At a recent community meeting the citizens of Clarksville, TN voted and confirmed that they will take their plea before the Clarksville Board of Zoning Appeals on January 3, 2007, 100 – Spring Street Clarksville TN @ 8: 30 A.M., to stop the Salvation Army from placing a homeless shelter and possible alcohol and drug rehabilitation center next to Byrns – Darden Elementary School.
The Montgomery County Parents & Teachers Organization (PTO) along with local School Board members and several County Commissioners will present evidence, petitions and signed affidavits. We all agreed that this possible shelter would not only pose a safety risk to the students of Byrns – Darden Elementary School, but would cause irreparable damage to the community as a whole.
Jimmie Garland Sr., President of the local NAACP, said it best when he stated that the “Salvation Army has the right heart but this is the wrong location”. Speaker after speaker stressed the facts about the crime rate surrounding the current location of the Salvation Army and the fact that the new location would endanger the entire student population including the 19 children who walk to and from school each day, with the youngest being 5 years old.
But the startling statement of the evening came from a former Salvation Army homeless person who commended them on the work they do for the homeless but, he too must agree with those in attendance that a homeless shelter near a school is a bad location!
The next step for the Salvation Army is to petition the Clarksville Board of Zoning Appeals approval of this location and site. The Urban Resource Center, parents, concerned citizens, PTO members, school board members, elected officials, clergy, NAACP members plan to attend this meeting on January 3, 2007 – 100 Spring Street Clarksville, TN @ 8: 30 A.M., to speak before the Zoning Board members in opposition to the Salvation Army building a homeless shelter next to Bryns – Darden Elementary School.
We urge all citizens to attend this event and speak!
Contact person for this press statement is:
Mr. Terry McMoore, Director Urban Resource Center
931-552-9076 (H) or (W) or 931-378-1999 (C)
Email: terrymcmoore@hotmail.com
