BusinessWeek’s fourth annual survey calculated information from several categories. Affordability, safety*, and school test scores were given the greatest weight.

“It makes sense. We have beautiful parks, Greenways and a Riverwalk. Families can afford to buy a home in safe neighborhoods. They have easy access to jobs, with more on the way through HSC. Clarksville really is Tennessee’s Top Spot” said Mayor Johnny Piper.

Parents pushing their children on the swings at one of Clarksville TN's may Parks

Other criteria included number of schools, household expenditures, air quality, job growth, family income, museums, parks, theaters, other amenities, and diversity.

Recently, Clarksville was also named by CNN as the fourth best city in the country to start a business and .

Clarksville is Tennessee’s fifth largest city and the ninth fastest growing city in the U.S.

“Behind every number is a student whose dreams are being realized here at Austin Peay,” President Tim Hall said during a public announcement and celebration this morning at the main campus. Faculty, staff, alumni and students attended the event, which culminated in the distribution of free commemorative T-shirts to the campus community.

Now that Fall II 2009 figures from the Austin Peay Center @ Fort Campbell are complete, APSU’s enrollment is 10,188 for the Fall 2009 semester, pending approval from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission when it meets for its quarterly meeting Nov. 19.

The magic number

Unlike any other state university in Tennessee, APSU cannot file final enrollment data until after the 14th day of classes of the Fall II Term at the Austin Peay Center @ Fort Campbell, which was Nov. 6.
For 2009-10, the University has 9,296 undergraduate students and 892 graduate students, for a total of 10,188 – an 8.37 percent increase from Fall 2008 when the enrollment was 9,401.

APSU President Tim Hall addressing the audience

The number of students attending APSU full time this year is 8,002 – compared with a full-time equivalency (FTE) enrollment of 7,498 in Fall 2008. That represents a 6.7 percent increase.
Enrollment in the APSU College of Graduate Studies has grown 49 percent in a five-year period since 2004. In each of those years, the number of graduate students has increased.

In addition to Hall, Provost Dr. Tristan Denley and Student Government Association President Chris Drew offered comments at today’s event. Former APSU President Dr. Sherry Hoppe, whose administration helped the institution to usher an enrollment growth, also attended, as well as local and state dignitaries.

This week, several activities and events have been planned to celebrate reaching 10,000 students, including student giveaways and faculty and staff receptions.

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The new facility provides a much needed exhibition space for APSU faculty and alumni in what has rapidly become the focal point of the Arts community in our town. “It’s a way to help our alumni who are out there trying to build their careers,” said Gregg Schlanger, APSU professor of Art. “It gives them a line on their resume and allows us to brag about our program.”

Critiquing the art

Downtown Clarksville is the home to several exceptional Art Galleries, the Customs House Museum, and of course the wonderful Roxy Regional Theatre. Downtown Businesses which prominently showcase the arts include Hodgepodge, ARTifacts, Rogate’s Boutique, Visions Metaphysical Boutique, The Front Page Deli, and Ingredients. Professor Schlanger noted that  their Downtown Art Gallery will become a major contributator “We’re going to add to what’s going on around here.”

A vivid piece of art

The gallery opened with “Whatever,” an exhibition of work by APSU art alumni. Artists featured in this exhibit include Chip Boles, Marc Pewitt, Miranda Herrick, Betsy Wynkoop, Kelly Kerrigan, Ally Reeves, Bill Eilliot, Scotty Peek, Young Kim, Donna Stack, Travis Childers and Melody Shipley. The exhibit runs through Nov. 28.  For those interested in visiting the gallery, it is located at 116 Strawberry Alley. They are open from noon to 4 p.m., on Tuesdays through Saturdays. However, they will be closed on Thanksgiving day.

Also featured at the First Thursday Art walk was Ashley Richardson, John Glass & Ginger Murvey-Beirus at ARTifacts;  Steven M. Walker at Hodgepodge; Heather Bowker, and  Gabriele Wardeiner at Ingredients;  Lyn Jellison at Rogate’s Boutique; Cliff Whitakers at the Downtown Artist Co-op with his new show “Visions of My World;  Charles Bennet at the Peg Harvill Gallery in the Roxy Regional Theatre;  and Amanda Harrison and Afton Chandler  at Visions Metaphysical Boutique.

Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper enjoying some of Cliff Whittaker's artwork at the D.A.C. Gallery

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The Mayor of Clarksville Tennessee, Johnny Piper

“This is great news for Clarksville. Our city continues to be a state and national leader in many economic respects,” said Mayor Johnny Piper. “More and more people are discovering what we’ve known all along, that our community not only offers a tremendous quality of life, but that our business and economic environment is one of the bright spots in our country’s economic climate.”

Clarksville, the fifth largest city in the state, was the only Tennessee city to appear on CNNMoney.com’s list of 50 best places for businesses. The list measures various small business indicators and is produced by CNN’s Fortune Small Business magazine.

An aeriel view of the Historic Downtown in Clarksville Tennessee (May take a few seconds to load)

Fortune reported that fast-growing small companies have historically led the U.S. economy out of recession. According to the article, only 42 percent of U.S. entrepreneurs believe that their current location is the best place for them to thrive, based on a Fortune/Zogby International poll.

Believing that number was much higher, Fortune partnered with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to identify the 50 most business-friendly communities in the nation.

Fortune rated cities based on per capita income, hourly wages, work force quality, crime rates, taxes, foreclosures and population size. It also reviewed factors such as why entrepreneurs choose locations based on proximity to major cities, smaller, close-knit community size and intellectual/cultural factors.

Clarksville also made CNN’s top 25 list of U.S. cities with the fastest local GDP (gross domestic product) for the five-year “boom” period from 2001 to 2006. GDP is a measure of economic health based on the total expenditure for final goods and services produced. Notably, Clarksville was ranked 22 on the list with a 57 percent increase in GDP during the period, even before Dow Corning/Hemlock Semiconductor Inc. announced its $2.5 billion investment to build a polysilicon manufacturing plant there.

Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division pass in review at the Fort Campbell Army Base

The article credited Fort Campbell Army base, Austin Peay State University and Hemlock, with its expected 800 initial manufacturing and 1,000 construction jobs, as major growth generators.

Clarksville was also recognized recently by Forbes, MSN Money, Fox News, Reuters, AOL Money News and many other media outlets for additional bullish indicators of recession recovery. Moody’s identified it as one of 23 cities of 381 nationally that has a moderating recession based on its Adversity Index.

A recent home pricing report revealed that the city’s median home price actually increased 2.9 percent in 2008 as opposed to the national slump of 18.7 percent. The same report, by Manier and Exton in Nashville, showed the average Clarksville home price was $147,137 (compared to $142,870 in 2007).

“These kinds of stats prove that Tennessee’s Top Spot is not just a slogan; it’s proof that Clarksville is a city on the right track for many reasons,” commented Piper.

For more news and information, contact the mayor’s office at 931-645-7444 or visit the city’s Web site at www.cityofclarksville.com.

Samuel P. Huntington

In his landmark study of the cultural and civilizational origins of conflict and war, the late social scientist Samuel P. Huntington concluded boldly that “It is human to hate.” He viewed this as an ineradicable feature of our basic human nature.

Hatred, as anyone who follows national politics in this country knows, shows no signs of going away soon. Much of it is directed against the president, though senators and representatives (and, less frequently, federal judges) are also targets of hate from time to time.

Earlier this month, President Jimmy Carter stated that “the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he’s African American.” Not surprisingly, his comments angered many and led to accusations of playing the so-called “race card” to denigrate those (presumably white) Americans who are fiercely opposed to Pres. Obama’s policy goals in health care, the economy, and other issue areas.

Jimmy Carter

Alleged assertions of racism, which are empirical claims, should not be given or received lightly. Carter has a responsibility to substantiate his claim, which he has done only in rather general and vague terms. It appears that Carter can only conclude that the raw hatred directed against Pres. Obama at some protests and town hall meetings around the country and, more disturbingly, on blogs and in chat rooms on the Internet is due to racial bias. There is much in American history to make such a conclusion a plausible one. However, it should not be seen as inevitable or the only conclusion.

Expressions of hatred tend to demonize and distort their targets with varying degrees of exaggeration. George W. Bush was vilified by many as being grossly incompetent in dealing with domestic affairs and as relying too much, even blindly, on a rigid version of his evangelical faith to guide his foreign and national security policy. Bill Clinton, by contrast, was despised by many because of his deeply flawed moral character and expansive ego.

President Barrack Obama

Barack Obama is a very different type of person and politician compared to Bush and Clinton. Even his critics are quick to acknowledge his intellectual strengths and rhetorical skills. Moreover, he has, at least to this point, avoided the sort of personal scandals that plagued Clinton before and during his presidency. All of this means that haters of Obama must demonize him in other ways, such as by shouting him down as a liar, branding him as a communist, or comparing him to Osama bin Laden (the “Obama bin Lyin’” displayed on the signs of some protesters) or Adolf Hitler (whose image has been combined with the likeness of Obama in some posters). Still others continue to claim that Obama, who is really a closet Muslim, was not born in the United States and therefore his presidency is illegitimate.

Mayor Johnny Piper

What, we might ask, is fueling these distorted characterizations of the president, especially those that are both erroneous and hateful at the same time, such as the recent e-mail message stereotyping Muslims forwarded by Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper to city employees?

If it is not racial bias, and I still cling to the hope that it is not, then it is incumbent upon those of us most opposed to this president to frame our opposition to him in terms that are at once rational and respectful. In his two books, Obama gives us a standard by which to judge him and other leaders on the basis of their ability to distinguish between fact and opinion, to develop sound reasons in support of policy, and to argue persuasively about how citizens in a democracy can best respond to social challenges in specific contexts.

This strikes me, frankly, as a reasonable standard and one we can apply with greatest effectiveness if we lower our sights by not striving for love or hatred with respect to our political leaders.

Clearly, it is human to hate, just as it is human to love. History has shown that both of these passions can lead to dangerous and violent outcomes when mingled with politics.

Fortunately, it is also human to reason. In the realm of politics and especially during these uncertain times, it is best call on reason and to keep our passions in check.

About Matthew T. Kenney

Matthew T. Kenney is an associate professor of political science at Austin Peay State University. The views expressed here are entirely his own, and do not represent those of his employer.

The Logo of the Clarksville, TN Gas and Water Department

If the Clarksville Gas & Water Department (CGW) had been upfront and honest, there would be no need for a lawsuit to force the promised return of deposits. If Judge Shelton had followed standard court procedures and issued a default judgment when the duly served defendant Mayor Johnny Piper or his counsel did not appear, the case would have ended then. If City Attorney Lance Baker would right the wrongs, rather than defend immoral actions by the city through his superior knowledge of the law, we would not need an attorney.

However, with the publicity generated by Clarksville Online publishing my letters to the editor, we now have a volunteer. A federal attorney who feels that we can win this case. We are grateful to him. This is good news for all consumers served by CGW. We will seek to establish a legal precedent, and tell municipal bureaucrats that they can no longer be able to tell residents that “The city can do whatever it wants.”

Now we are looking for witnesses and other victims. For the witness we need people who can testify that they paid a service deposit to CGW and later had it refunded back. We also need other consumers who had their deposits seized, even though they had always paid their bill in a timely manner.  It is now appropriate to move to convert this suit to a class action, which will benefit all of the victims of this “theft” by City Hall.

This has to be one of the funnest events to watch during the entire festival. The shoreline was packed with people all on hand to cheer on their favorite teams.

Here’s how it went down. The teams were called out and their boats carried down to the courtesy boat dock. Once all boats were in place they were gingerly placed into the water and team members carefully boarded their vessels. Once all three boats were situated at the starting line the horn sounded and the teams feverishly paddled their boats down river towards the McGregor park Boat ramp. The first boat to reach an orange flag placed on the shoreline near the boat ramp was the winner of that heat.

The boats  are raced in individual heats of three boats per run. The following Prizes are awarded

• The Ship Shape Award for the most creative boat design
• The “Cardboard Queen” Award which goes to the prettiest boat in the Regatta
• The Team unity Award for most spirited and most organized team (Looks don’t matter here!)
• The Team Attire Award for the team with the most creative costumes
• The Titanic Award which is awarded on the basis of the most spectacular sinking of the day.

This was in addition to the first, second, and third place awards for each heat. Regatta results are at the bottom of the article below the photo gallery.

The City Council Boat

A can of Whoop Ass

The City council boat featured a catamaran hull, and they brought along a secret weapon a case of whoop ass. Council Members David Allen (Ward 8), Joel Wallace (Ward 9), Bill Summers (Ward 10), and James Lewis (Ward 3) crewed the boat, seeing them off were Councilmembers Geno Grubbs (Ward 7), Candy Johnson (Ward 5), and Deanna McLaughlin (Ward 2).

For the last few years the Parks and Rec Department and the City Council have been swapping out the cardboard City of Clarksville Regatta Trophy. This trophy is exclusively for City Department participants as they are ineligible for the other awards offered in the Regatta. This year, Parks and Rec Department took the Titanic award because as Kevin said during the awards, “We get the award because we had the only boat that sank, and the plaque is dated so he had to get rid of it.” Better luck next year!

Missy Graham looks on as the Parks and Rec crew is fished out of the water

The Clarksville PD boat

The Police Department’s boat was crafted into the form of a giant beaver and was named Leave it to Beaver. The crew members including Chief of Police Al Ansley all wore beaver 100.3FM t-shirts.

Other organizations that raced included Clarksville High School, The Riverview Inn, Clarksville Highs Junior Civitan Club, The Kennedy law firm and their boat the Legal Eagle, the Hilldale Kiwanis Club, the Clarksville Fire Department Explorer Troop, the energetic Paco’s Taco, The Actus team represented Fort Campbell which took home several awards. There were too many teams to recognize them all here but they all did a great job on their boats, showed great sportsmanship during the races, and hopefully everyone had a really great time!

The Kennedy Law firm boat Legal Eagle

Following the Regatta the rest of the days’ entertainment beckoned.

The inflatables

As you walked from the Regatta towards the performance stages you passed through the kids area with its multitude of inflatables. Early in the day there was almost no lines, but by evening time you had to spend a bit of time waiting in line at each of them. There were tables and bleachers provided to allow the worn out parents to relax, as their children enjoyed the activities.

Around inflatables’ area you found other things for the kids to enjoy. A booth offering caricatures, another Airbrush tattoos. Booths offered many free games some with prizes for the kids. Then of course always a crowd favorite is the petting zoo, and pony rides.

Katherine Kolodzie and the Roxy Theatre booth

The Roxy Regional Theatre was on hand in the children’s area and ably represented by its new Director of Public Relations & Development Katherine Kolodzie, who told Parents about the Theatre, the shows suitable for young people, and their “School of the Arts”, and in the process she raised awareness about this fount of culture in our community. Some of the great Children’s shows that the Roxy has put on include “A year with Frog and Toad”, “Seussical the Musical”, “Cats”, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”, and they will soon be showing the hilarious “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” starting on September 18th. The show features six young people competing in a spelling bee, with parents who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, in the process the children learn that winning isn’t everything, and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser.

Now we move on to the River of Culture!

Clarksville Family Magazine sat on the border of Toddler town and the River of Culture, and this was quite fitting. They introduced and sponsor the Toddler Town area which provides age appropriate activities for the younger children. Clarksville Family Magazine has left their mark on the yearly Riverfest Festival, and that deserves special recognition! Their high quality magazine is aimed at parents and families, and the businesses which want to reach them. Clarksville Family Magazine is published by Carla & and Cliff Lavergne. They started publication in April of 2007, and currently publish and distribute 10,000 issues a month, which are available free of charge at various locations around Clarksville. If you are interested in advertising with them you can contact Rachel Phillips at (931) 216-5102.

Riverfest is fast becoming the place to highlight the diverse mix of cultures that make up our community, and to allow the attendees to discover first hand the benefits that our city gains from them. This amazing diversity brings new ideas, new talents, new visions, and perhaps best of all new foods to try into our city. Toreros Fine Mexican Foods gave Riverfest visitors free samples of Churros, a tasty pastry item that originated in Spain. This dish is popular in Mexico, and is becoming popular in the United States. The pastry is fried into long ribbons and frequently topped with a light dusting of sugar and cinnamon.

The colorful Ballet Folklorico Viva Panama dancers

Clarksville Online has frequently identified the colorful Ballet Folklorico Viva Panama dancers as area favorites, and they didn’t disappoint at Riverfest. Joining them in that very selective favorites list are the Jezzebellies with their lithe and exotic dances, and the Hui Hawaii O Tenesi Hawaiian Civic Club with their graceful hulas.

Chris Monhollen

After a bit of midday break, We returned to the Festival in time to catch the Beaver’s Country Idol competition. Featuring 17 very talented local singers, the competition had the crowd singing along to the tunes, dancing in the aisles, and all in all having a great time. Chris Monhollen ended up taking home the $1000 dollar prize for the 2009 Beaver Country Idol contest.

The Beaver broadcasts with 100,000 watts at 100.3 on the FM dial, and features some of the best in country music. They are part of the 5 Star Radio Group which also operates Q108 107.9FM, The Eagle 94.3FM, Everything that Rocks Z97.5 FM, & The Fan 540 AM.

After the Beaver Country Idol Contest was over, it seemed as if time began moving twice as fast.

Clarksville Online was fortunate to attend a meet and greet for the headlining performers for the evening, The Trailer Choir , and Jack Ingram. Both of whom graciously allowed us to take the photos used in this story.

The Trailer Choir

Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper with Country Singer Jack Ingram

Following that we made our way back through the River of Culture catching the start of the Hui Hawaii O Tenesi Hawaiian Civic Club’s last performance of the evening. As time was growing short we could not stay long, but grabbed a couple of quick shots. We were also lucky to run into some of the Ballet Folklorico Viva Panama dancers, and got a great picture of them as well.

The Pistols

We made it back to the Budweiser stage just before the end of the Pistols performance so we were able to catch a couple minutes of their show before heading on up to the Gateway stage to catch a bit of the Atmoic Blonde performance. They were tearing that stage up, and had the audience all the way up to the front edge of the stage, forming what was to all extents a mosh pit. It was nice to see an audience so engaged in the performance.

We returned to the Budweiser Stage and caught the introduction of The Trailer Choir by Fletch and Bailey from the Beaver 100.3 FM. On the Trailer Choir let me say this, you have to see that big man strut his stuff on the stage. The group mixed humor along with down home country jams. One of their songs facetiously invited the audience to head on down to the Waffle House with them after the performance.

The Trailer Choir performing

After listening to their couple of songs, we headed down to the Gateway stage and caught the first act in the Step Exhibition. Step is a form of dance where teams of dancers directly compete with each other each group trying to out perform the other.

As flash photography and video were not permitted of the headlining acts after 8:00pm we headed back to the Budweiser stage and was able to catch the lighted boat parade before heading out for the evening.

Many of the groups that performed during the 2009 Riverfest have music that is available online or on services such as Amazon’s Mp3 Store or iTunes, You can personally say thank you for coming to Clarksville and performing at Riverfest, by buying some of their songs. We have already purchased Off the Hillbilly Hook by the Trailer Choir on iTunes, and are looking forward to purchasing a couple of Jack Ingram albums in the next day or so as well!

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Regatta Results

“Jim’s dedication and hard work over his 32 years with the city will be seen for many years to come.” Mayor Johnny Piper said. “Jim has worked as a team player to serve the public and give a better quality of life for the citizens of Clarksville.”

Jim Durrett

Durrett began his career in public service in 1977 with Clarksville’s Street Department. He has since worked in several other city departments and has served in a number of management positions. Shortly after beginning his first term in 1998, a tornado devastated parts of Clarksville. Mayor Piper called on Durrett and the Street Department to be the main point of contact for tornado recovery. The effort was very successful because of strong leadership. That’s when the two formed a bond that went on to accomplish the many goals of the mayor and the city council.

“I think the Mayor and I made a great team. Our visions were the same for the city. With his business background and my experience in city government, we were able to accomplish a lot of his visions. And, when I leave city government, I will continue to support him as a friend,” Durrett said.

The mayor continued to call on Durrett over the years. Shortly after Piper was re-elected in 2006, Durrett informed him that he was ready to retire. Mayor Piper asked him to reconsider and called on Durrett to help at the Gas and Water Department.

“Jim has always been committed to moving forward. He took on any job, any challenge with vigor and energy.”

The mayor called on Durrett one more time by selecting him as his Chief of Staff in 2007. Since then, Durrett has been active in the progression of the new Marina and Rails to Trails and the enhancement of the Riverfront. Durrett says these incomplete projects made his decision to retire even more difficult. “The Mayor and I have poured many long hours into these projects. He can call me anytime and I will be here to do anything that I can to help see them through.”

Durrett plans to work in the private sector. This will allow him to spend more time with his family.

Jim Durrett’s last day as Chief of Staff will be October 9, 2009.

Jim Durrett’s retirement letter

The Marina Groundbreaking

Mayor Johnny Piper

Jim Durrett introduced Mayor Johnny Piper to a round of applause . Mayor Piper thanked all of the individuals who served on committees over the years that worked on the project, and helped bring it to a reality. Mayor Piper stated, “It is a testament to those that are in this city who commit to a project knowing that it’s the best for the city, and that it needs to be done, and that they stayed focused to be able to get it done.”

Bruce Lundy spoke for J.J.R. Consultants, the design firm for the Marina project. Greg Batts, the private developer for the project also said a few words about the marina and the plans for redeveloping the area. Batts said “This is not just going to be a marina. This is not going to be just a place for someone with a boat, to park a boat. We are dedicated to making this a destination that people will want to come and spend lots of time at.”

The development will also include walking trails, playgrounds, ballfields, hiking, an larger dog park, amphitheater and an expanded pond for fishing and paddle boats. Long term plans also include restaurants and shops. This represents one giant step for Clarksville Tennessee,” said Mayor Piper.

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NAACP Hosts 62nd Annual State Convention in Clarksville, TN

The Saturday session of the conference begins at 7:30 a.m. with a breakfast for W. I. N. (Women in the NAACP) and the youth. After breakfast, the conference continues with a variety of workshops for both adults and youth. At noon there will be an awards luncheon followed by more workshops. The evening concludes with the Freedom Awards Banquet beginning at 6:30 p.m.

NAACP Tennessee State Conference of Branches President Mrs. Gloria J. Sweet-Love made the anouncement, which is presented here:

We gather here this morning in this historic “Queen City” to announce that the Clarksville Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will host the 62nd Annual State Convention of the Tennessee State Conference NAACP.

The Tennessee State Conference NAACP in coalition with, the mayors of Clarksville and Montgomery County, Business and Corporate Partners, Governmental Entities, Members of Organized Labor and NAACP Officials and members from across this great state come to announce that your city has been chosen to host our Annual Convention.  The Convention Hotel is the Riverview Inn, located at 501 College St, in Clarksville.

Today, our country faces some enormous challenges:

• Ending the disastrous war in Iraq
• Getting our economy back on the right track
• Combating catastrophic climate change
• Addressing an energy crisis, that is putting the squeeze on too many poor & middle class families in America

Today, because we don’t have a living wage, many workers barely make enough per hour to buy a gallon of gas.  Because we have buried our heads in the sand and failed to address “Environmental Racism:”

• Families in our counties and across our state are dying from chemical contamination caused by illegal and irresponsible land fill
• Poor disposal practices that have contaminated soil and water where our people must live and inadequate Health Care continues to fuel Health disparities in our community

We have come because we must have a “living wage” for every worker, we must protect workers “Right to Organize!” and we must work to change the “Employment at will” laws of this state that are both unfair and outdated.

The Events for Thursday, September 25th will be held at the Fifth Ward Baptist Church located at 900 Franklin Street, in Clarksville.

Delegates from across the state will convene for fellowship, training and motivation. Featured speakers for the Convention’s Health/Religious Emphasis Day will include panelists Rev. James Thomas, Rev. Tommy Vallejos, Rev. Jerry Jerkins, Dr. Simi Vincent, Dr. James Hilbert, Dr. Hildreth. Panelists include Rev. Delbert Brown and Rev. Raymond Bowman. Rev. Enoch Fuzz of the Nashville Branch has been invited to moderate the Religious Forum that will focus on the Faith Community and NAACP’s role in addressing and combating social issues. These issues include but are not limited to health disparities, economics and get out the vote.

Rev. R.W. Sibert, President of Missionary Baptist State Convention of Tennessee and pastor of Walnut Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Murfreesboro will be the keynote speaker for the Religious Affairs/Membership Luncheon.  The forum will continue after the luncheon.

Thursday’s activities will culminate with the Mass Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Faith Out Reach Church located at 731 Windermere Drive.  Rev. Dr. Julius C. Hope, Director of the National NAACP Religious Affairs Department and pastor of the New Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, will be the keynote speaker. The delegates and guest will be served a “Soul Food Dinner” after the services.

On Friday morning, September 26th at Austin Peay State University, Mr. Fred Redmon, International President of Human Affairs for United Steel Workers from Washington, D.C.,  will be the keynote speaker for the Labor & Industry Breakfast. A workshop immediately following the breakfast will focus on labor and industry issues across the state of Tennessee and the nation. Also scheduled for Friday will be the Human Rights luncheon and a Labor Town Hall Meeting, which will take place at the Riverview Inn.

On Friday evening will go back Austin Peay State University where the Youth & College Division will host a Senatorial Debate with candidates for the Tennessee Senate Race.

On Saturday, September 27th all activities will be held at Austin Peay State University.  Dr. Maxine Smith, National Board Member and renowned Civil Rights activist, author and educator from Memphis, Tennessee, will be the featured speaker for the Women In NAACP breakfast. This program will also feature a “Hat Show” by local celebrities and delegates.  The NAACP Youth & College Division will host its annual Vernon Jarrett Youth Awards luncheon at noon on Saturday.

That evening, the Convention will end with the Freedom Awards Banquet at 6:30 p.m.. The invited speaker is newly elected President/CEO for the NAACP, Mr. Benjamin Todd Jealous.

The Tennessee State Conference of NAACP is headquartered in Jackson, Tennessee,  at 27 Brentshire Square, and services more than 45 Adult Branches and 22 Youth and College Chapter across the State of Tennessee.

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its half-million adult and youth members throughout the United States and the world are premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

Attending the announcement  program were local chapter President Jimmie Garland; NAACP Officers & Members; Mayors Piper & Bowers; Co-Chairs  Rev. Frank Washington and Rev. Jerry Jerkins; members of the clergy, commissioners, council persons, and other elected officials.

For Additional Information Contact: Gloria J. Sweet-Love @ (731) 660-5580, Fax: (731) 660-5002, or E-Mail @

Photos by: Terry McMoore

The story is of Charlie Lurton, a Clarksville boy.  The play follows Charlie (Brad Vile) and his companion Peter (Humberto Figueroa) through their escape from a Union prison camp, to their fate when they arrive back home. The story also follows Mrs. Lurton (Jill Whittinghill) as she makes her way to secure authorization for the release of another son, Horace (Joe Sonenshein) who was suffering from tuberculous.

I will say it was very nice to see so many familiar faces from the community performing parts in the show. The play was tied in with the Writer’s Conference Bus Tour and that helped make the story more personal to the attendees.

Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper narrated the play, and we commend him for helping out! Whit McMahan portrayed a believable president Lincoln, and Judi Sinks, his wife Mary Todd. Leslie Green made a surprise appearance in the role of Millie Dunlop; she showed once again why she is the grande dame of Roxy actresses! Clarksville Online Author Debbie Boen played the role of a Kentucky farm wife; and her husband David, a wagon driver. Nathaniel Taylor provided mood with his haunting a cappella vocals. Rubye Patch from Tip Top reprised the role of Petinka, in the saga of the fuss cakes.

Sadly this was the only showing of this play, perhaps they will consider bringing it back at some point in the future for the general public.

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The Roxy is currently showing the Elvis Presley musical All shook up. As with all of the Roxy musicals, shows are very likely to sell out, so get your tickets soon!

The Clarksville Center Redevelopment Plan (CCRP) has been met with extreme opposition from residents in the affected area, who jokingly (or not) call their part of Clarksville “Blightville.” I’ve had the opportunity to attend a few of the meetings where the plan was discussed, and as a member of the Human Relations Commission, I’ve been on quite a few of the email lists where this topic has been the point of a lot of major contention. This has been so important that City Mayor Johnny Piper has distributed a letter to affected residents, which reads in part:

Recently, a group calling itself the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition has been distributing a flier that has false and misleading information about the redevelopment plan. I am particularly concerned with the allegation that the City desires to take property from business owners and residents and sell it to developers as part of eminent domain.

The flier states: “Your property can be condemned by a majority vote of the City Council and then resold to private developers.”

Please do not be frightened into believing what the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition is misrepresenting about the plan. The City of Clarksville has no intentions of taking your property. The redevelopment plan ordinance actually makes it harder for any government to exercise eminent domain. There are many layers of protection for property owners built into the ordinance that are not being revealed to you in these fliers distributed by the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition.

Note: the full text of the Mayor’s letter is provided at the end of this commentary.

While there are indeed many steps and protections in place for the use of eminent domain, the reality of the ordinance in its present form is that it removes one step by calling the entire area “blighted.” This is a valid concern, and I’ve said that on several occasions. It’s my understanding that the broad “blight” sweeping designation will be addressed in the forthcoming revised bill, as it should be. Mayor Piper’s letter also says:

The Clarksville Property Rights Coalition has been going door to door telling residents and business owners that the City of Clarksville is going to take your property and you will have 30 days to vacate the property. This scare tactic used by the CCRP is completely FALSE. This will not happen!

I’ve also been hearing (and reading) these claims of how “certain people” associated with the Property Rights Coalition are allegedly telling residents that they’ll be told to leave their homes in “30 days” if the plan goes into effect. This is simply not true and is a gross and distorted misrepresentation of everything that the Coalition is working for.

I don’t know if the claim is just a way to demonize the CPRC leaders, or if a few misinformed individuals are voicing their own fears about the plan. Either way, it’s important that false information be dismissed as such. I urge anyone who is making these claims to better understand the ordinance. The reality is that the Mayor is quite correct. The claim that residents will be given thirty days to vacate their homes is completely false. However, I don’t know if these tactics are being spread by members of the CPRC. If this is true, then it should stop.

I’ve been wanting to read just what points of the ordinance were “misrepresented,” and with the distribution of the Mayor’s letter, we have exactly that. I would love to know, however, who has been spreading the idea that people would be given 30 days to vacate their homes. I’m not aware of any of this being said at any of the CPRC meetings. We’ve covered a lot of what WAS said, and I’ve yet to see any rebuttals to those points. The most that we have seen up until the Mayor’s letter was a constant dressing-down of John Summers. Alas, I’ve not read anything about what those “misrepresentations” were aside from two major points:

• Summers said that specific projects were required to be attached to any redevelopment plans. This is apparently in question, according to Mayor Piper and the Knoxville redevelopment group. Any information on this point would be especially helpful in understanding how this can be properly implemented.
• Summers said that this is, to his knowledge, the largest area that has ever been targeted for redevelopment. Words like “audacious” were used. However, the Council and Mayor have claimed that Knoxville and Nashville both have targeted similar-sized areas for redevelopment. What would really help in this point is some exact cases where this has been done effectively.

In short, could we get some information that would really help bolster these points WITHOUT attacking Mr. Summers, as we have seen from previous emails and quotes from various City officials and supporters? I know it’s great politics to attack a figurehead, but this is a group of several hundred residents whom you feel are being misled. We need facts, not attacks.

Mr. Summers was indeed a part of a project that was highly criticized by people in his ward when he was a councilman in Nashville. However, he was very popular for quite some time before that, since he had a track record of working with the public and preventing power abuses. No one is perfect, and it’s unfair for anyone to attack the messenger when there are some very specific points of the message that are valid:

• Affected Residents were not notified properly.
• The ordinance and redevelopment plan is entirely too broad and open-ended.
• There are too many questions of legality regarding the ordinance in its current form.
• The area designated as “blighted” is too large.

The above four points have been made by the Mayor in earlier statements and in this letter, and are reasons why it’s being revisited. There was a lot of sabre-rattling before the Mayor put the whole thing on hold, and in my opinion, these are the points that were paramount. I’m glad that the Council is going through this thorough research to build an ordinance which will beautify Clarksville and prevent existing residents from being driven from their homes. The last point is of particular interest and was addressed specifically in the Mayor’s letter:

I also believe that some of the language in the ordinance was inappropriate and should be changed.

For Example: The ordinance says, “it is a blighted area.”

To label the entire area as blighted was improper and this will be addressed in any future ordinance that is put forth. I will not support an ordinance which designates an entire area as blighted under any circumstances. In addition, the city council will be looking at the size of the redevelopment district. I plan to make a recommendation that the size of the district be reduced.

In a final thought, I’m told that there have allegedly been statements been made by some officials that we (Clarksville Online writers and the CPRC) are “uneducated” in the matters of the redevelopment plan. This is especially puzzling since we have not only read and reprinted the ordinance in its entirety, but also the DDP’s redevelopment plan itself. On this point, I need to be clear: if a matter affects a major group of people in Clarksville, we MUST be informed. Simply saying that we’re “uneducated” is unacceptable, and the only correct response is to educate the public as to why such action or ordinance is necessary, and the effect of those actions.

The most important thing, in my opinion, is for officials to avoid the impression of saying, “because we’re the experts.” Whether it’s true or not isn’t relevant, it’s the impression that has to be avoided. The reality is that such attitudes are neither appropriate nor acceptable. We’re all neighbors here, and we have a right to know what is going on, and city officials have the responsibility of disclosing the fine print about any ordinance.

Clearly, there’s a lot that needs to be done, and I believe that Clarksville will benefit from the discussions. Let’s keep everyone informed, and make sure that any redevelopment is appropriate for the city as a whole. No one is opposed to progress, and I have long been a supporter of earlier projects that were later abandoned. I look forward to seeing the CCRP presented in a manner that will benefit everyone, especially residents in and near the downtown area.

Affected Residents

The full text of the Mayor’s letter

February 4, 2008

John Q. Public
1234 First Street
Clarksville, TN 37040

Dear Property Owner,

Recently there has been much controversy surrounding the Clarksville Center Redevelopment Plan Ordinance that the City Council passed in October. I believe the controversy stems from misinformation about the plan that has been circulated by several groups over the past few weeks.

As you may or may not be aware, the Clarksville Center Redevelopment Plan is an initiative developed by the Downtown District Partnership and has been under review for the past three years. Newspaper articles from the Leaf Chronicle about this redevelopment plan date as far back as 2005.

I first became involved with the plan in February 2007 when the Downtown District Partnership leaders asked me to put it on the City Council agenda for a second reading. It was passed by the City Council on first reading in March of 2006, prior to me becoming Mayor. The City Council postponed the second reading so that the DDP and the property owners could meet to discuss some concerns that were raised by those that would be affected by the plan. Several meetings were held to reach an agreement by all parties involved on the details of the ordinance. When the leadership of the DDP approached the City Council about bringing the redevelopment plan before the city council for second reading again, we were assured by them that this plan had the full support of the property owners and any concerns they may have had were resolved.

Recently, a group calling itself the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition has been distributing a flier that has false and misleading information about the redevelopment plan. I am particularly concerned with the allegation that the City desires to take property from business owners and residents and sell it to developers as part of eminent domain.

The flier states: “Your property can be condemned by a majority vote of the City Council and then resold to private developers.”

Please do not be frightened into believing what the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition is misrepresenting about the plan. The City of Clarksville has no intentions of taking your property. The redevelopment plan ordinance actually makes it harder for any government to exercise eminent domain. There are many layers of protection for property owners built into the ordinance that are not being revealed to you in these fliers distributed by the Clarksville Property Rights Coalition.

The Clarksville Property Rights Coalition has been going door to door telling residents and business owners that the City of Clarksville is going to take your property and you will have 30 days to vacate the property. This scare tactic used by the CCRP is completely FALSE. This will not happen!

I want you to know that I am concerned about the controversy that has overshadowed the good intentions of the plan, but equally concerned that there were some procedures that were not followed properly in accordance with Tennessee law when developing the plan.

For Example: Tennessee law is very clear in stating that a public hearing should have been held and every property owner in the affected area should have been notified of the public hearing.

This did not happen and I can assure you that as we move forward with this issue a public hearing will be held and you will be notified in writing as to the date and location that the public hearing will be take place. I want to give you, the property owners in the affected area, the opportunity to hear about the plan and the opportunity to make comments and ask questions about it. I also believe that some of the language in the ordinance was inappropriate and should be changed.

For Example: The ordinance says, “it is a blighted area.”

To label the entire area as blighted was improper and this will be addressed in any future ordinance that is put forth. I will not support an ordinance which designates an entire area as blighted under any circumstances. In addition, the city council will be looking at the size of the redevelopment district. I plan to make a recommendation that the size of the district be reduced.

Over the next month, you will see a lot of action by the City Council and myself in regards to the Clarksville Center Redevelopment Plan. I will propose to the City Council at the February City Council meeting that we establish a whole new ordinance that addresses this issue. Additionally, a group of community leaders and representatives from the affected neighborhoods will be traveling to Knoxville on February 6th to meet with representatives from the Knoxville Redevelopment Corporation (a group that has extensive experience with similar redevelopment plans) to discuss how their redevelopment plans were created.

Please visit the City of Clarksville website at www.cityofclarksville.com to get more information about the Clarksville Center Redevelopment Plan. I will be seeking your input as we move forward with this initiative and I hope you will participate in the process.

Sincerely,

John E. Piper

The group’s effort was propelled even more once Kang Tae Myong, owner of Sakura Japanese Restaurant, committed to include it in the list of three organizations that would be given a combined 60 turkeys. The restaurateur announced their donation during a Human Relations Commission meeting held on October 25th. Mr. Kang is also a member of the Clarksville Human Relations Commission as well as an adviser and former president of the Korean American Association.

Twenty of the turkeys were given to HOPE, with the other forty divided between the Salvation Army and Lighthouse Ministries. The turkeys were distributed at a special event at the restaurant on Monday, November 19th. The turkey-dispensing event was coordinated by the Clarksville Human Relations Commission, with City Mayor Johnny Piper on hand to help hand out the birds.

Because of Sakura’s generous donation, HOPE members only needed to acquire at least ten more turkeys and the rest of the trimmings for their commitment of thirty meals. Rosa Ponce, the coordinator of the event said they had received enough donations to get what they needed at the Sango Wal-Mart, but wasn’t sure of how many volunteers they’d need for doing the actual shopping. Thankfully, several people showed up to help gather the supplies.

Each of the volunteers grabbed a cart and a list. Two hours and a wagon train of at least six shopping carts later, the volunteers had collected all the food they needed. The small army of volunteers was aided by store employees to load for the trip back to the HOPE office on Legion Street. Ponce later said that she had no idea how they’d shop for all that food, but the volunteers arrived at a moment’s notice. “I thank God for those volunteers,” she said.

Once back at the HOPE office, they started separating the food into separate baskets. Instead of woven baskets, they opted to use heavy-duty laundry baskets which the families could use long after the holiday. Ponce later said that she had the pleasure of delivering two of the baskets. “Those families were so shocked to see the baskets with all the food and a huge turkey,” she said. “They thanked me over and over again.”

HOPE President Elizabeth Valdez-Adamski said that they opened the center at 10:00 AM, and several area pastors helped out with the deliveries. She stayed behind to wait for the families that were able to pick up their baskets. Eva Vasquez, daughter of the late Juan Julian Vasquez, also stopped by to help deliver a basket to one of the families. Of course, Valdez-Adamski’s work was far from done, as she later delivered more than a half-dozen baskets later in the evening. She said that it felt good to know that they made sure that the families had a nice Thanksgiving.

Ponce shared the sentiment and reflected on the week’s event with a secure satisfaction. “The aching in my body from putting all those baskets together was definitely worth it just to see the expressions on the faces of those families,” she said. “I hope that in a small way, these families know there are people that are willing to help.” Ponce thanked everyone who helped in the effort, including the Human Relations Commission, the Rossview High School Spanish classes, and everyone who donated time or money to help.

All photography by David W. Shelton