Sponsored by the Sewanee Civic Association (SCA), the Sewanee Community Chest (SCC) is pleased to announce the beginning of the 2026–27 grant cycle. The purpose of the Sewanee Community Chest campaign is to raise funds for local organizations that serve the common good. An important function of the campaign is to minimize the need for excessive area fundraising by many groups; therefore, organizations receiving funds are expected to acknowledge support from the Sewanee Community Chest in other area fundraising efforts.

The Sewanee Community Chest does not allocate funds to those organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sex, or national origin.

The 2026–27 funding application is available on the website <www.sewaneecivic.org> in a Word document. The application deadline is Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. There is an online form available <https://forms.gle/yMTGeRXz9TLkzECr9>. It does require you to have a Gmail email account.

The SCC is a nonprofit organization and relies on funding from the community to support programs throughout the greater Sewanee area. As the 2026–27 grant cycle begins, the SCC is also kicking off its annual fundraising campaign.

The SCA urges everyone who benefits from life in this community, whether you live, work, or visit, to give generously. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. Contributions, payroll deductions and pledges are accepted at any time at P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375. You can also donate through PayPal Giving <https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/119597>.

For more information go to <https://sewaneecivic.org>.

Joseph’s Remodeling Solutions announces the 20th company anniversary for Eric Rogers. Eric joined Joseph’s Remodeling on July 31, 2006, and has played a vital role in the growth and success of Joseph’s Remodeling Solutions.

During the 20 years with the company, Eric has worked in many different capacities beginning as a Field Team Member, advancing soon after to a Project Leader, Estimator, Production Leader, and Company Operations Leader. He earned his electrical license along the way and is known for his vast knowledge of construction, leadership, and dedication to excellence.

Joseph Sumpter said “It is an immense privilege to work alongside Eric. He is a ‘solutions’ kind of person, and we are constantly learning together. We are blessed to know him and have him in our leadership team at JRS.”

“We’ve shared a lot of life together over 20 years both professionally and personally,” said Alyssa Sumpter. “Eric has walked with us through the growing pains of business, shared our commitment of excellence in the work we do, and spearheaded creating processes necessary to make things happen. Outside of work, we’ve shared celebrations and struggles, laughter and tears. Eric continues to grow and ‘show up’ for us, and for JRS, and we are so grateful he does.”

Reaching a 20-year milestone in remodeling is evidence of Eric’s dedication to the trades, the team, the customers, and the workplace culture at Joseph’s Remodeling. The company celebrated this milestone with an administrative team lunch, banner with community members, customers, and JRS team member signatures, company meeting breakfast recognition with award, and special video commemorating Eric’s 20 years.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

In 2016 when Theresa Shackelford asked Trudy Cunningham to take over as chair of Thurmond Memorial Library board, it didn’t take Cunningham two seconds to decide: “Absolutely not.” Cunningham had just retired. Thurmond had a board, and Cunningham’s main goal in retirement was “never to attend another meeting.” Shackelford persisted, “Trudy, if you take over you can do whatever you damn well please.” Cunningham relented. Doing as she pleased has served Thurmond Memorial Library well, returning the venerable institution to what it began as in the 1890s. Said Cunningham, “What we continue to celebrate is the delight that book people share.”

The Thurmond Library story begins post-Civil-War, when Bishops Quintard and Green, influential founding figures of the University, visited the Dabney family on their Mississippi plantation. Cunningham speculated the bishops were “likely looking for lodging while they recruited money and souls.” During the war, with their brothers and father gone, the Dabney sisters worked alongside the slaves on the 4,000-acre plantation, and in the slaves’ place after they were freed. The sisters managed to maintain the plantation until its sale in 1883. The bishops urged the sisters to visit Sewanee. In 1892, Sophy, Susan and Lelia Dabney moved there intending to rent and run a boarding house. Learning the University planned to build dormitories, the sisters abandoned the boarding house idea. With the help of her sisters, Susan Dabney Smedes built Gladstone Cottage on Oklahoma Avenue in 1894 and the following year built a schoolhouse on the same leasehold. That schoolhouse was the first physical home of the Sewanee Circulating Library.

Sophy Dabney Thurmond reportedly donated more than 2,000 books to the library. But Cunningham suspects women were already passing books around. She learned about the book collection of a Sewanee woman containing notations about who a book belonged to and who had already read it. “Women back then didn’t work and had help in the home and were bright because they were married to professors,” Cunningham observed. “My sense is they were hungry for academic enrichment, and they shared what they could get hold of.”

In 1902, a dedicated room in the new parish hall became the Sewanee Circulating Library’s home. For a few years, there was a paid librarian, the library’s first and only, who earned $10 a month for keeping the library open three days a week. In 1910 Rev. Claiborne, who served as the executor of Sophy Dabney Thurmond’s estate, renamed the Sewanee Circulating Library and Reading Room the Thurmond Memorial Library, as a tribute to Sophy both for her donation of books to the library and for her active role in the church.

After WWI Thurmond Library became a classroom on Sundays. The doors were never locked. But after thefts were reported, Rev. Claiborne gave the books to the DuBose Memorial Training School in Monteagle. The books were not suited to the school’s needs, though, and were apparently unwanted. Miss Lizzie Wadhams reorganized the library board and demanded the books be returned, enlisting the help of Sonia Thurmond, Sophy’s daughter. Two horsedrawn wagonloads of books made the journey back to Sewanee, just 2 months before the DuBose School burned on Jan. 9, 1924.

In 1936 Thurmond Library reported having an impressive 2,000 volumes in its collection, with 300 in circulation.

Then during WW II, the library disappeared from view again, with the books in storage in the parish hall basement and the local women on the library board busy with knitting socks, gloves, and sweaters for the troops and doing other Red Cross work. For several years, the room dedicated to the library housed a Boy Scout museum. The museum moved to Tracy City in 1949, and the stored books were once again unboxed.

In 1953 the Tennessee Regional Library’s bookmobile began using Thurmond as a regular station, and Thurmond came to be regarded as Franklin County’s second public library. The Sewanee Woman’s Club assumed responsibility for Thurmond in 1961, with volunteers assuring the library was open five days a week.

But the books went back into boxes again from 2011 to 2015 when the parish hall closed for renovation.

In 2016, enter Trudy Cunningham. Volunteers expected 33 boxes of books to unpack, when there were 50. Commenting on the generosity of the book loving Sewanee community, Cunningham said, “People take out two books and bring back seven.” Although that was the case in the past, there are no sign out cards. The library’s lending policy is “if you want it, keep it. If you know someone who wants it, give it to them,” Cunningham stressed. “What would be the point in knowing George has it?” she joked. Books are easy to find in the small 20’ X 20’ room, and visitors who can’t find a book or want a book the library doesn’t have are urged to fill out a “request card,” available on the shelf just outside the library door. One of Cunningham’s favorite requests was a printed, unsigned note from what was likely a preschooler: “Need more dinos.”

Cunningham found an eBay deal offering 35 dinosaur books for $25. She estimates the library currently has over 4,000 volumes with the annual book sale scheduled for Labor Day weekend expected to be the largest ever. Books rarely borrowed are offered for sale. Paperback books cost $1 and hardback books cost $2, with a volume discount, three paperbacks for $2 and three hardbacks for $5. The books that don’t sell at the book sale are sold to McKay’s in Chattanooga.

Thurmond used to receive $500 annually from the Sewanee Community Chest, but the book sale is so successful, the donation is no longer needed. Cunningham describes the book sale as a “weaving straw into gold” proposition. “The book sale generally makes about $2,000,” Cunningham said, “and we have no expenses.” The library uses proceeds from the book sale to ship books requested by clients directly to their home, if they wish, to purchase requested books, and to purchase two copies of each book being read by the Sewanee Woman’s Club book club. With a goal of not having over $5,000 cash on hand, the library has made donations to the church and subsidized worthy projects. Several years ago, the cash surplus purchased 100 copies of artist Joan Balfour Payne’s illustrated book “The Raven and Other Fairytales.” Reading fairytale picture books to Sewanee children post integration, Payne realized the black children had never seen kings and princesses who were black. Payne changed that, in her version of the fairytales, she repainted the characters as people of color.

When the renovated parish hall reopened in 2016, a question arose about when the library would be open. The vestry considered giving keys to 26 people who used the building, with the library having a key. “That was too complicated for a small town,” Cunningham insists. She had a better idea.

A feature of the library is a broken light that cannot be turned off. Thurmond Library does not publicly post the hours when the library is open. The light that cannot be turned off quietly accomplishes that function. “I need to check and make sure the bulb isn’t burned out,” Cunningham said. After all, where the light is always on is what books are all about.

Note: Trudy Cunningham spent the early days of COVID-19 researching Thurmond Library. In addition to an interview with Cunningham, the information appearing here came from a report she delivered to the Rectors Forum in 2021 and from a story appearing in the Winchester Herald Times, April 15, 1964.

Morton Memorial United Methodist Church will celebrate a major milestone in its commitment to addressing food insecurity on the South Cumberland Plateau with a groundbreaking ceremony for The Well, a new home for the church’s growing food mission, at 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 29.

The ceremony will take place on the Morton Memorial campus in Monteagle, where The Well will be constructed on property already owned by the church. Community members, volunteers, donors and friends of the mission are invited to attend.

The groundbreaking comes as Morton Memorial’s food mission continues to respond to significant need in the surrounding community. As the mission has grown, so has the need for a space designed specifically for its work.

The Well will provide a permanent home for the food mission, creating a safer, more efficient and more welcoming environment for the families it serves and the volunteers who make the mission possible. The facility will also address parking and traffic challenges associated with the current operation and free Morton Memorial’s Fellowship Hall for worship, fellowship and other church and community activities.

“This groundbreaking is about so much more than a building,” said Susan Askew, chair of the Filling the Well capital campaign. “It represents hundreds of families, dozens of volunteers and a community that has responded with incredible generosity to the needs of its neighbors. The Well will give us the space to serve people with dignity today while preparing this mission to meet the needs of our community for generations to come.”

The groundbreaking marks a significant milestone in Morton Memorial’s Filling the Well capital campaign, a $1.1 million effort to fund the new facility and help ensure the long-term future of the mission. To date, more than $556,000 has been raised or committed, thanks to support from individuals, foundations, organizations and community partners.

While construction represents an important step forward, fundraising for the project continues.

“We are tremendously grateful for the people and organizations who have brought us to this point,” Askew said. “Breaking ground gives all of us a chance to celebrate what this community has already accomplished - and to invite others to help us finish the work.”

The name The Well draws inspiration from the historic wells on the Morton Memorial property while also reflecting the church’s vision for the new facility: a place where people come together, needs are met and the community is strengthened.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“The hydrant flushing and maintenance contract seems like an awkward arrangement given that the University can hire someone to work on our stuff. I’m not opposed to having the University involved, but we should employ the contractor,” insisted Sewanee Utility District Board of Commissioners President Charlie Smith at the Aug. 18 commissioners’ meeting. “There is liability to us,” Smith stressed. His comment prompted a long discussion about the rationale for the arrangement and the board’s insistence on approving the contract before the hydrant flushing began.

Asked by Commissioner Donnie McBee why the University was involved, SUD manager Ben Beavers explained, “The hydrants need to be tested in a specific way, beyond what we are required to do by the state, for the University fire department to get fewer points on their inspection for their ISO.” A lower ISO score means lower homeowners’ insurance premiums. But the flushing performed in conjunction with the testing costs SUD water and if performed by SUD would equal hiring an extra half an employee per year. “The hydrants belong to us, and we let the fire department use them as a community service,” Beavers noted. For SUD, the hydrants serve as flushing points for the water lines.

“Some rural utilities lock their hydrants to prevent fire department use,” Smith observed.

By the agreed upon arrangement with the University, SUD and the University will split the cost of the contract for hydrant flushing, with SUD paying 20 percent and the University paying 80 percent. Beavers anticipated SUD’s cost as $1,500-$2,000, plus the cost of the water used in the flushing.

“If the University is going to present themselves as a municipality and collect a municipal fee for the fire department, they need to make sure the fire department has what they need. The fire chief has told them, this is something they need, so the University needs to provide that,” Beavers speculated, elaborating on the rationale for the University wanting the flushing done.

“When will we be able to see the contract?” Smith asked.

“They need to make that available to us to be approved,” McBee argued.

Smith agreed. “We need to as a board say we’re going to allow you access to this system, and we need to be named as additional insured.”

“I’ll have the contract at the next meeting,” Beavers said. “There is some benefit to us in having the hydrants flushed,” he acknowledged. SUD will determine when and where the flushing occurs to avoid draining SUD’s water tanks by increasing demand at the same place at the same time.

In other business, Beavers reported all American Rescue Plan Act grant projects would be completed by the end of September as required.

SUD reallocated unused funds from the Lead Service Line Inventory project to the sewer rehabilitation project. The additional funds paid for replacing several old concrete manholes not initially slated for rehabilitation, as well as replacing sections of sewer lines clogged with roots. With the additional funds, the sewer project came in $40,000 under budget, but Beavers said, given the Sept. 30 deadline for closing out projects, there was not time to use the remaining funds for additional sewer rehab work.

At the July meeting, the board approved retaining CPA John Poole to perform its audit, after learning the auditor under contract would not be able to complete the audit by the due date. Beavers said Poole would present the audit at the September meeting and will provide the board with review copies beforehand.

The audit by Poole showed a positive net change of position, better than SUD budgeted for. Overall, the figures were only slightly different from 2024. Looking ahead, with 3 percent inflation projected, Beavers nonetheless hopes to keep the rate increase low, perhaps at just one-half a percent. “We made almost $400,000 last year. That’s not a lot per customer, $3 or $4 a year, but it would be good to give our customers a little break.”

The only negative audit finding was inadequate separation of duties for finances. Several years ago, SUD received this finding and on the auditor’s advice hired an outside bookkeeper to provide financial oversight. This met with the auditor’s approval, and SUD was not cited again for inadequate separation of duties until this year. New auditor Poole held the outside bookkeeper did not provide sufficient oversight, and SUD would need to hire an additional six people to satisfy the separation of duties requirement.

Continuing a tradition of exceptional secondary education on the Mountain that dates back to 1868, St. Andrew’s-Sewanee opened the 2026-2027 school year with students from across Tennessee as well as seven other U.S. states and eight other countries.

Boarding students arrived Friday evening and spent time getting to know each other through a boisterous array of icebreaker activities. All parents and students gathered Saturday for registration and orientation in McCrory Hall for the Performing Arts followed by class activities all around campus. Later, day and boarding students alike enjoyed slip-n-slide organized by this year’s proctors, which provided a fun break from the summer temperatures.

“We’re thrilled to see our returning students and how they have welcomed our new students to campus with their customary warmth,” said Karl Sjolund, head of school. “We’ve also embraced an incredible group of new faculty and staff, and they are fortunate to be joining such a highly talented group of returning faculty and staff members. We have everything we need for a great school year!”

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The Franklin County School Board welcomed new and returning members at the Aug. 10 meeting. In regular business Chair CleiJo Walker updated the board on new legislation impacting the public schools.

At the Aug. 6 General Election, Franklin County residents living in odd numbered districts voted to select school board members for their districts. Sandy Schultz was re-elected to serve as the representative for District 1; Sarah Marhevsky was re-elected to represent District 5; Caycee Roberts was re-elected to represent District 7; and Dave Van Buskirk was elected to represent District 3. District 3 representative Lance Williams chose not to seek re-election. The new and returning board members will begin their four-year term in September.

Williams is the current vice-chair and has served on the board 16 years. The board honored Williams long-standing dedication and commitment to the Franklin County Schools, awarding him a framed certificate of recognition. “Lance sits on my left at board meetings, but he’s my right hand most of the time,” Walker said in presenting the certificate. “We appreciate you.”

Stepping in for Marhevsky who usually delivers the legislative update, but could not attend the meeting, Walker reported on four legislative provisions highlighted at the Tennessee School Board Association (TSBA) Summer Law Institute. One, electronic participation in board meetings is allowed during inclement weather. Two, school districts can conduct a superintendent (or similar role) search either in executive session or in public. The pros include a district may get more candidates who don’t want to risk their current jobs by going public, and conversations are easier in a small setting than in a large public one. On the negative side, in a private executive session, a district cannot get feedback on the candidates from other groups. Three, English Language Learners who receive assistance in class can now receive assistance during TCAP testing. Four, if a seventh grader earned “exceeds expectations” on their math TCAP, they will be put into Algebra I in eighth grade.

In her note to the board, Marhevsky asked the board to think about resolutions to present to the TSBA calling for or commenting on legislative action.

Board member Sarah Liechty expressed interest in a resolution addressing the impact of the Education Freedom Scholarship Act voucher program on public schools. “Sarah wrote a beautiful resolution last year regarding the voucher program,” Liechty said. “[Tennessee] is 51st in the nation on per student expenditures. We’re not going to do any better as long as we’re putting that much money into vouchers. It’s important to continue to show the challenges that legislation brings to us as a school system.”

Liechty also expressed concerns about homeschooling. “I’m wondering if our [state] compulsory attendance law is in line with our regulations for homeschools. Four hours a day is all that’s required,” Liechty said. She also cited the discrepancy in requirements for public school teachers versus homeschool teachers. “The education level or training of the person providing the [homeschool] education is only a GED or a high school diploma. [Homeschooling] is happening all over the state. I’m wondering if from a legislative standpoint, we need to look at what’s going on with homeschools and the students who are receiving an education in that environment and how that might align with public schools. I’m concerned there is so much difference between the environments and the rules and regulations.” Walker and Schultz voiced agreement.

Turning to TSBA recommended policies, the board approved an Application and Employment policy amendment stipulating “No person shall be employed … Who has not had their information verified using E-Verify.” “We already use E-Verify,” observed Director of Human Resources Jenny Crabtree. The board also approved an amendment to the Students from Military Families policy. The amendment gives parents longer to show proof of residency, increasing the time from five days to one year. The policy also allows 11th and 12th graders forced to relocate due to their parents’ military commitment to remain enrolled in the same high school even though they no longer reside in the district.

Marian Storvik, Oluseyi Odusote, and James “Mac” Mertens will join the SAS faculty this fall as theater, physics, and Latin teachers, respectively.

Bringing more than 20 years of experience covering nearly every aspect of theater production, Marian Storvik will join the St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School faculty in August as theater teacher and director.

Storvik is currently vice president of the board for Bravo Boro, a community theater organization in Murfreesboro. As a volunteer for the past five years with Middle Tennessee Children’s Theater’s Penguin Project, she has taught music, dance, acting, and other performing arts skills to adults and children with varying degrees of special needs. She has also served as the scene shop manager for the Arts Center of Cannon County for the last two years.

“My approach to theatre education is grounded in the belief that theatre is one of the most powerful tools for developing confident, creative, and compassionate individuals,” Storvik said. “While students learn performance techniques, production skills, and theatrical history in my classroom, they also learn how to collaborate, communicate effectively, solve problems creatively, and engage with diverse perspectives. These are skills that serve them both on and off the stage and throughout their lives.”

Storvik attended the University of South Florida, where she earned a B.A. in Theater Performance.

SAS Head of School Karl Sjolund said, “Marian is an energetic, motivated educator who is philosophically aligned with our teaching and learning culture. We are excited for our theater program to continue and even expand our students’ engagement with performing arts.”

Odusote joins the faculty as physics teacher and residential faculty member. He graduated as an electronics and electrical engineer in 2026 from Bells University of Technology in Nigeria’s Ogun State. Odusote completed a final university project involving enhancing the output of solar panels using Fresnel lens optical concentrators. He completed two internships with BAAT’s Clinical Engineering, a leading Nigerian medical engineering solutions company, one in biomedical equipment repair and one in biomedical equipment design. He also has extensive experience as a physics tutor, breaking down complex topics in engineering and technical subjects.

About Odusote, Sjolund added, “Oluseyi’s intellectual and experiential abilities will translate well into the physics classroom and the science department as a whole.”

James “Mac” Mertens, SAS’s new Latin teacher, is a 2026 graduate of Harvard University, where he earned a bachelor of arts with concentrations in the classics & history along with a minor in the comparative study of religion. A John Harvard Scholar, he has experience as a teaching assistant and Latin tutor, and he spent a summer at Istituto Italiano di Studi Classici, Rome, Italy, an immersive summer program in ancient Greek and Latin. During his time at Harvard, he was an editorial board editor with The Harvard Crimson and community engagement director of The Harvard Political Review. A collegiate rugby player, he was named a 2025 National Collegiate Rugby Scholastic All-American.

“My experiences as both a teacher and student have enabled me to understand the value of a devoted and enthusiastic instructor,” Mertens said. “I am committed to working and learning with young people, and I am excited to bring my passion to St. Andrew’s-Sewanee.”

Morton Memorial United Methodist Church will host a Groundbreaking for “The Well,” the extension of their continuing Food Mission, at 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 29. The ceremony and new facility will be located behind the church building on Church Street.

At one time, the property where the new building will be built had wells that provided the Marion County side of Monteagle with water. According to Rev. Melisa Derseweh, minister for Morton Memorial, “The name ‘The Well,’ reflects both our faith and history. As we draw from the well of living water, we faithfully serve neighbors who need not only food, but also a sense of being welcomed and loved. With the new facility, our food mission continues providing the surrounding communities with both physical and spiritual sustenance.”

“For many years, Morton Memorial’s Food Mission has faithfully served our neighbors by providing food, compassion, dignity, and hope. From its beginnings by a few volunteers helping a few families each week, the distribution has grown to serving more than 200 families monthly. On the second Saturday of each month, more than 10,000 pounds of food are distributed to our neighbors from five or more counties who are facing food insecurity. The next step for the food mission is to build its own building, which will provide the space for a new iteration of service,” Rev. Derseweh said.

The public is welcome to attend the ceremony. Morton Memorial is located at 322 West Main St., in Monteagle. In case of rain, the ceremony will be in the church’s Fellowship Center.

Thurmond Memorial Library needs volunteers for its annual book sale on Labor Day Weekend in the Parish of St. Mark & St. Paul at 216 University Avenue in Sewanee.

The library, which contains newer fiction and classic books as well as books for children and young adults, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to everyone in the community. All books in Thurmond are either donated or purchased with money raised by the book sale and there are no due-dates or late fees.

Book donations that cannot be used in the library are given to a books-for-prison ministry or sold at the annual sale to purchase new books or taken to McKay’s Bookstore in Chattanooga for cash/credit.

Donations may be dropped off at the Kennerly Hall Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, Sept. 1-3. Volunteers are needed to set up for the sale beginning at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2 and Thursday, Sept. 3. Additionally, volunteers are needed from noon to 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 7, to pack unsold books.

The four-day sale, which is primarily self-serve, runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4, Saturday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Sept. 6. On Monday, Sept. 7, the sale is from 8 a.m. to noon.

Hardbacks will cost $2 each or three for $5 while paperbacks will cost $1 each or three for $2. Cash or check is preferred since an IOU is the only form of credit available.

For more information on donating books or to volunteer to help with the sale, contact Trudy Cunningham at (931) 636-4637.

The Hospitality Shop is having its Summer Half-Price Clothing Sale, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Shop in its new location, 574 Georgia Avenue, in Sewanee.

Summer clothing for men and women — dresses, pants, scarves, hats, tops, bathing suits, and accessories — will be marked down. Many housewares, home decor, and media will be marked down too.

For more than 60 years, the Hospitality Shop (often called the Hop Shop now) has been a long-standing part of Sewanee’s history. It began as a sandwich shop in the basement of an old university building before moving to its current location last year. The proceeds from the Shop support multi-year tuition scholarships to local high school graduating seniors who plan to pursue careers in healthcare or the medical field.

“We are so grateful for the decades of support from the entire Sewanee community and hope to continue this service for many years to come,” said Julia Bates, past president of the Shop board.

The Shop is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturdays. Donations are accepted in the bins adjacent to the building.

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Aug. 4 meeting, the Monteagle Planning Commission approved a subdivision plat tabled at the July 7 meeting. The commission also revisited the discussion on prohibiting data centers and other options available to the town.

The Northcutt subdivision plat calls for four lots on Summerfield Road, two receiving water from a 6” line on Summerfield and two receiving water from a 2” line on Bud Pattie Road. Development of the neighboring lots “would require another [subdivision plat] submission,” stressed Mayor Greg Maloof. “And consultation with the engineer about having adequate water supply,” added Commissioner Alec Mosley.

The commission tabled the subdivision plat submission in July due to developer Robert Northcutt only providing three copies of the plat and for the plat lacking signatures from Sequachee Valley Electric verifying service and from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation allowing septic systems.

“The urban development [rules] don’t say you need five copies,” Northcutt pointed out. He also struggled with the signatures requirement. “I didn’t know who to go to see to get all the signatures,” Northcutt said. “Even though they say Sequachee Valley, who is the person that works for Sequachee Valley that has to sign it.”

“People don’t know where to go or they go there and they redirect you,” agreed Commission Secretary Katie Trahan who signs the final plat verifying the needed signatures have been received. “If we had a list with the phone numbers and the addresses, Jonathan [Rush, the town planner] could send it out with the plat when it’s ready for signatures.”

“To be honest, I don’t know the contact information for all the power companies,” acknowledged Rush.

Commission Chair Richard Black asked Trahan to prepare a contact information list.

“I don’t know the answers to all those questions,” Trahan replied. “I honestly don’t know who all the gas companies are.”

“If you’ll figure out what the questions are, we’ll figure out how to come up with the answers,” Black suggested.

Revisiting the July meeting data center discussion resulting in the commission recommending and the Monteagle council approving an ordinance amendment only allowing data centers as a special exception in Industrial Zoning, Mosley and Trahan both spoke in favor of Rush’s offer to look into more in depth regulations and definitions for data centers.

“Does this have any effect on [the data center amendment] the council voted for at the last meeting?” asked Alderman Grant Fletcher.

“It would put more restrictions on defining exactly what ‘data center’ means,” Rush said. “You could do a moratorium if there are concerns right now. A lot of communities in southeast Tennessee are starting to do that.”

The effectiveness of the data center amendment in stopping data centers from locating in Monteagle in part hinges on Monteagle having no property zoned industrial. At the July 27 Monteagle Council meeting Fletcher raised the possibility of a data center wanting to locate in Monteagle requesting rezoning to industrial. Fletcher asked if rezoning criteria was sufficient to stop rezoning that would allow a data center to locate in the town. “Maybe,” replied Alderman Nate Wilson. [See Messenger, July 31, 2026].

“We could use a moratorium as a stopgap?” Fletcher proposed at the planning commission meeting.

“Yes,” concurred Rush. “I would have your city attorney put the language together.”

Two rising juniors and one rising senior from St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School attended three Tennessee Governor’s Schools this summer: filmmaking, computational physics, and sciences and engineering.

Rising senior Emmett True, Sewanee, participated in the filmmaking program at the School for the Arts at MTSU, June 6-28. Along with his program peers, True participated in every aspect of filmmaking, from developing a story idea to casting to editing the film. He said, “I worked with professors and film grads, as well as people who have worked in Hollywood and professional freelance editors/directors, all of whom were instructors. I highly recommend it and would attend again if I could.”

Rising junior Adeline Pond, Sewanee, studied sciences and engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, May 31-June 27. In this immersive college experience in STEM classes, Pond focused on materials science, which included several three-day labs exploring a different material each week: metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites. Of her experience, Pond said, “My recommendation to future students hoping to attend this program is to stay curious and involved in the classes you are interested in most. Programs like Governor’s Schools can help you to expand on that curiosity.”

Martin Brodsky, a rising junior from Sewanee, studied computational physics at Austin Peay State University, May 31-June 26. “I worked with professors, grad students, and experts in fields of computer science, physics and modeling,” Brodsky said. “I made a lot of new friends and had a lot of fun. Those four weeks flew by.”

The Governor’s Schools of Tennessee provide 11 intense programs in arts, humanities, agriculture science, STEM programs, advanced mathematics, physics, leadership, international studies, Tennessee history, or potential teaching careers. Students are nominated by teachers, and the programs are funded by the Tennessee State General Assembly. Each program has specific eligibility requirement criteria.

The Sewanee Inn is hosting a Book Swap from noon to 2 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 9. Celebrate National Book Lovers Day with an afternoon of community, cozy vibes, and all things bookish. We are also thrilled to announce the ribbon cutting of our very own Little Free Library, handcrafted by our talented maintenance team — a gift to our community we hope will be enjoyed for years to come.

There will be local vendors and authors, delicious lunch offerings, book-inspired drinks, book trivia, door prize, sweet treats and more.

Book donations are being accepted now through Friday, Aug. 7. Please bring books in good condition to the front desk. (No damaged books, please.) As our “thank you,” everyone who donates will receive a coupon for 25 percent off at our full-service restaurant, Shakerag. (Valid through Dec. 18, 2026.)

On Saturday, Aug. 8, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sewanee Elementary School (SES) will host its annual Make a Difference Day. The Sewanee Parent Organization invites community members to help SES prepare for the new academic year by sprucing up school grounds.

Volunteers are needed to assist with a range of yardwork, including weeding, spreading mulch, and planting flowers. Bring gardening gloves and tools such as shovels, spades, and wheelbarrows. Many thanks for your support, as SES begins its 101st year!