPO), the driving force behind SES projects and enrichment, is always a top recipient in the Sewanee Community Chest fund drive. This year’s budget earmarks $25,000 for the SPO. To help SES celebrate its 100th birthday by making a donation, visit: <https://sewaneecivic.org>.

In addition to those mentioned above, special thanks to Annie Armour, Scott Bates, Arthur Ben Chitty, Elizabeth N. Chitty, Eileen Degen, Patricia Short Makris, Una McBee, Trudy Mignery, Ina May Myers, Gary Phillips, Ruth Ramseur, Ann Watkins, Mignon Winn, and Mike Winn. Other sources include The Sewanee Purple (January 30, 2014) and The Messenger (January 22, 2021). For more information on SES history go to the SCA website <https://sewaneecivic.org/projects/>.

Sewanee Elementary School librarian, Kathryn Bruce, will be presenting the program on “SES Celebrates 100 Years” at the SCA membership meeting at 6 p.m., Monday, March 2, in Kennerly Hall.

To share a special memory, photo, or memorabilia of the public school, contact SES at <1926ses@gmail.com> or leave a note in the mailbox in the school’s front lawn.

To watch the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Desegregation of the Franklin County School System, go to <https://vimeo.com/84777567>.

For more information on the work of Save Sewanee Black History, go to <https://blacksewanee.org/>.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“Thank you for your confidence. What an honor to lead Franklin County School District,” said Human Resources Supervisor Roger Alsup in response to the unanimous vote electing him to serve as the Director of Schools at the Feb. 9 Franklin County School Board meeting. “Dr. Holman, thank you for your support and encouragement,” Alsup added. “We talked about this many times.” In October, Director of School Cary Holman informed the board in a letter he would not seek contract renewal in June when his three-year contract expired.

“I am looking forward to returning home to be with my family,” Holman said when asked about his reason for not seeking contract renewal.

“His wife and son are still in Murfreesboro. His son is in the eighth grade,” observed board member Sarah Marhevsky, speculating on Holman’s decision. “I think a big part of it is his working far from his family during his son’s formative years.”

There was some discussion among the board members about interviewing candidates for the director role. “There are multiple director of schools spots open in the surrounding areas,” Marhevsky said. “Apparently the time people stay in the role is much shorter than it used to be.”

Alsup was among the three candidates interviewed for the director of school’s position in February 2023. In the final round of ranked choice voting, Alsup received three votes and Holman received five. Alsup served as principal at Franklin County High School for eight years and in March of 2024 assumed the administrative role of Human Resources Supervisor for the Franklin County School District’s central office.

Contrary to rumor, Holman has not accepted a position with the Rutherford County Schools at the present. Holman will continue as Franklin County Director of Schools until June.

Another startling mid-year leadership change saw Megan Geer removed from her role as Decherd Elementary School principal. Parents and grandparents of Decherd Elementary School children spoke out at the board meeting objecting to the decision.

All of those who commented spoke in Geers’ behalf taking issue with removing her from her role as principal midyear. “My grandson cried,” said Decherd PTO President Johnny Berber. “What is the urgency?” asked Jasmine Dawn Moseley who praised Geer for reassuring her son would not be bullied as an RTI student. “She was right. My son is in the top of his class now and thriving.” “There is no trust. It’s an environment of uncertainty,” complained another grandparent. “The decision should not have been left up to one person.”

“I appreciate you coming and talking,” said Board Chair CleiJo Walker. “But personnel issues fall solely on the office of the director. As far as us being able to do anything about that, we can’t.”

“The Franklin County School District has decided to take a different direction in leadership at Decherd Elementary School,” Holman said when asked about the reason for removing Geer from her role as principal. “I don’t think there was anything wrong as far as I know,” Marhevsky said. “It was just an administrative shift.” Geer was transferred to Cowan Elementary School with her position listed as “federal teacher,” meaning a federally funded position as distinct from most teaching positions which are state or county funded. Decherd Elementary Assistant Principal Shaunna Fortier will serve as interim principal for the remainder of the school year.

Following an official vote during Monday’s board meeting, the Franklin County Board of Education is proud to announce that Dr. Roger D. Alsup has been appointed as the next Director of Schools, effective July 1, 2026.

Dr. Alsup, who currently serves as the district’s Deputy Director of Schools and Human Resources Supervisor, will succeed Dr. Holman, who is concluding his tenure at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year.

Board Chair Cleijo Walker cited Dr. Alsup’s deep ties to the community and his proven track record of academic improvement as key factors in the Board’s decision. “We are fortunate to have Dr. Alsup as our next Director of Schools. Dr. Alsup has been in our system for the last ten years and he and his family are embedded in our community. He has served as an administrator, Human Resources Supervisor, and Deputy Director of Schools. Dr. Alsup is familiar with the schools in our system, our teachers and staff, and is well versed in all aspects of the Franklin County School System. He has had the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Holman for the last two years and the transition to Director should be a smooth one. I look forward to working with Dr. Alsup as we fulfill our commitment to making our schools better and better!

Dr. Alsup’s career in Franklin County is marked by significant achievements. As Principal of Franklin County High School (2016–2024), he was named the 2021 Franklin County Principal of the Year. Under his leadership, the school’s TVAAS composite score rose from a Level 1 to a Level 5, and chronic absenteeism was reduced by over 4 percent. He also spearheaded critical safety enhancements, including the installation of controlled access entries and the implementation of active shooter tabletop exercises with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

“I am truly honored to step into the role of Director of Schools for Franklin County,” said Dr. Alsup. “Having served this district as both a principal and deputy director, I have seen firsthand the incredible heart our teachers put into their work and the unlimited potential of our students. My focus remains clear: keeping our schools safe and ensuring Franklin County continues the push in academic achievement.”

Beyond his work in Tennessee, Dr. Alsup brings a wealth of leadership from his time in Missouri and his service as a Major in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he earned a Bronze Star for his role in the reconstruction of Fallujah, Iraq. He holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Saint Louis University.

Outgoing Director Dr. Holman expressed his support for the transition, stating “I am extremely excited to know that the board has really taken the time to really recognize the work, the leadership, the commitment and the character of Dr. Alsup, and I am excited to see how he will continue to move the district forward. Congratulations immensely to Dr. Alsup on being named as the next director of schools for the Franklin County School District.”

Dr. Alsup will spend the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year working closely with Dr. Holman and the Board of Education to ensure a seamless transition of leadership for the students, faculty, and families of Franklin County.

The traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History will be in Sewanee through May 15, 2026. The School of Theology is hosting the traveling exhibition Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? after the seminary was selected through a national competition offered by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and the American Library Association (ALA).

“We are delighted to welcome Exploring Human Origins to the School of Theology at Sewanee,” said Hannah Matis, associate dean for academic affairs. “The exhibit asks wonderful questions about who we are, where we’ve been, and what makes us human. These are questions that scientists, clergy, and laypeople are always attempting to answer, and we expect the exhibit will be a resource for seminarians, college students, and the local community.”

In addition to the standing exhibition, scientists and other experts from the NMNH Human Origins Program will visit Sewanee to host public events, including community conversations and a lecture on March 3, at 5 p.m. with paleoanthropologist Dr. Rick Potts who directs the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

Through panels, interactive kiosks, hands-on displays, and videos, Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? invites visitors of all ages to explore and learn about the milestones in the evolutionary journey of becoming human.

The traveling exhibition encourages a public conversation that focuses on multiple perspectives of what it means to be human — one that embraces the ideas and beliefs of non-scientists and fosters greater appreciation of the complexity of the science of human evolution.

The exhibition is now open and closes on May 15, 2026.

The exhibit can be found in room 126 of Hamilton Hall, which is located at 335 Tennessee Ave., in Sewanee. The exhibition is self-guided, free, and open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. For more information or to schedule group tours, contact the director of the School of Theology Library, Dr. Romulus Stefanut, at (931) 598-1267 or <rdstefan@sewanee.edu>.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“Retiring is doing what you want to do,” said Dan Barry about his plans to start a youth wrestling program at Winchester Christian Academy following his decision to retire from coordinating the Mountain Top Wrestling Tournament at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School, a 20-year commitment that began in 2006. But there is a problem with Barry’s definition of retirement. Talking with Barry, it quickly becomes apparent he has been doing what he loves for the past 40 years: coaching.

Barry started wrestling when he was a sophomore at St. Andrew’s School. “Before I got to high school the only sport to play around here was baseball,” Barry said. “My older brother had wrestled at St. Andrew’s and my cousins. When I got there, the coach said, ‘You’re a Barry. You’re gonna wrestle.’” Barry chuckled, “I didn’t know any different.” He graduated in 1972, earned a master’s degree in psychology from Middle Tennessee State University, and worked at Vanderbilt in the neuropsychiatry department testing new drugs. But by the 80s, Barry was back on the mountain with two familiar blips on his radar screen. His wife Arlene started a catering business which evolved into the legendary Four Seasons Restaurant located on the Barry family farm in Midway. The eighth generation of Barrys now lives on that farm. “I cut the timber for the restaurant from that land,” Barry said.

The other homing pigeon instinct that called to Barry was wrestling. He volunteered to help out with the Mountain Top Wrestling Tournament started by St. Andrew’s athletic director Brian McDowell in 1980 and with the Amateur Athletic Union youth wrestling program, likewise initiated by McDowell. “Brian talked Tracy City Elementary School into letting them put wrestling mats in the gym and practice there,” Barry said. His son Nick began wrestling at the age of six.

Asked when he started coaching wrestling at SAS, Barry hesitated, “It’s hard to remember exactly because I was helping out all the time.” Barry officially signed on as assistant coach in 1999 and moved into the head coach role in 2006, a position he held until 2014. During Barry’s coaching tenure, 23 wrestlers earned recognition placing in the state championships. Not surprisingly, Barry’s kids were among those making history. Between them, his sons Nick and Evan placed seven times in the state finals. Barry’s daughter Hannah wrestled in the first state tournament with a separate division for girls, placing second in the state. SAS’s Lucia Krcmeryova placed first.

It was the first year SAS had a girls’ wrestling team, and Hannah’s senior year, 2010. “I asked her if she wanted to do it, and she said, yes,” Barry said. He explained prior to that when girls wrestled they wrestled against boys. AAU youth wrestling groups wrestle by age, not weight class. “In the youth program years, girls develop a little faster than the boys, and they have a lot of success. But by the time they get to their sophomore or junior year, the boys overpower them with their muscle strength.”

Barry’s most memorable coaching event was when SAS won the 2008 Mountain Top Tournament and at the same tournament his son Evan received the Outstanding Wrestler award. Barry will be following his grandkids to WCA just like he followed his kids to SAS. Together with Evan as assistant coach, Barry plans to start the school’s first wrestling program, beginning with ages 5-13. In a few years, Barry hopes to move into Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association wrestling. “We’ve got to get people interested,” he said. “We don’t want to get the socks beat off of us the first year.”

Among the challenges of coordinating the SAS Mountaintop Wrestling Tournament, Barry cited finding a balance in terms of both the number of schools competing, the number of wrestlers, and the skill level. “Mountain Top is all midlevel schools,” he insisted. “No heavy weights. Everybody has a chance to win.”

During the time his kids attended SAS Barry also served as head coach for middle school soccer and varsity girls’ softball and as an assistant coach for baseball and football. “Now I’m coaching my grandkids with my kids,” he said. He and his son Ryan pair up to coach community soccer and baseball.

Four Seasons Restaurant closed in 2008, but has since become a family gathering place. The walls are lined with photographs boasting on the generations of young people Barry coached. Abby Mainzer, who ranked first in the state in girls wrestling, went on to earn a full scholarship to wrestle for Oklahoma City University. Seth Burns who ranked twice in the state finals came back to SAS to serve as Barry’s assistant coach.

“It’s hard to walk away from it, because you’ve always got some coming up, and they’re like your kids,” Barry confessed. “I’m such a blessed man to be able to do what I’ve done, that the lord’s let me do this.”

By Barry’s definition of retired, he’s been retired most of his adult life. What he loves just won’t let him quit.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Feb. 2 meeting the Monteagle Council selected a location for a Veterans Memorial, the first step toward a long-discussed project becoming a reality. The council also passed a resolution to apply for a Community Development Block Grant for waterline extension and improvements, the first step in a process that could yield up to $1 million in federal funding. Other first steps taken at the meeting put Monteagle on the path to becoming a Tree City and to reducing costs at the sewer plant.

Arguing for selecting a site for a Veterans Memorial to jumpstart the process, Alderman Dean Lay suggested a vacant tract on the east side of the library. Compared to other proposed sites, the library location has “the best visibility coming from I-24 Exit 135 or coming through town,” Lay said. “The site has not been used for anything since it’s been there.” Alderman Grant Fletcher agreed, “The site matches well with plans for neighboring property.” Plans call for display of the American flag and the flags from the six branches of service displayed in the order in which they were established: army, marine corps, navy, air force, space force, and coast guard. Alderman Nate Wilson is investigating acquiring military equipment for display at the memorial.

On Jan. 8 Southeast Tennessee Development (SETD) hosted a public hearing familiarizing Monteagle residents and officials with CDBG funding options. With a March 20 application deadline, SETD stressed the importance of a quick decision so SETD could move forward with the grant writing process. Approving Mayor Greg Maloofs’ recommendation to apply for a grant to facilitate waterline improvement and extension, Lay said, “There are many areas underserved by line size and pressure.” If received, the grant requires the town to supply up to 15 percent in matching funds.

The council approved a new ordinance creating a Tree Advisory Council, a requirement for receiving Tree City designation from the National Arbor Day Foundation. The Monteagle Community Council will appoint the Tree Advisory Council members. The council is charged with creating a tree list for planting trees on public property. “Becoming a Tree City opens us up to a whole series of grant opportunities,” Wilson said.

The Task Order for Sludge Removal approved by the council allocates $58,500 for design and specification for sludge removal equipment at the sewer plant. “We have an outside contractor who removes sludge. That is getting more and more costly,” explained Maloof. Originally only once annual sludge removal was needed at the sewer plant, but now twice a year removal is necessary. “Some recommendations call for three times a year,” Maloof said. “It becomes economically feasible to buy the machine to do it ourselves.” Fletcher passed along concern from sewer plant operators about whether the equipment “would match up well with Monteagle’s system.” Maloof reassured the council, “I will not sign the task order until we coordinate the demonstration [of the equipment] and meet with the plant operators.” The anticipated cost of the project including design, purchase, and installation is $1 million.

Andy Baggentoss, Vice President of the South Cumberland Chamber of Commerce, asked for a commitment from the council to allow the chamber to host the annual Monteagle Mountain Market at Hannah Pickett Park. The chamber proposes calling the event the Mountain Market, in keeping with the chamber’s name change from the Monteagle Mountain Chamber of Commerce to the South Cumberland Chamber of Commerce to reflect the chamber’s all-encompassing vision for the plateau. Although the chamber has hosted the event in the recent past, Fletcher pointed out the market began 67 years ago as an event hosted by the town. The council approved the Hannah Pickett Park location for the 2026 event. Fletcher hopes going forward for “coordination” between the chamber and the town’s Imagine Monteagle planning initiative. A chamber representative serves on the Imagine Monteagle committee. The council appointed Monteagle resident Linda Brookhart to serve as the town’s representative on the chamber.

Maloof announced the town was experimenting with wrapping trees with a reflective band on Laurel Lake Road to aid motorists during foggy conditions. The tree reflective bands “are more stable than road reflectors,” Maloof pointed out. Monteagle will consider purchasing more reflective bands if they prove effective. Maloof urged residents to contact City Hall to suggest possible locations.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“There were a lot of mistakes. Changes were made that nobody knew anything about,” said Monteagle Planning Commission Chair Richard Black preliminary to the vote at the Feb. 3 commission meeting to approve the revised site plan for the Misty Market on West Main. The commission questioned the developer Jay Patel extensively before granting approval. The commission also approved the site plan for the Townhouse Suites, a project the commission tabled in January.

The commission initially approved the Misty Market site plan in February 2023 conditionally upon the Board of Zoning Appeals granting a variance. The site plan never came back to the commission for final approval after the variance was granted. In addition, Building Inspector Travis Lawyer allowed project modifications not consistent with the site plan. Alderman Nate Wilson cited Monteagle ordinance which assigns site plan enforcement to the building inspector. “You cannot alter the site plan,” N. Wilson said. “[The ordinance] does allow for modification through the enforcement officer.”

“There were concerns from day one about it being too big a building for the footprint,” Black said. In questioning Patel, the commission confirmed the project met the 20 percent landscaping requirement and minimum parking space requirement provided the market did not contain a restaurant. “Parking is classified [differently] at a restaurant and a convenience store,” Black stressed. Patel said the market would sell only “cooked on site pack-and-go food.” There was no dining room, only a small seating area. To meet the landscaping requirement, the project will landscape the right of way.

Alderman Grant Fletcher suggested the commission consider revising the ordinance governing site plan enforcement to “tighten up the language that allows the building inspector to approve minor changes.” “I agree 100 percent,” Black said.

TownePlace Suites project engineer Christian Sawyer confirmed Monteagle engineer Travis Wilson had given written approval of the stormwater plan, a requirement for site plan approval stipulated by the commission at the January meeting. Sawyer had provided the Tennessee Department of Transportation with the utility infrastructure plan, but had received no reply. “They [TDOT] needed town approval first,” Sawyer said. A possible issue is the upcoming TDOT bridge project. “If you approve it and TDOT were to say, ‘this does not work,’ we would have to bring it back to you. That would be a significant construction change in the sewer layout,” Sawyer stressed. TownePlace Suites will be located at 301 Monteagle Square next to the Sonic.

Resident Dean Lay asked the commission to rezone property he owned on the north side of Fourth Street, so the three adjacent small lots would all have R-3 residential rezoning, rather than a mix of R-2 and R-3. The commission granted the request and will send the zoning change to the Monteagle Council for final approval. Town planner Jonathan Rush reassured the commission the rezoning did not constitute spot zoning since the property was in the center of a mixed R-2 and R-3 zoning area. Rules require posting a notice on the property announcing the proposed rezoning.

The commission revisited a request by the council to clarify an ordinance amendment stipulating when a site plan was needed. Rush’s proposed revision eliminates language excluding a building less than 1,000 square-feet from requiring a site plan. Fletcher had raised a concern about the language, arguing commercial buildings less than 1,000 square feet, which would be allowed by new zoning rules, should require a site plan. By Rush’s revision, all new construction requires a site plan; alterations to existing structures are allowed if the alteration is less than 350 square feet. The commission approved the revision and will forward the suggested change to the council.

Alderman Wilson introduced a discussion about allowing homes as small as 650 square feet on residential property adjacent to the C-1 downtown zoning area. Wilson argued small homes allowed median income families in the $40,000-$60,000 income range to create generational wealth by becoming first-time homeowners. Commissioner Katie Trahan observed the strategy was common in large metropolitan areas. “It didn’t always bring great things,” Trahan said. Monteagle has engaged the consulting firm Inc Codes to modify zoning ordinance applicable to downtown Monteagle and the adjacent residential area. In response to the lack of enthusiasm for his proposal, Wilson suggested “separating the C-1 from the adjacent residential” and focusing on the C-1 component for now. “I like that idea,” said both Trahan and Commission Alec Mosley. “You’ll have a better chance of getting us to listen if they’re separate,” Black agreed.