The Clement Railroad Hotel Museum dedicated one of its display rooms in recognition of the support it has received from the City of Dickson.

At a ceremony Tuesday, Feb. 13, representatives of the museum’s Board of Directors, staff and volunteers joined members of the Dickson City Council as Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. cut a ribbon to rededicate the room known as The Sitting Room in honor of the City of Dickson.

Museum Executive Director Zach Kinslow said the City of Dickson is being recognized for the financial support it has provided since before the museum opened in 2009.

“It’s very important, people who have contributed to our site, whether it’s the state or individual investors,” Kinslow said to open the ceremony. “The City of Dickson is one of the most important partners that the museum has here. Since our doors first opened, even before that, even before 2009, the city has contributed more than $200,000 to our site. And that is extremely vital to opening this place and keeping it going.”

When the Frank G. Clement Foundation began the effort to renovate the Hotel Halbrook and create a museum honoring the legacy of the late governor who was born there and the history of the railroad in this region, the City of Dickson committed $50,000 a year for the first three years of operation. Since 2017, the Dickson City Council has included a $10,000 allocation in each annual budget to help fund the Visitor Center at the museum.

Kinslow said The Sitting Room is where Robert and Maybelle Clement, the parents of the late governor, lived while they were operating the railroad hotel. Robert Clement served as the Town of Dickson’s elected recorder 1935-45, as mayor 1957-61 and as city attorney for many years.

“That is an important room, I think, when we talk about the connections between the city and the museum,” Kinslow said. “Because it was in those rooms in the 1920s, 1930s and then again in the 1970s where Robert and Maybelle Clement lived, where they kind of called home. Specifically, Robert Clement. He is that deep connection that takes us all the way back to when this building was a hotel.”

Bob Clement, grandson of Robert and Maybelle Clement, son of Frank Clement and president emeritus of the museum board, thanked Weiss, the council members, board members and volunteers in attendance.

“Anna Belle (Clement O’Brien, the governor’s sister) and myself years back went to see the mayor and city fathers to ask for their help because this place was about gone,” Clement said. “And we had to raise about $2 million to save it and restore it so it’d look like it did when it was first built by the Halbrook family. And the mayor and the city fathers, many of them, you’ve had many elections since that time, so a number of them are not with us anymore, and a lot of them have retired now and all that, but they sure stepped up to the line and what the City of Dickson agreed to was if we can pull this off, we’ll give 50,000 (dollars) a year for three years. This was huge, huge in being able to fulfill this dream.”

The former member of the U.S. House of Representatives talked about ongoing efforts to return passenger rail service to Tennessee, emphasizing the role of the Hotel Halbrook as a railroad hotel when his grandparents operated it.

“This is a tremendous opportunity now with this museum,” Clement said. “You know, a lot of places, a lot of towns and cities, as the mayor knows, they don’t have a museum to capture history, to save history, to plan for the future like we do in Dickson. And y’all have had so much vision, so much good leadership over the years, and a lot of longevity, too, and seniority that’s helped immensely. Everyone has pulled together to make it possible.”

A Dickson native who has served as mayor for 30 years, Weiss thanked the museum for recognizing the city’s contributions to making it a reality.

“I remember when Bob and Ms. Anna Belle came to the old City Hall down where the police station is now and we talked about the museum. And this building was in total disarray. Matter of fact, there were even talks about tearing this building down,” Weiss said. “It was obvious that they had a vision and they needed the city’s participation. We were able to talk to the City Council and convince them that this would be a place that would be good for the City of Dickson and be good for downtown Dickson.”

Weiss pointed out that when the museum opened in 2009, Dickson had just received its first grant for a downtown revitalization project that is now entering its seventh phase with more than $8 million dedicated to reviving the downtown area. The proposed seventh phase will include improvements to Frank G. Clement Place in front of the museum.

“A lot has changed since we first started talking about the museum and getting the museum open. I feel strongly that our downtown and what we’ve been able to do in our downtown and the museum have complemented each other every step of the way,” Weiss said. “I appreciate Zach, Bob and Miss Mary (Clement), your board of directors for recognizing the city with the naming of The Sitting Room as the City of Dickson Room.”

Weiss said the city will work with the museum to present exhibits depicting some of the history of the City of Dickson.

“We look forward to continue working with the museum,” Weiss said.

Following the ceremony, those attending crowded into the hallway in front of The Sitting Room as Weiss cut a ribbon to officially dedicate the room in honor of the City of Dickson.

The Clement Railroad Hotel Museum at 100 Frank Clement Place is open 9 am-5 pm Tuesday-Friday and 9 am-4 pm Saturday. Several membership levels are available for individuals, families and businesses that include free admission, discounts in the gift store and admission to a variety of events hosted by the museum during the year.

Built in 1913 as the Hotel Halbrook across from Dickson’s railroad depot, it operated as a railroad hotel until 1954. Frank Clement, the state’s 41st governor, was born in the hotel June 2, 1920. The museum features permanent exhibits on aspects of Dickson County’s history, Clement’s career and 10 years as governor and the role of the railroad in the area’s development, including a large model train display.

For more information, visit clementrailroadmuseum.org, like the museum page on Facebook or call 615-446-0500.

More than $1 million in grants from Tennessee’s Violent Crime Intervention Fund have enabled three Dickson County law enforcement agencies to equip officers with new computer systems, in-car camera systems, body cameras and TASERs.

Proposed by Gov. Bill Lee and funded by the Tennessee General Assembly in the state’s 2022-23 budget, the VCIF set aside $100 million for grants to local law enforcement agencies to implement evidence-based programs, technology and strategies that will reduce violent crimes in their communities.

Lt. Jessica Blackwell of the Dickson Police Department’s Special Services Division submitted proposals for formulative and collaborative grants that resulted in a combined $1,118,728 in grants awarded to the Dickson Police Department, White Bluff Police Department and the 23rd Judicial District Task Force.

The formulative grants were available to all law enforcement agencies based on the population they serve.

The Dickson Police Department received a VCIF formulative grant of $193,991 to purchase in-car computers, in-car printers, scanners and a portable training system.

The collaborative grants were awarded on a graded competitive application process.

The application filed by Blackwell resulted in a $924,737 grant to purchase new Axon in-car camera systems, body cameras and TASERs for the Dickson Police Department, White Bluff Police Department and 23rd Judicial District Task Force.

“The Dickson Police Department is grateful for the Violent Crime Intervention Fund grants that Gov. Lee provided to us this year,” said Seth Lyles, who has been named acting chief following the announcement of Chief Jeff Lewis’s pending retirement. “This funding allows us to purchase new in-car cameras, bodycams, computers, TASERs and a training simulator. Without this funding, it would have taken years to replace aging equipment that our officers are currently using. This much-needed equipment will be used to better train and protect our officers on a daily basis.

“I am also thankful for Lt. Jessica Blackwell. Her hard work and dedication played a big part in us getting the VCIF grants.”

The application for the competitive collaborative grant seeks to increase trust between law enforcement and the community and create a collaboration between agencies using Axon camera systems that will aid in the prosecution of violent crimes.

“The Dickson Police Department and its collaborators will have access to timely information on violent crime, which will improve implementation of prevention interventions that reduce violent crimes,” Blackwell explained. “The requested cameras and equipment also will support increased knowledge and education to both law enforcement officials and community members.”

The new body cameras and in-car cameras can provide video evidence that can be critical to successful prosecutions, protect law enforcement officers and provide transparency to better inform the public on critical responses. The new TASERs provide the officers with the latest non-lethal options in responding to violent situations.

“As progress is made in identifying and understanding the violent crime and overdose issues within the participating communities, and as a result prioritizes problems to address, it is imperative to have open communication and for each agency to have the opportunity to participate in problem-solving,” Blackwell said. “The ability to work with, collaborate on a deeper and targeted concern, and share information benefits all Dickson County citizens.”

The formulative grant will help the Dickson Police Department increase efficiency, improve communication, enhance safety and implement better record keeping with in-car computers, printers and scanners and a portable training system.

“VCIF funding will allow DPD to mitigate or eliminate daily challenges faced by officers,” explained Blackwell. “Specifically, the requested computers and in-car printers will allow officers to print citations in the vehicle, have legible documents, improve court proceedings, link data to the court system and other benefits.”

Computers, printers and scanners offer several benefits to officers in the field.

• Officers will be able to quickly access important information during citizen contacts such as criminal records, incident reports and maps to allow them to work and respond more efficiently;

• Officers can directly communicate with other officers as well as dispatchers more effectively, which can help coordinate efforts and respond to emergencies more quickly;

• Having a computer can help officers stay safe by allowing them to access information about potential dangers, such as the location of known gang members or sex offenders, while also reducing radio traffic, which creates free channel space for when officers need to communicate quickly; and

• Help officers keep track of daily activities and document important information, which is vital as officers will have to recall information from an incident when it comes time to testify in court. The data also can be used as a basis for predictive policing tactics and the development of hot spots or targeted patrols.

“Computers, in-vehicle camera systems and other equipment allow officers to work more efficiently and safely while providing better ways to collect evidence for cases, as well as investigations into an officer’s conduct,” Blackwell said.

“These grants have given our department and our collaborative agencies the benefit of adding and updating equipment without having to seek additional funding from the taxpayers,” said Lyles. “We very much appreciate the governor and our legislators for making the VCIF grants available to help us continue our efforts to serve and protect the citizens.”

Gina Swaner was appointed Municipal Court clerk by the Dickson City Council at its meeting Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.

Swaner has been serving as acting clerk since the retirement of Margaret “Missy” Sullivan on Jan. 10.

At the meeting, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. nominated Swaner to become the new clerk and she was elected by the council.

“Tonight, it’s my honor to bring you Gina’s name as the new Municipal Court clerk for the City of Dickson,” Weiss said.

Upon a motion by Councilperson Horace Perkins III (3rd Ward) with a second by Councilperson Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward) the council unanimously confirmed Swaner’s appointment as clerk.

“I would like to thank the mayor and city council for the opportunity to continue serving the citizens of the City of Dickson,” Swaner said of her appointment.

A 1996 graduate of Hickman County High School, Swaner began working as a dispatcher with the City of Dickson in 2001 before becoming a court records clerk in 2007 and served as assistant clerk under Sullivan since July 2013.

In 2020, Swaner completed the three-year Municipal Court Clerk Certification Program of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service to become the City of Dickson’s first certified Municipal Court Clerk.

Swaner and husband Gene reside in Burns with their daughter, Emma, a freshman at the University of Missouri.

After reforming the court in 2017, the City of Dickson gave up its General Sessions jurisdiction and became a Municipal Court that only adjudicates traffic and city ordinance violations. All other criminal violations occurring in the city are the jurisdiction of the Dickson County General Sessions Court.

As a Municipal Court, the judge and clerk are appointed by the mayor and city council instead of being elected. Judge Stanley Reynolds conducts court the first Tuesday and Thursday of each month. In addition to the clerk, the court employs three full-time records clerks and a part-time file clerk.

Dickson Police Department Chief Jeff Lewis is retiring after more than 35 years with the City of Dickson.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. recognized Lewis with a plaque and proclamation at the Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, City Council meeting, noting that Lewis has served in multiple capacities during his time with the city.

“Jeff has served the citizens of the City of Dickson in several different positions during his 35-year career and in each role he has excelled and been an excellent leader,” Weiss said. “He has never failed to step up to any challenge and has proved to be a valuable asset for the city.”

Lewis’ official last day as chief of the Dickson Police Department is Friday, March 1, ending a career that lasted over 35 years and included time as a police officer, Parks and Recreation Department director, director of the Public Works Department and as chief of police for the last seven years.

The mayor presented Lewis with a proclamation stating he has “served the Citizens with faithfulness, integrity and loyalty for 35 years, 6 months and 15 days.”

With family members and many of the officers of the Dickson Police Department present, the City Council members gave Lewis a standing ovation and he was presented a retirement bonus.

“What a ride,” Lewis said in an emotional response. Pointing out the uniformed officers in the chamber, Lewis praised their devotion to law enforcement. “We strived to put God first, our families second and our jobs third. You’re in good hands, folks. Those are the best men and women in the state of Tennessee and in this country. I’d put this department up against anybody in the state. First class men and women. We’re all brothers and sisters.” 

The son of Joyce and Clay Lewis, a former Dickson Police Department officer, Lewis graduated from Dickson County High School in 1983. He joined the Dickson Police Department as a patrol officer Aug. 16, 1988, and graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in 1989.

Lewis became the department’s first Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer in 1990 and would become a DARE instructor mentor for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Lewis rose to the rank of captain and was instrumental in the creation of the department’s Law Enforcement Explorer Post.

On Nov. 1, 2004, Lewis was nominated by Mayor Weiss and confirmed by the City Council to become director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department following the retirement of Eddie Gray.

After the city combined its Parks and Recreation, Street and Sanitation, Cemetery, Building and Grounds and Right-of-way Maintenance departments into the Public Works Department, Lewis became interim director of the new department in February 2012 when Director Rydell Wesson was named interim city administrator during the illness of former Mayor Tom Waychoff.

Following Waychoff’s passing after a battle with cancer, Wesson was named city administrator and Lewis appointed director of Public Works July 2, 2012.

When Dickson Police Department Chief Rick Chandler retired after 33 years with the department, Mayor Weiss named Lewis acting chief May 17, 2017. On Aug. 7, 2017, Weiss nominated and the City Council confirmed Lewis as the city’s 21st chief of police since its incorporation in 1899.

During his tenure as chief, the Dickson Police Department expanded its School Resource Officer program to include nine officers serving all six public schools located in the city, received grant funding to upgrade its body and in-car camera and computer systems, created a Traffic Division including two motorcycle officers, created a bicycle division that improved mobility for officers in the downtown area, worked with other departments to create the city’s Office of Emergency Management, worked with the Humane Society of Dickson County to increase funding and join forces with the city’s Animal Control Division, helped start the Citizens Police Academy as well as other programs and equipment improvements.

Lewis also served on the board of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission that oversees training standards and law enforcement certification across the state of Tennessee 2009-17.

A lifelong Dickson County resident, Lewis and his wife of 37 years, Lynn, have sons Tyler and Daniel (wife Hannah) and daughter Lisa Harden. Daniel Lewis has been an officer with the Dickson Police Department since 2017, serves as a school resource officer and recently was selected to be a THP DARE mentor, like is father was.

At the Feb. 5 council meeting, Mayor Weiss announced Assistant Chief Seth Lyles will serve as acting chief until he nominates a new chief.

Lyles has been with the Dickson Police Department since 2000, advancing from officer to corporal and sergeant in the Patrol Division. He was a detective in the Criminal Investigation Division where he was promoted to sergeant, lieutenant and administrative captain and was assigned to the 23rd Judicial District Drug Task Force as a narcotics agent. He was named assistant chief in 2017.

He is certified as a DARE instructor, firearms instructor, domestic violence instructor, TASER instructor, weapons armorer and field training officer.

A 1996 graduate of Dickson County High School, Lyles earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Bethel University in 2015.

Weiss said Lyles will assume the position of acting chief at the conclusion of Lewis’ shift on March 1.

The Dickson Police Department originated with the appointment of J.J. Haggard as chief marshal and Joe Hetherington as night marshal in May 1899. It has grown to consist of 64 certified officers and six support personnel providing 24-hour service for 16,000 residents in 20 square miles.

Municipal Court Clerk Margaret “Missy” Sullivan has retired after almost 38 years with the City of Dickson.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. recognized Sullivan with a proclamation and plaque during the Jan. 9, 2024, Dickson City Council meeting, noting that at the time of her retirement Sullivan was the longest-tenured employee of the city.

“Ms. Sullivan has elected to retire from the City of Dickson. She’s been with us 37 years plus a little bit,” Weiss said. “She started in courts and worked her way all the way from a clerk in courts to, she’s been the director in courts now for 12 years. We’re going to miss Missy. Missy’s done a great job with our courts.”

Sullivan’s official last day as Municipal Court Clerk was Wednesday, Jan. 10, ending a career that lasted over 37 years.

The mayor presented Sullivan with a proclamation stating Sullivan “has served the citizens of the City of Dickson with faithfulness, integrity and loyalty for 37 years, 10 months and 1 day and as Municipal Court Clerk for 12 years, 7 months and 10 days.”

With family members present, the council members gave Sullivan a standing ovation and she was presented a retirement bonus.

The only child of Bernard and Ann Myers and a 1978 graduate of Dickson County High School, Sullivan was hired March 10, 1986, by Dickson Police Department Chief Steve Gray as a records clerk for the police department and municipal court under JoAnn Brown, who was court clerk and secretary to the chief.

At that time, David Wolfe presided over the court with General Sessions jurisdiction in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Building on South Main Street.

As the city grew, the court system separated from the police department and Sullivan remained under Brown as assistant court clerk. When Brown retired, Sullivan was appointed Court Clerk June 1, 2011.

“Our court had the largest caseload each week in the 23rd Judicial District,” Sullivan recalled.

During her over 37 years with the city and over 12 years as court clerk, the city’s judicial system has undergone numerous changes.

“I have worked with four police chiefs and four judges,” Sullivan said. “In 2017, the city gave up our General Sessions jurisdiction and became a Municipal Court.”

Sullivan served under judges Wolfe, Brian Ragan, Reese Holley and Stan Reynolds, police chiefs Gray, Henry Scott, Rick Chandler and Jeff Lewis and mayors Tom Waychoff and Weiss during her 37 years. When City Hall moved out of the Municipal Building to its current location, the Council Chamber was renovated to be a full-time courtroom. An expansion of the Municipal Building created office space for the court clerk on the upper floor and added a dispatch area below, which became part of the police department when the new 911 Emergency Communications Center opened on West Chestnut Street.

A lifelong resident of Dickson County, Sullivan said she is proud to have raised her family here, including daughter Dawn Rogers (Robert), sons Will Sullivan and Josh Sullivan (Shaina) and grandson Jones.

“My family has grown up here in the city. I am a proud Mom and Gaga,” Sullivan said. “I hope to have good health that will allow me to spend time with my loving family and friends, more time for camping at the Tennessee River, concerts and travel” with significant other Sean Martin.

At the Jan. 9 council meeting, Weiss announced that Assistant Court Clerk Gina Swaner will serve as acting clerk until he nominates a new court clerk.

A 1996 graduate of Hickman County High School, Swaner began working as a dispatcher with the City of Dickson in 2001 before becoming a court records clerk in 2007 and has served as assistant clerk under Sullivan since July 2013.

In 2020, Swaner completed the three-year Municipal Court Clerk Certification Program of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service to become the City of Dickson’s first certified Municipal Court Clerk.

Swaner and husband Gene reside in Burns with their daughter, Emma, a freshman at the University of Missouri.

The city honored Sullivan with a retirement reception at the Tennsco Community Center Jan. 11.

The City of Dickson formally dedicated the building that houses the Senior Activity Center as the David A. Shepard Building during a ceremony Friday, Dec. 15.

While the brass plaque that will commemorate the dedication is still being produced, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and Martha Shepard unveiled a replica of the plaque in a ceremony during the annual Mayor’s Christmas Breakfast at the center at 100 Payne Springs Road.

With about 100 guests, including Shepard family members, Weiss dedicated the building to Shepard, who served on the Dickson City Council, in the Tennessee House of Representatives and on the Dickson County Commission for more than 30 years in public service.

Flanked by Shepard’s widow, Martha, and daughter, Councilwoman Stacey Shepard Levine, Weiss recalled his personal friendship with Shepard.

“David was a friend to almost, I’m sure, everybody in this room,” Weiss said. “I’ve known David as long a I can remember. We went on many golf trips together. It’s an honor to be here to recognize David.”

A native of Hickman County, Shepard moved to Dickson when his father, M.O. Shepard, was named the county extension agent. He graduated from Dickson High School in 1965, the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1969 and the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in Memphis in 1974. He served in Vietnam where he earned the Bronze Star with Valor.

He and Martha met in Pharmacy school and married in 1974. He served 22 years as a clinical pharmacy specialist with the Veterans Administration Medical Center. They purchased a pharmacy in Dickson in 1981 and opened Dickson Apothecary and operated other independent pharmacies in the region. The Shepards also participated in multiple medical mission trips.

Shepard served 12 years on the Dickson City Council 1977-89, including 10 years as vice mayor, 16 years in the Tennessee House of Representatives 2000-16, and was elected to the Dickson County Commission in 2018 where he was serving at the time of his death Feb. 4, 2021, after a battle with cancer at the age of 73.

“He really dedicated his life to serving this community,” Weiss said.

Elected to the Dickson City Council in 2021, Mrs. Levine said she is proud to be following in her father’s footsteps in serving the community.

“I was a brand new member of the Council when this project was going through its final stages of completion, so I feel really grateful to be a small part of this incredible place,” Mrs. Levine said. “And I know Dad would have loved it, especially the yummy lunches that they serve here. But my family and I, my Mom and my two brothers, Chris and Ben, and Kitzie, my sister-in-law, and my husband, Ethan, and the six grandchildren, we’re all just very humbled and grateful for this honor. And we just feel grateful that his name is associated with a place that represents community and relationships and health and food and fun.”

After she unveiled the plaque replica, Martha Shepard said her late husband would be proud to be associated with the new senior center.

“David Shepard would be so proud to know that this building, this new senior citizens’ building, is being named in his memory,” Mrs. Shepard said. “David had a special place in his heart for senior citizens. He worked with so many World War II veterans that were senior citizens at the VA Hospital during his career up there. But those of you that knew David know that he had a special place in his heart for all people. David loved people.”

Mrs. Shepard thanked the partners of the Reynolds, Potter, Ragan, Vandivort law practice who initiated the effort to name a city facility in honor of Shepard through a petition to the city’s Naming Committee and the city of Dickson for approving the dedication. The committee endorsed the proposal and the Dickson City Council passed Resolution #2023-15 on June 5, 2023, to name the new senior activity center building in Shepard’s honor.

“All of y’all have brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart this morning,” Mrs. Shepard said.

Following the dedication ceremony, Weiss invited the guests to enjoy a breakfast buffet prepared by the staff of the Senior Activity Center.

Weiss said the annual Mayor’s Christmas Breakfast started in the mid-1990s at East Hills Restaurant to show appreciation to the city’s department heads and administrative staff. It has grown to include city council members past and present, local and state elected representatives, chairpersons of various city committees and boards and representatives of local businesses that work closely with the city.

In addition to his department heads and staff, Weiss recognized State Reps. Mary Littleton and Jody Barrett, Nashville State Community College President Dr. Shanna Jackson, new NSCC Dickson campus Director Telaina Wrigley, new Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson President Laura Travis, interim Director of Dickson County Schools Dr. Vivian McCord, the principals of the Dickson County schools located inside the city that host school resource officers from the Dickson Police Department and former Mayor J. Dan Buckner among the invited guests.

The mayor also asked for those attending to remember Emergency Communications Director Rosalind Sowell and her family following the passing of her mother, Delois Fossie, earlier that morning. Weiss and Sowell, whom he said he knows as Alfreda, were classmates in the Dickson County High School Class of 1976. She has been with the city 15 years, the last eight as director of the Emergency Communications Department of 911 telecommunicators.

Lt. Jessica Blackwell of the Dickson Police Department has been recognized by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office for her efforts to reduce crashes involving teen drivers.

The THSO presented Blackwell its 2023 Teen Driver Safety Award for Middle Tennessee “in appreciation of your dedication to reduce teen crashes throughout the State of Tennessee” during its holiday meeting Dec. 7 in White House.

Blackwell was nominated for the award by DPD’s Major Todd Christian, who serves as a network coordinator for THSO. Christian is one of 21 officers from 18 Law Enforcement Networks across the state who works with the Law Enforcement Liaisons to promote, coordinate and implement THSO’s initiatives and programs.

Blackwell became the first female officer to achieve the rank of lieutenant in the Dickson Police Department’s 120-year history in August 2021 when she was promoted to oversee the Special Services Division, which includes community relations, school resource officers, grants and animal control.

The THSO launched its Reduce TN Crashes program in 2013 with a goal of reducing crashes through increased traffic safety activities. The program combines innovative branding and basic marketing to create a campaign to promote traffic safety in high schools across the state.

Activities promoting traffic safety are submitted to the program, which awards points based on participation.

For the first time since joining the program, Dickson County High School is one of three Tennessee schools currently in the Gold Award category by accumulating over 3,000 points. The Gold level activities allow students to engage their community and neighboring schools by hosting a regional event.

As of December, DCHS is third out of 47 participating schools on the Reduce TN Crashes Leaderboard with 3,300 points, behind Clay County High School at 7,700 and Dyer County High School at 4,100 points. Sevier County High School is fourth at 2,800.

DCHS activities include the Arrive Alive driving simulator, a joint session with Creek Wood High School for a TBI internet safety presentation, promoting safety at the annual Boo Fest celebration at Halloween, promoting driving safety at the DCHS Job Expo, participating in the Slow Down Tennessee campaign, Criminal Justice program students participating in THP’s Ollie Otter booster seat and seat belt program, students taking the Tennessee Hands Free pledge to not be on electronic devices while driving, promoting seat belt usage and distributing graduated driver’s license information at the Dickson County Fair, promoting the Click It or Ticket seat belt campaign, promoting Work Zone Awareness, promoting seat belt usage with the Seat Belt Selfie campaign and other activities.

“We will never know how many lives Lt. Blackwell has potentially saved just by her taking the time to educate our young people,” Chief Jeff Lewis said in announcing the award. “The City of Dickson Police Department is grateful for officers like Lt. Blackwell and her dedication to her job and this community.”

After igniting her interest in law enforcement as a 15-year-old DCHS student in the Dickson Law Enforcement Explorer Post, Blackwell enrolled in a youth apprenticeship program with DPD and was hired as a part-time clerk entering reports in the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS). After graduation she became a full-time records clerk and at 19 transferred to a police officer position, graduating from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in 2002.

She has received specialized training as a Pressure Point Control Tactics instructor, Drug Abuse Resistance Education instructor, hostage negotiator and school resource officer.

Blackwell became the department’s second full-time SRO in 2011 and has served in several of the county’s schools located within the city. In July 2019, she was promoted to sergeant over the School Resource Officers division.

The City of Dickson Senior Activity Center celebrated its first anniversary at its new location with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Dickson County Chamber on Monday, Nov. 27.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and other city officials joined center Director Joan Rial, staff and participants at a ceremony to celebrate the facility, which opened in its new location at 100 Payne Springs Road Oct. 31, 2022.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 13 months since we opened on Halloween of 2022. We didn’t think we would ever get it open and here we are a year later. I think we’re averaging about 250 people a day, which we never dreamed that would happen,” Weiss said. “Of all the things that the City Council and my staff have been able to do, this ranks right up there in the top two or three things that we’ve been able to do for our community. We’re very proud of the center. We’re very proud that the city has the means to provide the center for our 55-and-up citizens.

“Mrs. Rial and her staff, they do a great job out here. There are a lot of people that worked really hard on this building: the contractor, A & S, the staff at the city, especially the Codes Office with Mr. (Jason) Pilkinton, Public Works with Mr. (David) Travis, Andy Bowker’s not here but Andy works in our Codes Department and Andy probably spent as much time out here as he did doing his job most days. We’re very appreciative of that. But (City Administrator) Mr. (Rydell) Wesson and my staff, they did a great job of managing this project and we’re just really proud of the end result.”

“We’re just so proud of the building and I’m proud of all of you. You know how wonderful this facility is,” Rial said to a crowd of more than 50 participants gathered for the ceremony. “We thank the city for providing this for us.”

Philene Trevathan, who leads yoga and cardio classes at the center, said the opportunities the center provides to promote good health are blessings to her “well-seasoned friends.”

“For me as an instructor and the importance of knowing that we’re not done yet, we’re not being put to the side. We still have a lot to give,” Trevathan said. “And for me, knowing that a little bit of exercise every single day is going to make a difference in our lives and still being productive and having that purpose. And this place has just unbelievably opened the doors and I just love it.

“We want to stay healthy and strong and this place is providing that for us so, thank you, thank you, thank you everybody on the council for saying ‘yes’ to this.”

Cookie Burgess, who leads some of the craft classes at the center, said Assistant Director Dwan Nelson convinced her to begin coming to the senior center at its former location about five years ago and “this place has really changed my life.”

“I thought when I retired I was going to have a nervous breakdown. ‘What am I going to do?’” Burgess said. “Thanks to Dwan, I started coming here. Not only is it the workout, it’s the fellowship and the community coming together here. This is a precious place to me. I love, love this place.”

Burgess also praised Rial and the center staff for genuinely caring about the center participants’ well-being.

“They really care about us,” Burgess said. “They look out for our safety. They care. If somebody doesn’t show up, they call, ‘Are you OK?’ The inspiration. We have a craft room where we can do really fun things and learn from one another. We all are so talented, we need to share that. So, for me, this place has just really changed my life and I’m a lot healthier.”

With staff and ambassadors from the Dickson County Chamber, center participants, City Council members Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) and Brett Reynolds (1st Ward), Weiss and members of his administration joining in, Rial cut a ribbon to mark the celebration of the center’s first anniversary.

The Dickson City Council approved the purchase of the former Dickson Athletic Club in November 2020 for $1.75 million and invested $1.7 million in remodeling the 22,000-square-foot building, including installing a commercial kitchen, and another $250,000 in improving the parking lot for a total of just over $3.7 million to more than double the center’s size from its original location on West Walnut Street built in 1977.

Open 8:00 am-4:00 pm Monday-Friday, the center offers a variety of activities and programs, workout equipment, recreational facilities and serves lunches Monday-Thursday. Participation in the center is free and daily lunches are $5. For more information on the activity schedule, pick up a copy of the center’s monthly newsletter or weekly lunch menus, visit the Senior Center page on the city’s website at cityofdickson.com or like the Dickson Senior Center page on Facebook or call 615-446-9350.

The Dickson City Council voted in June to dedicate the building that houses the Senior Activity Center in honor of the late David A. Shepard, who served 12 years as a Dickson City Council member, 10 years as Vice Mayor, 16 years in the Tennessee General Assembly and three years on the Dickson County Commission. A dedication ceremony will be held later this year.

At 11:15 am Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. informed Emergency Communications by radio that Dickson Fire Department Station #3 is now open and operational.

Just moments before, firefighters from the department took part in a traditional “push-in” ceremony by pushing Unit 133 into one of the bays of the new station at 2579 Highway 70 East on the corner with Ridgecrest Drive.

The “push-in” tradition dates back to when fire departments used horse-drawn wagons. After returning from fighting a fire, the firefighters had to unhitch the horses and push the wagons back into the fire hall.

Dickson Fire Department Chief Richard Greer said the new station is now staffed and available to respond to fire, wreck, medical and other emergency calls.

“We are proud to open the new fire station and believe it will greatly reduce response times to emergency calls on the east side of the city and to the industrial park,” Greer said. “In saving lives and property, the quicker we can respond the better the chance for good outcomes. By adding Station #3 we believe we have taken a major step in providing expanded coverage to a growing area of the city.”

The 10,000-square-foot station will be staffed with four firefighters 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Opened in 1991, Station #2 on Pringle Drive in Pomona is staffed with five firefighters and Station #1 on Church Street that opened in 1964 is staffed with seven firefighters around the clock plus administrative staff.

The City purchased 2.8 acres on the corner of Highway 70 East and Ridgecrest Drive for $87,500.00 in August 2019. TMPartners was chosen to design the fire station and Boger Construction was the primary contractor for the $5.2 million investment.

“The City faced several hurdles in completing a fire station project that began right as a worldwide pandemic impacted every aspect of construction,” said Mayor Weiss. “We overcame those challenges and now have a fully equipped, modern fire station that blends with the residential neighborhood along one of the busiest roads in the city.”

The department plans to hold an open house for citizens to tour the new fire station later in the spring.

City Administrator Rydell Wesson recently informed the City Council that the administration is looking into the possibility of relocating Station #2. The current budget includes funds for designing renovations to the Pomona station but Wesson said the city is considering several sites for potentially building a replacement station that could include a substation for the Dickson Police Department.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. will officially light a Christmas tree in downtown Friday, Dec. 1, prior to the start of the annual Christmas parade.

Presented by the City of Dickson’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Christmas tree will be placed in Tom H. Waychoff Memorial Park on the southeast corner of College and Main streets in downtown Dickson.

The lighting ceremony will begin at 5:00 pm Friday, Dec. 1, and feature a performance by local singer/songwriter Daryl Cauthen. Mayor Weiss will flip the switch to light the tree for the holiday season around 5:15 pm and the music will continue until the parade makes its way to downtown.

The Downtown Dickson Association presents the annual parade that starts at 6:30 pm Friday on the campus of Dickson County High School and follows the traditional route into downtown but will turn on East College Street at the site of the city Christmas tree and end on the campus of Dickson Middle School. Lineup on the DCHS campus begins at 4:30 pm.

Cauthen will perform in the park before and after the tree-lighting ceremony until the parade arrives.

A Dickson native, country singer/songwriter Cauthen started playing guitar as a young teen with the help of his uncle and soon after receiving his first guitar. At the age of 15, he wrote his first song: “Queen of My Broken Heart,” which he says is still a crowd favorite at his shows. Cauthen’s repertoire of original songs is now over 100.

Cauthen’s first stage appearance was at Dickson’s Grand Old Hatchery on South Main Street in downtown and has grown to include some of the most iconic stages in Music City. He has performed on stages such as The Wildhorse Saloon and Tootsies Orchid Lounge among other historic venues in downtown Nashville with his former band The Craggie Hope Band, which ran a two-year span singing on various honky tonk stages before the members began starting their own families.

He continues to perform locally and at private events and a new band is being formed and gearing up for future dates.

Cauthen is a successful business owner and operator of Walnut Grove Woodcraft. Together with his wife of 12 years, Tasha, he has three children.

Applications for the Dickson Christmas Parade are available on the Downtown Dickson page on Facebook or at Reading Rock Books, 122 North Main St. The entry fee is $10 through Nov. 15 and $15 after that date. For more information on the Christmas parade, email ddicksonaevents@gmail.com or visit the Downtown Dickson page on Facebook.

The annual Christmas in Downtown Dickson will be 5:00-9:00 pm Saturday, Dec. 2, with a variety of sales and special activities presented by the Downtown Dickson Association.

The Tennessee Emergency Number Association (TENA) named Kim Wingate of the City of Dickson Emergency Communications Department as the 2023 Supervisor of the Year at its fall conference.

TENA is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1985 after the passage of the Emergency Communications Act whose membership includes public safety communications professionals representing the Emergency Communications Districts throughout Tennessee. Its mission is to foster the technological advancement, availability and implementation of a universal 911 emergency telephone system by promoting research, planning, training and education.

The 38th annual TENA Educational Conference and Industry Partner Show was Sept. 24-27 in Murfreesboro and awards were presented for Telecommunicator of the Year, Supervisor of the Year, Distinguished Service Award, Dispatch Incident of the Year and others.

The Supervisor of the Year Award is presented to the supervisor who has done the most for dispatchers in a department or agency. The recipient is recognized for excelling at his/her job requirements and balancing the needs of the dispatch center and administration with the needs of the dispatcher.

An operations supervisor, Wingate joined the Dickson Emergency Communications Department Oct. 19, 2010.

She was nominated for Supervisor of the Year by Telecommunicator Rhonda Booker.

“Kim is a full-time wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt and supervisor,” Booker wrote. “Kim is at work more than she is with her family. She tends to put the center and her employees first. She will put everyone else and everyone else’s needs before her. If someone needs to take off for any reason and there isn’t enough staff to cover their shift, Kim always fills in. Our center is currently understaffed and she has stepped up and went back on the dispatch floor. She works nights, weekends and holidays just like everyone else.”

Booker cited Wingate’s devotion to making the dispatch center efficient and responsive to the calls it receives.

“She is the go-to person here at our center. If anyone, including myself, has any questions about anything, she has the answers and if she doesn’t know it she will find out,” Booker wrote. “She is the person that not only dispatchers go to with questions or concerns but she is also there to help the officers, firefighters and EMS crews. Everyone looks up to Kim.”

Booker said Wingate is the person who helps everyone understand new technology and changes that come to the emergency communications field and “is also that cheerleader that helps employees be more confident in themselves and push them when they are doubting themselves.”

Booker called Wingate a “good friend, mentor and listener.”

“Everyone needs a Kim at their center!” Booker said in the nomination.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and the Dickson City Council recognized and congratulated Wingate for the award at the Nov. 6 council meeting.

The City of Dickson Parks and Recreation Department will present a free concert in Holland Park following the Dickson County Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 12.

The annual Veterans Day Parade will be Sunday, Nov. 12, beginning at Dickson County High School and passing through downtown to end at Dickson Middle School.

Immediately following the parade, local country band RoughMix will perform a free concert on the stage of Holland Park next door to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum in downtown Dickson.

RoughMix is a classic country covers band featuring Steve Cordell on guitar and vocals, Mason Cordell on bass, Billy Clark on fiddle and keyboards, Terry Ishmael on drums, Kasei Haddix on vocals and Jason Goins on guitar and vocals.

RoughMix has been featured locally at the Sensing Brothers VFW Post 4641, Gallagher’s Family Restaurant in White Bluff, The Wagon Wheel II in Bon Aqua, the Charlotte Festival, Salt and Pepper Grill in White Bluff, the Grand Old Hatchery and other venues.

Presented by the Veterans Day Committee, the annual Veterans Day Parade begins at 2:00 pm Sunday, Nov. 12. The parade will assemble on the campus of Dickson County High School starting at 12:30 pm and follow the traditional parade route on North Charlotte Street to McFarland Lane to Highway 48 into downtown Dickson on Main Street, turning left before the railroad tracks and crossing to Church Street, then turning on East College Street before turning onto Academy Street and disbanding in the Dickson Middle School parking lot.

For parade information or entries, contact David McCutchen at (615) 390-2228 or gyro28866@gmail.com. There is a $10 donation to the Veterans Day Committee for entry into the parade. A parade application can be found on the Dickson County Veterans Day Parade page on Facebook.

For information on the concert, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at (615) 446-1721. Everyone attending is encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

In addition to the parade and concert, other Veterans Day celebrations include:

• A Veterans Event sponsored by Combat Vets Motorcycle Association, Chapter 18-10 Ridge Runners and Big Boys Cigar Shop 5-10 pm Friday, Nov. 10, at Big Boys Cigar, 103 E. Rickert Ave., with live music, free food for veterans and Otts Barbecue food truck;

• Veterans Appreciation Concert and Barbecue 3:00-6:00 pm Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Greer Building at the Dickson County Fairgrounds presented by American Legion Lucien Berry Post 115;

• A free meal for veterans and current military personnel at Applebee’s Saturday, Nov. 11;

• A free donut for all retired and active military personnel at Dunkin’ on Saturday, Nov. 11;

• A 15 percent discount for veterans, service members and their families at Tractor Supply Company on Saturday, Nov. 11; and

• Discounts and specials for veterans at other area restaurants and businesses.

Conditions have improved enough that the Dickson Fire Department has lifted the ban on outdoor burning within the City of Dickson.

Fire Marshal Robby Street withdrew the ban effective Monday, Oct. 30. Dry, windy conditions prompted the latest ban that was issued Oct. 23.

“The few showers we have received along with lower temperatures, higher humidity and lighter winds have reduced the risk of fires getting out of control enough to lift the ban on outdoor burning,” Street said. “We will continue to monitor conditions daily and control all outdoor burning through the required permits.”

Even with the burn ban lifted, residents within the city of Dickson are required to obtain a permit for any outdoor burning of leaves, brush, refuse or debris. The permits are free and can be obtained by phone by calling the department at (615) 446-6331.

“We still urge residents to be careful and follow all normal safety procedures when it comes to outdoor burning,” Street said. “Conditions have improved but the risks that are inherent in outdoor burning always will require vigilance and precautions.”

The Property Maintenance Regulations included in Title 13 of the Dickson Municipal Code state, “no person, firm or corporation shall burn or attempt to burn any material outdoors on private or public property within the corporate limits of the City of Dickson, Tennessee, without first securing a permit from the City of Dickson Fire Department.”

 “The permit requirement allows us to regulate outdoor burning based on the conditions,” Street said. “Not only are dry conditions taken into consideration, but the wind also is a risk factor considered in the decision on whether to restrict burning. Those conditions change day to day.”

Under the Dickson Municipal Code, the following restrictions apply to outdoor burning:

1) Open burning may be conducted subject to specified limitations and provided further that no public nuisance is or will be created by such open burning. The issuance of a permit will in no way relieve the person responsible for such burning from the consequences or the damages, injuries or claims resulting from such burning;

2) All materials to be burned shall be readily combustible;

3) An area of at least ten feet (10’) surrounding the material to be burned must be cleared to prevent the spread of fire;

4) A continuous water supply equipped with a shut off nozzle and a hose long enough to reach fifteen feet (15’) beyond the farthest pile shall be provided;

5) If the permit holder cannot meet the requirements of subsection 4, the permit holder shall have on site a bulldozer with qualified operator during the period of the permit;

6) The permit holder shall have on site a responsible adult whose sole duty shall be to attend the fire from the time it is first set until the fire is totally extinguished;

7) Burning shall not be permitted on any property where four (4) or more dwelling units are located;

8) Materials used to facilitate such burning shall be minimal amounts of diesel fuel;

9) Burning shall be permitted only from 7:00 am until thirty (30) minutes before sunset unless the fire chief or his designee grants additional time; and

10) When a fire is used to clear land where trees and brush are present the fire marshal may require that an air curtain destructor be used when the distance of such burn is less than five hundred feet (500’) to an airport, hospital, nursing home, school, or a federal or state highway. Air curtain destructor shall be required when the pile to be burned is within two hundred fifty feet (250’) of a residence.

Any person or business found in violation of the burning restrictions can be required to reimburse the Dickson Fire Department $150 per hour for each apparatus used in response to the fire, $50 per hour for each firefighter involved in the response and the cost of any materials used plus 30 percent. Second and subsequent offenses can result in the fees being doubled.

For residents outside municipalities with full-time fire departments, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division requires burn permits from Oct. 15 to May 15. As in the city, the permits are free but provide the state with a way of regulating burning. Forestry Division permits for outdoor burning can be obtained at 877-350-BURN (2876) or online at burnsafetn.org.

Anyone living within the borders of a city with a full-time fire department should contact that department about regulations on outdoor burning.

For more safety tips on outdoor burning or to obtain a permit in the city of Dickson, call (615) 446-6331. For outside the city limits, call (877) 350-2876, go online to burnsafetn.org or contact your local fire department.

The first activity and water features have been installed in the City of Dickson’s Dog Park as part of the Henslee Park recreational facility.

Located to the left off the main entrance from Henslee Drive, the Henslee Park Dog Park is a fenced area 350 feet in length with separate areas 70-100 feet wide for small and large breed dogs.

Each area includes a water feature for the dogs to hydrate, activity features for dogs to climb on and jump through, benches, shade structure and picnic area for their human companions and waste disposal stations to keep the park clean.

“Along with a splash pad, a dog park was one of the most frequently listed items people wanted to see added to the park system in surveys conducted by the City of Dickson in cooperation with the Good Morning and High Noon Rotary clubs,” said Parks Superintendent Cherie Wilson. “With the city’s purchase of the 126-acre former Dickson Country Club site in 2018, we are excited that we have been able to add both features as well as a one-of-a-kind playground and a second disc golf course to go with the four miles of walking and running trails.”

The dog park has its own parking area and is built on the site of the driving range at the former country club. It is open seven days a week 8:00 am-10:00 pm and is free to use.

The small breed area includes Spaniel Single Hoop Jump, Corgi Climb and Bow Wow Barrel activity features, as well as a fire hydrant, water fountain and waste disposal station.

The large breed area includes Whippet Walk, Husky Triple Hoop and Bow Wow Barrel activity features, as well as a fire hydrant, water fountain and waste disposal station.

Both areas include plenty of fenced area to allow dogs to run off leash.

In developing the Dog Park, the City of Dickson allocated $33,485 for fencing and received a $25,000 Dog Park Dash grant from the Boyd Foundation in 2021 to purchase the activity features, water features, benches, shade structure, waste disposal stations and picnic area.

“We are excited to add the activity features to the Dog Park and will be looking to include more features in the future as we continue to develop the park,” Wilson said.

The Dog Park is the only area dogs are allowed off leash in Henslee Park. Dogs are not allowed in the Splash Pad and Playground areas but are allowed on leash in the rest of the park. Dog owners bringing their pets to enjoy the Dog Park are asked to be respectful of other dogs in the area, keep the gates closed at all times and to use the waste disposal stations to clean up after their dogs.

In addition to Henslee Park, the Parks and Recreation Department operates the Lester D. Speyer Recreational Complex and Community Center, J. Dan Buckner Park, Holland Park, Luther Lake, Lakeview Park, Tom Waychoff Memorial Park, City Lake, the Dickson Housing Authority Community Center, the Dickson Skate Park and the stage on the campus of the War Memorial Building. The city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board also has proposed adding a themed playground downtown in the area behind the Dickson Fire Department Station #1 on Church Street.

For more information on Henslee Park and the other facilities and activities of the Parks and Recreation Department, call (615) 446-1721 or visit cityofdickson.com or the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department page on Facebook.

Local photographer James Allen explored the new Henslee Park Dog Park with his drone and dog.

View the video on You Tube here: https://youtu.be/I5xx-KqXsLQ?si=0osxdc3lVl7DLtX8

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. administered the Peace Officer’s Oath to a new park ranger and police officer at the Oct. 16, 2023, Finance and Management Committee meeting.

Mayor Weiss swore in and welcomed Molly Adams as a new ranger for the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department and Kevin B. Kelley as a new officer in the Dickson Police Department.

A Dickson County native, Adams began working with the City of Dickson as a lifeguard in 2017. She became manager at the J. Dan Buckner Park municipal swimming pool in 2019.

After graduating from Creek Wood High School in 2020, Adams attended Columbia State Community College to receive an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician license.

In 2021, she started as a 911 telecommunicator with the City of Dickson Emergency Communications Department and in June 2023 returned to the Parks and Recreation Department as program coordinator and park ranger.

Adams will attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in January. Park rangers in the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department are commissioned as law enforcement officers by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

“I would like to thank my parents for their continued love and support,” Adams said. “I look forward to serving the City of Dickson.”

Kelley grew up in Sharon, south of Martin in Weakley County, Tenn. He graduated from Sharon High School in 1990 where he was a two-sport athlete.

He joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served four years. Following his military service, Kelley graduated from the North Carolina Basic Law Enforcement Training Center in 1994 and became a public safety officer.

In 2000, Kelley transferred to the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office in Beaufort, N.C., and became a deputy sheriff. He rose through the ranks to patrol lieutenant.

He earned certifications as a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operator, traffic accident investigator, radar speed detection/Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR)/visual average speed computer and recorder (VASCAR) operator, National Association of School Resource Officers Basic and Advanced school resource officer and general law enforcement instructor.

In 2013, Kelley retired in North Carolina and returned to Tennessee. In 2016 he graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a bachelor of science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

In 2021 he joined the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office in Brownsville, Tenn., as a patrol deputy and graduated as class president from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy. 

In 2022, Kelley moved to Dickson to be closer to his girlfriend and now wife, Kristy, an instructor at TLETA, and became a deputy with the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office. He joined the Dickson Police Department’s Patrol Division in June 2023 and is currently assigned to the Traffic Unit.

As dry conditions persist, with little to no humidity, the City of Dickson has issued a ban on all outdoor burning effective immediately until the area receives significant rainfall.

Dickson Fire Department Fire Marshal Robby Street announced the burn ban Monday morning after an assessment of continuing drought conditions, dry vegetation and low humidity determined the risk to life and property has reached a critical stage.

“With only brief showers during the last few weeks, conditions in the City of Dickson have deteriorated to the point that we don’t believe we can safely allow any outdoor burning,” Street said. “The fire department will not issue any burn permits or sanction any outdoor burning until we see a good, prolonged, soaking rain that will reduce the risk.”

The ban applies to any outdoor fires, including the burning of leaves, brush, debris, trash, campfires, bonfires and even screened barrels within the boundaries of the City of Dickson.

“Right now, conditions are bad enough that the smallest ember can start a grass fire that could threaten structures and lives,” Street said. “We also urge residents to be extremely careful discarding cigarettes and other smoking materials.”

The Dickson Fire Department ban applies to burning inside the city limits. 

The Tennessee Division of Forestry regulates burning outside of municipalities with full-time fire departments and information on current conditions and permit requirements can be found at burnsafetn.org. Permits are currently required for any outdoor burning anywhere in the state.

As of Monday, the National Weather Service forecast for Dickson includes drought conditions with low humidity and wind gusts up to 11 mph.  A less than 10% chance of scattered showers is forecasted over the next 7-10 days.

The Dickson Fire Department ban will remain in effect until further notice. Announcements will be made at cityofdickson.com or on the City of Dickson page on Facebook.

The Dickson Municipal Code requires residents of the city to obtain a permit from the fire department prior to any outdoor burning. The permits are free but allow the department to monitor conditions and control when and where burning takes place. Permit information can be obtained by calling the department at 615-446-6331.

Residents in municipalities with full-time fire departments should check with the department or town hall for outdoor burning requirements. Residents outside municipalities or in towns without fire departments should check with the Tennessee Division of Forestry at burnsafetn.org or call 1-888-891-TDEC (8332). The Division of Forestry requires permits for outdoor burning throughout Tennessee Oct. 15-May 15.

The City of Dickson Public Works Department will launch its seasonal loose-leaf pickup service Wednesday, Nov. 1. The service runs through Monday, April 15, 2024.

As a service to residents of the city, crews will circulate through every street in the city multiple times during the season to vacuum leaves that have been raked or blown to the side of the street. Loose leaves are not picked up by calls or appointments.

“We’ve determined that it is more efficient to send our leaf-vacuum crews around the city on a street-by-street schedule instead of running around the city responding to calls,” said Public Works Director David Travis. “Crews will continue their routes through the city until April 15 and will make multiple passes on every street during this time.”

Residents inside the city limits of Dickson can rake or blow loose leaves to the street right-of-way for pickup. Leaves should be no more than five feet from the shoulder of the road or curb and no more than two feet deep, but should not block drainage ditches or storm drains, obstruct sidewalks or create a traffic hazard.

Leaves should not be within three feet of any mailbox, sign post, utility pole or other structure. They also should be free of any debris, branches or other materials that could damage the vacuums.

“As we enter the season for leaf-pickup, I want to assure all city residents that we will get your leaves picked up. There is no need to call to report that your leaves are ready to be picked up,” Travis said. “Even if a crew passes your house before you have your leaves ready, don’t worry because we will be back several times before the season ends.”

In addition to loose-leaf pickup Nov. 1-April 15, the Public Works Department picks up bagged leaves year-‘round. Leaves in biodegradable bags should be free of household garbage, branches and other debris and placed at the side of the road. Bagged leaves are picked up on a per-call basis at 615-441-9508 or by email to Jeanneé Porter at jporter@cityofdickson.com throughout the calendar year.

Residents who hire a business or service to gather leaves must also include leaf removal in that service. The city will not pick up leaves gathered or moved to the roadside by a commercial company or service.

The Public Works Department offers pickup service for brush and one tree cut less than six feet in length and 12 inches in diameter at no charge. A bulk pickup pre-paid fee of $150 per load is required for the removal of more than one tree or one tree that exceeds the restrictions on length and diameter.

The department will not pick up brush and limbs cut by a commercial landscaping or tree-trimming company.

The City of Dickson’s leaf- and brush-removal policies can be viewed on the city’s website at cityofdickson.com under the Public Works Department or call the department at 615-441-9508 for more information.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and City Administrator Rydell Wesson presented updates on several ongoing projects at the Dickson City Council’s Finance and Management Committee meeting Oct. 16, 2023.

With two new members of the council starting their terms, Mayor Weiss said it was a good time to bring all the council up to speed on ongoing and future projects.

“We felt like we needed to do this, especially with two new councilmen, so you all would know what all we do have going on and kind of where they started and where they’re ending or where they’re at at this point in time,” Weiss said.

Dickson Senior Activity Center

Parking lot improvements and paving began Oct. 16. Administrator Wesson said the project will be done in phases. The center will be closed Oct. 26-27 for final topping and striping of the lots. Wesson summarized the cost of the new senior center at 100 Payne Springs Road to include $1,750,000 to purchase the former Dickson Athletic Center, $1,716,000 in construction costs and $249,613 for paving for a total investment of $3,715,613. In September, the center hosted 4,065 participants for an average of 214 per day.

Dickson Fire Department Station #3

“We’re currently working on the punch list items right now, that’s nearing completion,” Wesson said. Final furniture installation is ongoing but there is some concrete work that needs to be redone. The property at the intersection of Highway 70 East and Ridgecrest Drive was purchased for $87,500 and construction to date totals $5,068,850 for a total investment of $5,156,350. There have been eight change orders approved for a net total of $69,000 and the city is currently seeking $40,000 in liquidated damages from the contractor for exceeding the contract completion date.

Dickson Fire Department Station #1 roof repair

Bids for repairs to the roof of the apparatus bays and living quarters at Station #1 on Church Street were opened on Oct. 16 and are being reviewed. Wesson said a recommendation will be presented at the council’s Nov. 6 meeting.

Dickson Fire Department Station #2 renovations

The council budgeted money for plans for renovations and possible expansion of Station #2 on Pringle Drive in Pomona, but Wesson said the administration is considering other options. “They have a real need, they’re out of space,” Wesson said of the station that opened in 1991. “The facility needs a major upgrade.” In reviewing the location, Wesson said the station is on a septic system, is in a low site that stays wet and is limited in space for expansion. “The cost of expanding it, we feel like would go far better to put into a whole new station at a different location,” Wesson said. “So, we’re currently talking with several people about the possibility of locations and have a few on the table as we speak. So, we’re not planning on doing anything to that building at this point in time, until we see if we can find a better location for it.”

Alexander Drive extension

The city accepted a bid of $2,954,068 from Underground Pipe and Construction to extend Alexander Drive to connect with Gum Branch Road to provide an alternative for traffic other than East Christi Drive from Highway 46. Wesson said the city had $2,838,561 left from the 2016 loan to fund the Traffic System Management project for Highway 46 established by the Tennessee Department of Transportation and budgeted another $115,507 from fund balance to cover the difference. Excavating and grading has begun on the west end with base stone to be placed soon and binder to be laid prior to winter. Work on the east end is expected to take place in the spring. There will be a study conducted to redesign the intersection of Alexander Drive at Highway 46 to add a protected left turn.

Henslee Park

The new parking lot next to the Splash Pad has been completed and the fence along Henslee Drive was added. The Splash Pad ended its first season of operation Oct. 16 while the Playground, Dog Park, disc golf course, walking trails and rest of Henslee Park will remain open normal hours. The activity features purchased with a $25,000 Dog Park Dash Grant from the Boyd Foundation have been installed at the Dog Park. Constructing and equipping the Splash Pad and Playground cost $3,987,402, including the additional paving and fence.

J. Dan Buckner Park Phase I

The city received a $1,000,000 Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for the first phase of improvements to J. Dan Buckner Park. The state offered to add $250,000 to the grant, with the city providing a 50 percent match. Phase I is the area along Weaver Drive and will include a playground, pavilion with restrooms, two basketball courts, two courts that will be double-striped for tennis and pickleball and ADA-compliant parking. Construction plans have been submitted to TDEC for review and once approved bids will be solicited for construction. Mayor Weiss said after learning of Tennsco’s plan to add three tennis courts, the city attempted to change the two tennis courts designed for Buckner Park to four pickleball courts, but because pickleball was not included in the master plan created by the city several years ago, TDEC would not allow the courts to be changed. “TDEC told us (they) would not approve us doing that and if we did it they would pull the grant,” Weiss said. “They would go along with us double-striping but they would not go along with converting them to four pickleball because they said when the survey was done, that we didn’t show a need for pickleball here.”

Lester Speyer Recreational Complex (Tennsco Park)

The Tennsco Corp. is adding three tennis courts and building a new playground in the recreational complex adjacent to Tennsco Plant 5 and the Tennsco Community Center. The three new courts will bring the total to six courts that can be used for matches by the Dickson County High School tennis team, which lost its on-campus facilities. The city received a bid of $2,690,939 for the project, which Tennsco has agreed to fully reimburse through the Community Foundation for Dickson County. Tennsco owns the complex and leases it to the City of Dickson. Site work is expected to be completed in the next couple of weeks and construction is anticipated to be finished in time for the high school tennis season next spring.

Aquatic Facility/YMCA Partnership

After the city couldn’t open the municipal swimming pool at J. Dan Buckner Park due to required renovations and staffing issues, the city began looking into developing an aquatic facility that could include an indoor pool for year-round use to be added at Henslee Park. The city contracted with Wold Architects and Engineers to develop conceptual designs for a facility. The city also has been conducting discussions with the Dickson County Family YMCA and regional YMCA officials about a potential partnership, including touring several facilities in Shelby County and meeting with the YMCA’s design team on Oct. 16. “We think that partnership has a lot of potential,” Weiss said. “We’ve still got a lot of discussions to have on that. They have looked at Henslee Park. They like that location. That’s one of the biggest things we have to bring to the table in this whole discussion is property.” In the preliminary discussions, Weiss said the aquatic facility has been described as being open to YMCA members and non-members. “The good thing, we think, with a partnership with the Y is that they would operate the facility,” Weiss said. “We’ve been more encouraged after every meeting we’ve had with the Y and we’re not ready to move forward there yet, but we’re getting closer every time we meet.” Weiss said some of the meetings also have included corporate representatives interested in being a part of the project. “We think it’s got real merit for us to continue talking with them and moving forward in that direction,” Weiss said.

Downtown Revitalization Phase VI

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has already awarded a $1.2 million Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant that requires a 20 percent local match for Phase VI, which consists of sidewalk and other improvements on Church Street from East College Street to East Rickert Avenue. Kimley-Horn and Associates was selected as design engineers and is working on plans to be submitted to TDOT for review.

Downtown Revitalization Phase VII

The city applied for a TAP grant for Phase VII on Oct. 3 to include sidewalk and other improvements on Frank G. Clement Place and West Railroad Street between Center Avenue and South Charlotte Street (Holland Park to the railroad underpass). Because the city has yet to start construction on Phase VI, Wesson said he’s not sure if the application will be approved. In the past, TDOT has turned down Dickson’s applications when a previous phase is still in progress. “What we’ve seen from that is TDOT will normally not award that grant this time,” Wesson said. “But we’ll wait until we’re under construction and apply again in the next grant cycle and typically receive it at that time.”

West College Street Phase I

The city has received a TDOT Multimodal grant to make pedestrian improvements to West College Street from Mulberry Street to Walker Street. The grant is up to $950,000 with a $50,000 local match. In June the city council approved Kimley-Horn and Associates as the design engineer for the project.

West College Street Phase II

The city applied in July for another TDOT Multimodal grant to continue the pedestrian improvements on West College Street from Walker Street to Polk Avenue. The pedestrian improvements along West College Street are part of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan developed by the city several years ago to qualify for the Multimodal grants.

Highway 70 West/Weaver Drive/Beasley Drive traffic signal

The city has received a $760,000 TDOT Surface Transportation Block Grant to upgrade the traffic signals on Highway 70 West at Beasley Drive and Weaver Drive near Buckner Park. Kimley-Horn has been selected to prepare the environmental and design documents to be submitted for review by TDOT. “That will be the new mast arms and new radar (activation) systems as well to control traffic,” Wesson said. “That gets rid of the wiring and all the hanging, swinging lights up there.”

Henslee Drive/Cougar Pride Way pedestrian islands

After initially approving the design, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is requiring the pedestrian crossing islands on Henslee Drive at the entrance to Dickson County High School be redesigned. “TDOT reviewed this originally and approved that design,” Wesson said. “And then came back and didn’t like it and asked that it be redesigned.” The council approved change orders for $12,700 with Kimley-Horn for additional construction, engineering and inspection services and $37,775 with Stansell Electric to demo and rebuild the islands. Weiss said the city couldn’t refuse to make the changes or it would have had to repay the Surface Transportation Block grant that funded the new traffic signals at DCHS, on Highway 46 at Crestview Drive and Highway 70 East at Hummingbird Lane. “Basically, our hands are tied, so, we’re moving forward with that project,” Wesson said.

Luther Lake stormwater improvements

The city has applied for a $2,966,500 TDEC American Recovery Plan grant to make stormwater control improvements to Luther Lake. The ARP funds from the federal pandemic relief are earmarked for water, sewer and stormwater improvements. The project includes the planting of vegetation to stabilize the banks and control runoff, creating managed wetlands on the south end and either removing or stabilizing the island in the 14-acre man-made lake.

Roadway Safety Action Plan

The city applied in June for a Federal Highway Administration Safe Streets and Roads for All grant to create a Roadway Safety Action Plan that will utilize traffic and crash data to propose improvements to streets and intersections throughout the city to be used in applying for other road improvement grants. The grant requires a 20 percent local match.

Weiss and Wesson said they will continue to update the council on the progress of all the projects.

Dickson police are asking for the public’s help with information about a hit-and-run accident that injured a pedestrian in the area of Luther Lake.

Detective Katrena Pulley said a 26-year-old male was injured when he was struck by a passing vehicle on Highway 70 East around 2:50 pm Oct. 3.

Pulley said the pedestrian, whose name was not released, was walking on the shoulder of Highway 70 heading to Luther Lake when a westbound vehicle veered across the white line and struck him between East Lake Drive and West Lake Circle.

“The suspect didn’t stop and kept on going, turning right on Henslee Drive,” Pulley said witnesses reported.

The victim was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries and since has been released.

Based on witness statements and vehicle parts found at the scene, Pulley said the vehicle is believed to be a gray crossover vehicle or SUV, possibly a Nissan Rogue or Nissan Murano, with damage to the passenger side front quarter panel.

No information was available about the driver, who faces several potential charges.

Anyone who has information regarding the hit-and-run incident is asked to contact Det. Pulley at 615-441-9573 or call the Dickson Police Department’s confidential tip line at 615-441-9555.

Dwight E. Haynes was sworn in to begin his fifth term on the Dickson City Council at the Oct. 16, 2023, Finance and Management Committee meeting.

Haynes was re-elected Sept. 14 with 56 votes in an uncontested race, according to results certified by the Dickson County Election Commission.

An employee of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Haynes has represented the Fourth Ward on the City Council since 2007 and at 16 years is currently the longest-tenured member of the City Council. He was re-elected in contested races in 2011, 2015 and 2019 and ran unopposed for the first time this year.

He serves as the council’s representative on the Board of Public Utilities and is a member of the Cemetery Committee. Earlier this year he chaired a special committee created to review the city’s parking ordinances.

Haynes was unable to attend the Oct. 2 council meeting when the other winners of last month’s election took their oaths. City Attorney Jerry Smith administered the oath of office to Haynes and Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. welcomed him back to the council at Monday’s meeting.

The City of Dickson Senior Activity Center will be adjusting its schedule this month while its parking lot is getting paved.

Tennessee Valley Paving will be milling and paving the lot at the center at 100 Payne Springs Road in sections beginning Oct. 16, weather permitting. During this period, sections of the parking lot will be closed along with the entrances to the building in those areas.

The center will be completely closed Oct 26 and 27 to finish the project with striping.

“We are looking forward to the new parking lot and appreciate your patience during this improvement period,” said Senior Activity Center Director Joan Rial. “We are grateful for the City of Dickson as they continue to pave the way for our seniors to remain active and healthy.”

During the two weeks of paving, parking at the center will be reduced and Rial urges members to use caution entering and exiting the lot and building.

The Dickson Senior Activity Center opened Oct. 31 in the former Dickson Athletic Club across from J. Dan Buckner Park. With its larger home, the center has been able to expand its activities and has seen participation grow to an average of 250 people per day. Lunches are served Monday-Thursday for $5.

In addition to the paving project, the October schedule at the Dickson Senior Activity Center includes:

• A Halloween costume contest on Oct. 31;

• Flu shot clinics Oct. 11 and 25;

• Wintertime Fitness tips from Star Physical Therapy on Oct. 25;

• A Santa’s Hat wreath craft on Oct. 11;

• A Tie Dye Shirt craft on Oct. 18;

• Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Oct. 13;

• Smartphone Help on Oct. 16 and 30; and

• The regular schedule of yoga, tai chi, cardio, zumba and fitness classes, bingo, chair volleyball, line dancing, ukulele classes, book club, bowling and more.

For more information on the October schedule at the Dickson Senior Activity Center, pick up a copy of the newsletter and calendar, download or view them at cityofdickson.com or the Dickson Senior Center page on Facebook or call (615) 446-9350.

The Dickson Senior Activity Center will be celebrating its grand opening in November.

As he began his eighth term in office Oct. 2, 2023, Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. nominated all of his current administration and department head positions for reappointment to two-year terms.

The City Council unanimously approved all of the mayor’s nominations.

Reappointed at the meeting were:

• City Administrator Rydell Wesson;

• City Attorney Jerry Smith;

• Municipal Court Judge Stan Reynolds;

• Police Department Chief Jeff Lewis;

• Fire Department Chief Richard Greer;

• Municipal Court Clerk Missy Sullivan;

• Emergency Communications Director Rosalind Sowell;

• Planning and Zoning Director Jason Pilkinton;

• Treasurer Tammy Dotson;

• Tax Collector Angie Brown;

• Public Works Director David Travis;

• Recorder Chris Norman; and

• Senior Activity Center Director Joan Rial.

Wesson first joined the city as an assistant building official in the Office of Planning and Zoning in September 1988, where he remained for two years. After four years as a codes enforcement officer in his hometown of Savannah, Tenn., Wesson returned to the City of Dickson in October 1994 as director of Planning and Zoning. In December 2008, Mayor Weiss appointed Wesson as director of the Public Works Department, supervising 25 employees in the Street, Sanitation and Maintenance departments. During the illness of Tom Waychoff, Mayor Weiss designated Wesson as acting city administrator in April 2011 and he assumed the position full-time a year later on April 2, 2012.

Smith began as assistant city attorney under Robert Littleton and has been city attorney for more than 27 years.

Reynolds was named judge in 2017 after the municipal court was reconstituted without general sessions jurisdiction. Practicing law since 1978, Reynolds opened his own firm in Dickson in 1980, which is now Reynolds, Potter, Ragan & Vandivort PLC. An Austin Peay State University and Nashville School of Law graduate, in November Reynolds earned the Tennessee Certificate of Judicial Development from the National Judicial College. Following the ratification of his appointment, Reynolds was sworn in by Smith.

Lewis began working as a police officer in 1988, rising to the rank of captain. He became director of the Parks and Recreation Department in 2004 and director of the Public Works Department in 2012. He returned to the police department as chief in 2017.

Greer joined the Dickson Fire Department in 1989 and became chief in 2009.

Sullivan began as a deputy court clerk in 1986 and became court clerk in 2011.

After retiring from the Ford Glass plant, Sowell joined the city as a dispatcher in 2008 and became director of the Emergency Communications Department in 2015.

Pilkinton started with the city as a police officer in 1997 before transferring to the Office of Planning and Zoning, where he became director in 2007.

Dotson began working in the Treasurer’s Office in 1996 and became treasurer in 2010.

Brown started with the city in 2004 and was named tax collector in 2013.

Travis began working for the Public Works Department part-time in 1995 and succeeded Lewis as director in 2017;

Norman joined the city as administrative assistant to the mayor in 2017 and was appointed as recorder in 2022.

Rial joined the city as director of the Senior Activity Center in 2017.

The 11 administration positions currently represent 267 cumulative years of service with the City of Dickson and 115 years as department heads.

In addition to the administration appointments, the council unanimously ratified Mayor Weiss’ nominations of:

• David Travis to the Solid Waste Regional Board;

• Tammy Dotson and Richard Greer to the Sick Leave Bank trustees;

• Chris Hooper, Chad Fussell, Robby Street and Cherie Wilson to the Safety Committee; and

• Rydell Wesson, Tammy Dotson, Rosalind Sowell, David Travis, Jeff Lewis and Richard Greer to the Title VI Advisory Committee.

The council also approved Mayor Weiss’ nominations of citizens to positions on several city committees, commissions and boards, including:

• Hilary Duke and Tammy Kilgore to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board;

• Jamie James, Dr. Mary McNeal and Steve Scherer to the Municipal Planning Commission;

• Clayton Ellis and Shawn Baker to the Board of Zoning Appeals;

• Mike Tummins, Linda Al-Sangar and Brian Hughett to the Tree Management and Beautification Board;

• Mark Denney, Molly Norman, Eric Edmisson, Chris Holland and Rhonda Adams to the Community Access Programming Committee; and

• Pam Edmond, Karen Bell and Sherry Owens to the Old Timers Day Committee.

Mayor Weiss said he might have more appointments to present when the council meets Nov. 6.

First Ward Councilperson Jason Epley was elected as the new vice mayor for the City of Dickson at the Oct. 2, 2023, council meeting.

Epley succeeds Robby Harmon, who decided not to seek re-election after two terms on the council and six years as vice mayor.

According to the requirements of the City Charter, in the first meeting of the council following the certification of the results of the Sept. 14 municipal election by the Dickson County Election Commission, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. nominated Epley for the position of vice mayor. The nomination was approved by the council 4-0-1 with Epley abstaining and councilpersons Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward), Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) and Dwight Haynes (4th Ward) absent.

The Dickson County president and chief lending officer for TriStar Bank, Epley was first elected to the City Council in a four-way race in 2017 for the seat left open when Mike Legg retired from the council after more than 27 years. He was re-elected without opposition in 2021 and his current term expires in 2025.

A Dickson County High School graduate, Epley received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Belmont University and completed the Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking in 2010. Prior to joining TriStar, Epley worked for the international accounting firm Deloitte.

In 2019, Epley was included in the Independent Community Bankers of America’s Emerging Community Bank Leaders, 40 under 40 young innovators. In addition to serving on the City Council, he is a member of the Dickson County Sanitation Board and the High Noon Rotary.

Epley and wife Anna have two children, Issac and Lillian.

“Thank you, Mr. Epley. I appreciate you accepting that role. I look forward to working with you,” Mayor Weiss said following the ratification vote.

In other City Council appointment nominations presented by Mayor Weiss and unanimously approved by the council:

• Dwight Haynes (4th Ward) was reappointed to the Board of Public Utilities;

• Shane Chandler (2nd Ward) was appointed to the Dickson County Municipal Airport Authority;

• Mayor Weiss and Horace Perkins III (3rd Ward) were appointed to the Greater Dickson Gas Authority board of directors;

• Mayor Weiss and Michael Outlaw (4th Ward) were reappointed to the Water Authority of Dickson County board of directors;

• Brett Reynolds (1st Ward) and Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) were appointed to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board;

• Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) was appointed to the Naming Committee and named chairman;

• Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward) was appointed to the Sick Leave Bank trustees and named chairman;

• Michael Outlaw (4th Ward), Dwight Haynes (4th Ward) and Horace Perkins III (3rd Ward) were reappointed to the Cemetery Committee with Outlaw named chairman;

• Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward) and Jason Epley (1st Ward) were reappointed to the Municipal Planning Commission; and

• Horace Perkins III (3rd Ward) was reappointed to the Old Timers Day Committee.

Epley is the fifth vice mayor to serve during Weiss’s 30 years as mayor, following Bill Gilmore (1993-2001), Richard Arnold (2001-07), Mike Legg (2007-17) and Harmon (2017-23).

According to the City Charter, the vice mayor is a member of the council nominated by the mayor and elected by the council to a two-year term.

“The Vice Mayor shall perform the duties of the Mayor during his absence or inability to act, and shall fill out any unexpired term in the office of Mayor, in which case a Member of the Council shall be selected by majority vote of the Council to serve the unexpired term as Vice Mayor,” according to the charter.

While serving as a council member from the First Ward, Weiss was appointed vice mayor and ascended to the mayor’s office in December 1993 when Mayor Tom Waychoff resigned to become president of the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce. Since then he has been elected to eight four-year terms.

Brett Reynolds and Shane Chandler became the newest members of the Dickson City Council after being sworn in to begin their four-year terms at the Oct. 2, 2023, meeting.

City Attorney Jerry Smith administered the oaths of office to Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and council members Reynolds, Chandler and Horace Perkins III during the meeting. Councilperson Dwight Haynes was absent and will be sworn in at the next council meeting.

The start of the new terms came after the Dickson County Election Commission certified the results of the Sept. 14 municipal election.

A relationship manager with FirstBank, Reynolds defeated 13-year incumbent Betty Lou Alsobrooks 252-220 for a council seat from the city’s First Ward.

“I do love this town. I love the people in the crowd that are here,” Reynolds said after being sworn in. “I do want to thank Betty Lou for her lifetime of service through her entire career. When she got tired of serving children she wanted to serve the community. It is an honor to follow her up. But I look forward to a few years of doing this. I look forward to doing it with my friends and colleagues. So, thank you.”

A mechanical inspector for the Greater Dickson Gas Authority and a former Dickson County commissioner, Chandler received 100 votes in an uncontested race for the Second Ward seat left open when eight-year incumbent Robby Harmon decided not to seek re-election.

“I want to say ‘thank you’ to the folks in Ward Two,” Chandler said after being sworn in. “Believe it or not, this has been one of my life achievements since I was a little boy, to serve the City of Dickson. So, thank you.”

The manager of Joel’s Body Shop and a former Dickson County commissioner, 12-year incumbent Perkins was elected to his fourth term in the Third Ward 131-54 over former Dickson County Commissioner Clayton Ellis.

“First of all, I want to thank Betty Lou and Robby for serving. It’s been a joy to serve with y’all,” Perkins said after being sworn in. “And I look forward to serving the next four years with Mr. Chandler and Mr. Reynolds. Thank y’all.”

Employed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and pastor of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Haynes won his fifth term representing the Fourth Ward with 56 votes in an uncontested race. Haynes is currently the longest-tenured member of the City Council.

Unable to attend the Oct. 2 meeting, Haynes will be sworn in at the Nov. 6 council meeting.

The remaining City Council seats currently held by Jason Epley (1st Ward), Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward), Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) and Michael Outlaw (4th Ward) will be on the ballot for four-year terms Sept. 11, 2025.

Betty Lou Alsobrooks and Robby Harmon were honored and recognized for their service on the Dickson City Council as their terms came to an end at the Oct. 2, 2023, meeting.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. read and presented proclamations and plaques to the two outgoing members at the first council meeting following the Sept. 14 municipal election.

Alsobrooks was first appointed to the City Council in 2010 to complete the term of Bob Rial in the First Ward following his resignation after being elected Dickson County mayor. She was re-elected to three four-year terms in contested races before losing her bid for a fourth term to Brett Reynolds.

Harmon was elected in a three-way race in 2015 for the Second Ward seat left open when Scott England did not seek re-election. He ran unopposed for a second term in 2019 and decided not to seek a third term. Mayor Weiss appointed Harmon as vice mayor in 2017.

A realtor and retired teacher, Alsobrooks said she will remember fondly her 13 years on the council.

“This just has meant so much to me,” Alsobrooks said. “These last four years, I’m just sort of partial to. These are my people right here and they have been precious. And they have been so good to work with. Mayor Weiss, just everything about the Dickson city government and the people I’ve served with and the things that I’ve seen happen that I feel like I was a part of and maybe helped make a change. But thanks to all of you, also, and thanks to everybody.”

An executive vice president and chief risk and administrative officer for Tristar Bank, Harmon thanked the people of his adopted hometown.

“It’s been a privilege to serve for the City of Dickson,” Harmon said. “I moved here 32 years ago and always thought that I would move back to Alabama. This is my home. I’ve raised my children here. This council’s been great to work with. Mayor Weiss has got a great vision. Rydell (Wesson) and the whole staff, all the department heads, are incredible. This is what makes our city so great and to be just part of this has been just a great experience.”

According to the results of the Sept. 14 municipal election certified by the Dickson County Election Commission:

• Mayor Weiss was elected to his eighth four-year term in an uncontested race with 730 votes;

• Brett Reynolds won the race for the City Council in the First Ward 252-220 over Alsobrooks;

• Shane Chandler received 100 votes in an uncontested race for the open seat on the City Council in the Second Ward;

• 12-year incumbent Horace Perkins III was re-elected to a fourth term for the Third Ward seat on the City Council 131-54 over Clayton Ellis; and

• 16-year incumbent Dwight Haynes received 56 votes in an uncontested race for a fifth term on the City Council in the Fourth Ward.

There were 822 ballots cast in the election for a turnout of 8.65 percent of the city’s 9,498 registered voters, according to the election commission.

Weiss, Reynolds, Chandler and Perkins were sworn in to begin their new four-year terms at the Oct. 2 meeting. Haynes was unable to attend and will take the oath of office at the Nov. 6 meeting. The remaining four seats on the City Council will be on the ballot Sept. 11, 2025.

A new police department, city hall and municipal swimming pool as well as traffic improvements were among the priorities listed by Dr. Don L. Weiss Jr. as he was sworn in to begin his eighth four-year term as mayor of his hometown.

After running unopposed in the Sept. 14 election and receiving 730 votes in the results certified by the Dickson County Election Commission, Weiss was sworn in by City Attorney Jerry Smith at the Oct. 2, 2023, city council meeting.

With his wife, sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren at his side, Weiss took the oath of office for the 11th time, having been elected to the City Council in 1987 and 1991, then being appointed Mayor following the resignation of Tom Waychoff in December 1993, followed by election to eight four-year terms as Mayor.

A Dickson native whose parents operated an apparel store on Main Street in Downtown Dickson, as he approaches 30 years Weiss is already the longest-serving Mayor in the city’s 124-year history, with the second-longest being 16 years. When he began his new term Monday, Weiss passed the late Robert Blue as the longest-serving elected official in the city’s history. Blue served 36 years on the Dickson City Council while Weiss has begun his 37th year in elected office.

Weiss thanked his family for being present Monday night and “putting up with me doing something I really, I truly like and love to do.”

The Mayor welcomed two new and two returning members to the City Council as Brett Reynolds (1st Ward) and Shane Chandler (2nd Ward) join the body and Horace Perkins III (3rd Ward) and Dwight Haynes (4th Ward) were re-elected last month.

“I also want to tell this council that these next four years we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Weiss said. “We’re already looking at the possibilities of a new city hall, a new police department is imperative right now. After meeting with all the department heads over the last 3-4 weeks, I think all the department heads will tell you that space for city hall and the police department are probably the biggest challenges that this council will face over the next four years. The decisions (will be) on how we come up with that space, where we come up with that space and how we accomplish that goal.”

After the city was forced to close the 45-year-old municipal swimming pool at J. Dan Buckner Park in the face of millions of dollars in renovations needed to get it licensed by the Tennessee Department of Health, Weiss has initiated the process of researching an aquatic facility that could include an indoor pool and also has started discussions with the Dickson County Family YMCA about a potential partnership.

“I think this council will need to address the issue of a municipal pool at some point in time over the next 3-4 years,” Weiss said. “We’re going to have some traffic issues that we’re going to need to address. I think from the standpoint that if you’ve been to any of the new intersections now that have the new radar control systems on them that seem to move traffic much, much better, that in talking with Mr. (Public Works Director David) Travis we think that that’s going to be imperative that we put on all of our intersections down the road.”

While there will be other items to be addressed over the next four years, Weiss cited those as the major issues to take priority with the police department and city hall at the top of the list.

Weiss said the city is working on the finishing touches on the new $5 million Dickson Fire Department Station #3 on Highway 70 East at Ridgecrest Drive.

After a walk-through on Monday, Weiss said there are still issues to be addressed with the contractor.

“That’s going to be a very nice station in that area. It’s going to help us out a lot with our response times,” Weiss said. “We hope to have it open as soon as possible.”

A graduate of Dickson County High School, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the Southern College of Optometry, Weiss and his wife, Dr. Lori White Weiss, practiced optometry for 35 years before retiring in 2021. They have two sons, Dr. Trae Weiss and wife McKayla and Taylor Weiss and wife Amanda; and two grandchildren, Bain and Lennon, and a third on the way. He is the son of the late Alice and Donnie Weiss Sr., who operated the Town and Country Shoppe on Main Street for many years.

Weiss serves on the boards of directors for the Dickson County Chamber, the Water Authority of Dickson County, the Greater Dickson Gas Authority and The Bank of Dickson and is chairman of the Dickson County 911 Board.

With the long-range forecast predicting cooler temperatures, the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department has scheduled the end of the first season at the Henslee Park Splash Pad for Monday, Oct. 16.

Forecast overnight lows for the first part of October are in the 50s while highs will only reach the 70s, meaning fewer people will be enjoying the water features and the department will begin preparing the Splash Pad for the winter months.

“We’ve tried to hold on before turning the water features off for the season as long as the temperatures remain favorable to allow as many people as possible to get in some last moments of wet fun,” said David Travis, director of the city’s Public Works Department. “In looking at the forecast, we’ve decided to set Oct. 16 for closing the Splash Pad, which is the Monday after the end of fall break for the school system, giving everyone a final chance to enjoy the fun until next year.”

Opened June 17 at the site of the former Dickson Country Club, the Henslee Park Splash Pad and Playground is a $3 million recreational facility that is one of the largest of its type in Tennessee. The 4,000-square-foot Splash Pad includes 20 water features while the 25,000-square-foot playground includes 26 features, many of them designed to be all-inclusive. The park includes bathrooms, a pavilion with picnic tables and extensive greenspace for picnicking and enjoying the sun.

“Since opening, we’ve seen thousands of people from all across Middle Tennessee and even many other states enjoying the Henslee Park Splash Pad and Playground,” said Parks Superintendent Cherie Wilson. “It was so popular from the very first day that we’ve added more parking, an area for food trucks and more picnic tables. It has hosted dozens of birthday, other parties and playdates and we look forward to next spring when it reopens.”

The Henslee Park Playground will remain open its regular hours of sunrise to 10 pm seven days a week along with the rest of Henslee Park, including the four miles of walking trails, disc golf course and dog park.

With fenced areas for small and large breeds, the Henslee Park Dog Park soon will be getting play features in addition to the benches and water stations already installed. The dog park is the only place in Henslee Park that dogs are allowed off leash. Dogs are not allowed in the Splash Pad and Playground area and must be on leash in the rest of the park.

“The first season of the Splash Pad has proven very successful and popular,” said Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. “It has brought a new recreational experience to our city and we continue to research more improvements and opportunities we can bring to the people of Dickson.”

Like the closing date selection, the decision on when to open the Henslee Park Splash Pad for the season in 2024 will be based on when the weather is consistently warm enough next spring.

The Parks and Recreation Department continues to finalize designs for Phase I of improvements at J. Dan Buckner Park that will include a new basketball court, playground, pavilion and tennis courts that are double-striped as pickleball courts in the area along Weaver Drive on the eastern edge of the park.

The planning stage for Phase II will begin soon and could include reconfiguring the baseball and softball fields to add more playing surfaces as well as batting cages. Buckner Park also includes soccer fields, a multi-purpose field used for youth football, a disc golf course, playgrounds, walking trail and arboretum, fishing lake and is home to several youth sports leagues.

The Tennsco Corp. is beginning work on adding three tennis courts and constructing a new playground at the Lester D. Speyer Recreational Complex on Tennsco Drive that is leased and operated by the city.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board also has proposed adding a themed playground downtown in the area behind the Dickson Fire Department Station #1 on Church Street.

For more information on the City of Dickson’s Parks and Recreation Department facilities and activities, call (615) 446-1721, visit cityofdickson.com or the Parks and Recreation Department page on Facebook. In addition to Henslee Park, the Lester D. Speyer Recreational Complex and J. Dan Buckner Park, the department operates Holland Park, Luther Lake, Lakeview Park, Tom Waychoff Memorial Park, City Lake, the Dickson Housing Authority Community Center, the Dickson Skate Park and the stage on the campus of the War Memorial Building.

Planes, trucks and automobiles return to the Dickson Municipal Airport for the annual Touch A Truck/Fly-In on Saturday, Oct. 7.

The Dickson Parks and Recreation Department presents its 18th Touch A Truck and the Dickson Municipal Airport hosts its 10th Fly-In 10 am-2 pm at Pack Field, 2372 Sylvia Road. The event is free and the Humane Society of Dickson County will be on site to accept donations to help care for the animals in its shelter.

Children of all ages will get the chance to experience emergency and working vehicles of all kinds as part of Touch A Truck. The Fly-In will bring a variety of small aircraft to the experience as well and will offer airplane rides over Dickson County.

From fire trucks, police cars, motorcycles and ambulances to dump trucks, construction equipment and tractors, Touch A Truck provides a chance for children to experience these vehicles up close. 

In 2018, the Parks and Recreation Department moved Touch A Truck from J. Dan Buckner Park to the Dickson County Municipal Airport-Pack Field to join forces with its annual Fly-In to expand into the field of aviation. The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the event returned in 2021 with a toy drive to benefit the children of Waverly following the devastating flood of Aug. 21, 2021.

This year’s event will feature donations for June’s Pet Haven and Bark Park, the Humane Society’s shelter on Tennsco Drive. The shelter is currently experiencing an overcrowding crisis with more than 140 dogs and 75 cats housed in the facility. Donations of dog and cat food, bleach, litter, towels, blankets, detergent, cleaning products and cash will be accepted.

“Touch A Truck has been one of the Parks Department’s most popular annual events for more than 17 years,” said Molly Adams, programs coordinator for the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department. “Joining forces with the airport to add airplanes has only increased interest in the event.”

Touch A Truck will include a Kidzone with an inflatable slide, face painting and a balloon artist. Concessions will be available.

Dickson Airport Manager Mike Gallagher said a few of the pilots who will be attending the Fly-In have agreed to provide a limited number of airplane rides. Tickets for the airplane rides will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis for $30 for adults and $15 for ages 12 and under until all the available ride slots have been filled.

Because there is limited parking at the airport, those attending Touch A Truck and the Fly-In will park near the south end of the runway in a field near the Airport Market at 2306 Sylvia Road. Adams said there will be signs directing people to the parking area and buses will shuttle people to and from the airport throughout the event.

The Dickson Municipal Airport-Pack Field created the Fly-In as part of an annual 2nd Century of Flight celebration in 2012. During the annual celebrations, the airport dedicated its Aviation Wall of Fame.

The Aviation Wall of Fame features Garland Pack, Bruce Peery, Larry Horn, Lt. Col. Glenn Hicks and Buford “Booty” Reed as pioneers and contributors to aviation. The airfield at Dickson Municipal Airport was dedicated as Pack Field in 1999, honoring the Dickson native who built a biplane in downtown Dickson to become a barnstormer, then flew supply missions through the Himalayas in World War II and was a pioneer in glider technology. Peery was a WWII bomber pilot; Horn flew a B-23 Liberator in WWII; and Hicks flew a P24 fighter jet in WWII. A long-time Dickson County commissioner, Reed served on the Dickson Airport Authority and helped guide its growth and operation until his passing in 2019.

For more information on the 18th annual Touch A Truck, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at 615-446-1721. For more information on the 10th annual Fly-In, contact the Dickson Municipal Airport at 615-446-6611.

Dickson voters picked one challenger and one incumbent in the only two contested races for seats on the City Council during the Thursday, Sept. 14, municipal election.

Banker Brett Reynolds unseated 13-year incumbent Betty Lou Alsobrooks in the First Ward race 252-220 (53%-47%), according to the unofficial results released by the Dickson County Election Office. Reynolds received 183 early votes and 69 votes on election day to 168 early and 52 election day votes for Alsobrooks.

A real estate agent and retired teacher, Alsobrooks was first appointed to the City Council in 2010 to complete the term of Bob Rial, who resigned after being elected Dickson County mayor. She was elected to full terms in 2011, 2015 and 2019.

A relationship manager with FirstBank who previously worked at TriStar Bank, Pinnacle Financial Partners and Farmers and Merchants Bank, Reynolds was successful in his first run for public office.

Twelve-year incumbent Horace Perkins III handily won a fourth term representing the Third Ward with 70 percent of the vote 131-54 over challenger Clayton Ellis. Perkins and Ellis both previously represented the 8th District on the Dickson County Commission. After running unsuccessfully for county mayor in 2010, Perkins won his first bid for a seat on the City Council in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015 and 2019. Ellis ran unsuccessfully for Dickson County Clerk in 2010 and has served on the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals since 2012.

In an uncontested race, former Dickson County Commissioner Shane Chandler won the open Second Ward seat on the council with 100 votes. 

Two-term incumbent Robby Harmon, who has served as vice mayor for six years, decided not to seek re-election. A mechanical inspector for the Greater Dickson Gas Authority, Chandler represented the Third District on the county commission, served as a judicial commissioner and ran unsuccessfully for constable in 2004 and the Dickson County School Board in 2008. He finished second to Councilman Kyle Sanders in a three-way race with former Mayor J. Dan Buckner in 2021 for the other Second Ward seat left open when Joey Turbeville did not seek re-election.

In the Fourth Ward, 16-year incumbent Dwight Haynes received 56 votes in an unopposed race for his fifth term. Employed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and pastor of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Haynes is currently the longest-tenured member of the City Council.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. received 730 votes in his uncontested bid for an eighth term. Weiss served six years on the City Council from the First Ward (1987-93) before becoming mayor in December 1993 to complete the term of Tom Waychoff, who resigned to become president of the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce. Weiss won his first election to a full mayoral term in 1995 and in December will mark 30 years as mayor, longer than anyone in the city’s history by 14 years.

When Weiss begins his new term, he will begin his 37th year in elected office, the longest of anyone in the City of Dickson’s 125-year history. The late Robert Blue served a total of 36 years on the City Council and currently holds that distinction.

The unofficial election results show 577 early and absentee ballots and 245 voters going to the polls on election day for a total turnout of 822, or just 8.65 percent of the city’s 9,498 registered voters. More than 70 percent of the votes were cast during the 12-day early voting period.

The election results remain unofficial until certified by the Dickson County Election Commission, which is scheduled to meet Sept. 26.

The winners of Thursday’s municipal election will be sworn in to begin their four-year terms at the Oct. 2 City Council meeting.

The remaining four seats on the City Council held by Jason Epley (1st Ward), Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward), Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) and Michael Outlaw (4th Ward) will be on the ballot Sept. 11, 2025.

Voters in the City of Dickson will go to the polls Thursday, Sept. 14, to elect a mayor and four members of the City Council.

Polls will be open in three locations 7:00 am-7:00 pm.

Dickson County Administrator of Elections Roxanne Hagewood said changes made by the State Division of Elections will send voters to polling locations based on their county voting districts instead of in each of the City’s four wards. Hagewood said voters should go to the polling location listed on their voter registration cards with the exception of voters in District 7, which includes part of the City’s 4th Ward.

• Voters who live in County Districts 9 and 10, which include most of City Wards 1 and 2, will vote at the Dickson County Government Building and Public Library, 303 Henslee Drive.

• Voters who live in County District 8, which includes most of City Ward 3, will vote at the new Dickson Senior Activity Center, 100 Payne Springs Road.

• Voters who live in County Districts 7 and 11, which include most of City Ward 4, will vote at the Tennsco Community Center, 115 Tennsco Drive.

There might be a few voters who are part of other county district and Hagewood said voters should consult their voter registration cards. A photo ID is required to cast a ballot.

Early voting concluded Saturday with 573 of the city’s 9,498 registered voters casting early ballots (6 percent), according to Hagewood. There were 348 early votes in Ward 1, 74 early votes in Ward 2, 115 early votes in Ward 3 and 36 early votes in Ward 4.

The ballot includes the election of a mayor and four members of the City Council for four-year terms.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. is unopposed in seeking his eighth full term. After six years on the City Council from the 1st Ward (1987-93), Weiss was appointed mayor in December 1993 when Tom Waychoff resigned to become president of the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce. He was elected to his first full term in 1995 and his almost 30 years as mayor are longer than anyone in the city’s history. At the start of his next term, Weiss will surpass the late Robert Blue as the longest-serving elected official in the city’s 124-year history. Blue served a total of 36 years on the City Council.

There are only two contested races for the four seats on the City Council.

• In Ward 1, 13-year incumbent Betty Lou Alsobrooks, a realtor and retired educator, is challenged by banker Brett Reynolds.

• In Ward 2, Robby Harmon decided not to seek re-election after eight years on the council, including six years as vice mayor. Former County Commissioner Shane Chandler is unopposed for the 2nd Ward seat after finishing second to attorney Kyle Sanders in a three-way race in 2021.

• In Ward 3, 12-year incumbent Horace Perkins III is challenged by former County Commissioner Clayton Ellis. Perkins and Ellis both previously served as County Commissioners from the 8th District.

• In Ward 4, 16-year incumbent Dwight Haynes is unopposed in his bid for a fifth term. He is currently the longest-tenured member of the City Council.

The winners of Thursday’s election will be sworn in to begin their four-year terms at the Oct. 2 council meeting.

The remaining four seats on the City Council currently held by Jason Epley (1st Ward), Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward), Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) and Michael Outlaw (4th Ward) will be on the ballot for the Sept. 11, 2025, election.

For more information on the Dickson Municipal Election or where to vote, contact the Dickson County Election Office at 615-671-1146 or visit dicksoncountyelection.com.

A tip has led to the arrest of a man for robbing a Dickson bank five and a half years ago.

Dickson Police Department Det. Kirk Davidson arrested 48-year-old Frankie Jeremiah Dallriva in Bolivar, Tenn., on Wednesday, Aug. 16, on warrants for felony theft and felony robbery for the 2018 robbery of the TriStar Bank branch in the Kroger store at 143 Henslee Drive.

Davidson reported after the robbery that a white male wearing a disposable surgical mask and latex gloves entered the Dickson Kroger store shortly before 9:30 am Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, and handed the teller at the in-store bank branch a hand-written note demanding that all the money in the cash drawers be placed in a plastic freezer bag that the man brought with him. The suspect never displayed a weapon and left the store with an undisclosed amount of money through the east entrance.

Video from the nearby Bank of Dickson branch showed the suspect walking to a blue-green four-door car believed to be a Chevrolet Cavalier that was parked in the lot in front of what was then the Ponderosa restaurant. An unidentified person had remained in the driver’s seat after the car pulled into the parking lot a few minutes earlier and the pair left from the east exit heading east on Henslee Drive.

Davidson said he received a tip on Aug. 11 from a caller who identified Dallriva as the robber and said he was currently living in Bolivar. Davidson said he tracked Dallriva to a halfway house in Bolivar and on Wednesday found him in a home he shared with a fellow graduate of the treatment program.

Dallriva was arrested and transported to the Dickson County Jail where he is being held on $160,000 bond. Dallriva is scheduled to appear in Dickson County General Sessions Court for a preliminary hearing Sept. 19.

Davidson said his investigation of Dallriva shows he was arrested by U.S Marshals in Fort Wayne, Ind., May 17, 2018, for the robbery of the Bank of Jackson in Jackson, Tenn., six days earlier.

Jackson police reported a man wearing a surgical mask and carrying a plastic freezer bag gave a teller a hand-written note demanding money and left in a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by a female accomplice. Police said a witness was able to follow the vehicle and get the license plate number.

Jackson investigators said tips from the public led to the development of Dallriva, who was living in Lexington at the time, as a suspect. Davidson said Dallriva pleaded guilty to bank robbery charges in 2019 and was in jail in Indiana until being released in 2022.

Davidson said Dallriva also was convicted for robbing a bank in Wisconsin in 1998 and is being investigated in connection with other robberies in multiple jurisdictions.

During a 2018 court appearance in Jackson, Dallriva told a judge he has PTSD, anxiety, diabetes, epilepsy and other medical conditions. He also has told investigators he is a methamphetamine addict.

Davidson said at the time of the Dickson robbery, Dallriva lived in the Coble area in Hickman County, worked in Humphreys County and frequently shopped in Dickson.

In addition to the similarities in the two robberies, Davidson said the suspect displayed a distinctive gait due to a physical impairment and when he was arrested after the Jackson robbery he was wearing tennis shoes identical to the suspect in the Dickson robbery.

“Det. Davidson never gave up on solving this bank robbery and has followed up on dozens of leads and suspects over the last five years,” Police Chief Jeff Lewis said. “His persistence has paid off with this arrest and we hope to be able to close this case.”

Davidson said the investigation into the robbery continues with the search for a potential accomplice believed to have been driving the getaway car during the robbery and additional charges could be filed.

The Dickson City Council and Dickson County School Board approved a new agreement that will continue the presence of nine trained School Resource Officers in all the public schools located within the City of Dickson.

The memorandum of understanding for the 2023-2024 school year was approved by the City Council July 17 and the School Board July 27. When the new school year began Tuesday, Aug. 1, the Dickson Police Department provided two SROs at the Dickson County High School main campus, one SRO each at the DCHS 9th grade lower campus, Dickson Middle School, Centennial Elementary School, Dickson Elementary School, Oakmont Elementary School and The Discovery School and a supervisor/detective for a total of nine SROs.

“The City of Dickson remains committed to providing every resource available to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for the children who attend public schools in the city,” said Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. “We are pleased to continue our relationship with the Dickson County School System.”

The Dickson Police Department used a grant to initiate an SRO program in 1998 at Dickson Elementary School. Ten years later the city funded a full-time SRO at Dickson County High School. In 2011, the city and school board approved an agreement to add an SRO at Dickson Middle School with the school system reimbursing the city for 185 days of salary and benefits for the officer.

Following the Feb. 14, 2018, school shooting in Parkland, Fla., Mayor Weiss proposed and the City Council approved funding two more SROs: a second at DCHS and one floating among the four elementary schools and intermediate school.

In July 2018, the school board added funding for SROs in all of the county’s schools and in October 2018 and January 2019 the Dickson Police Department added four more officers to place two SROs at DCHS and one at each of the six other public schools in the city.

In 2020, the City Council approved a request from Police Chief Jeff Lewis to fund an SRO supervisor/detective, bringing the city’s commitment to nine school resource officers.

Following the March 27, 2023, shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Gov. Bill Lee proposed and the Tennessee General Assembly approved a $230 million school safety program that includes funds to place one SRO in every public school in the state.

The Dickson Police Department applied for and received a grant to fund six SROs. Because the grant funding is only for one officer at each school, under the MOU approved in July the school board agreed to continue reimbursing the city for two SROs, a second at the DCHS main campus and one at the 9th grade lower campus, which is considered part of the same school. The city will continue to fully fund the supervisor/detective.

“The Dickson Police Department has been devoting resources to school safety with an SRO program for 25 years and has had officers in every public school in the city for over four years,” said Chief Lewis. “We will continue to do everything possible to build positive relationships between law enforcement and students that we believe will lead to a stronger and safer community.”

The school resource officer program is part of the Dickson Police Department’s Special Services Division under Lt. Jessica Blackwell, who went from the department’s Law Enforcement Explorer Post as a 15-year-old to become the city’s second full-time SRO when she was assigned to DCHS in 2011 and rose to become supervisor over the program before her promotion in 2021.

For the 2023-2024 school year, the Dickson Police Department’s SRO assignments are:

• Dickson County High School main campus Holden Foster

• Dickson County High School main campus Craig Haneline

• Dickson County High School lower campus Cameron Stinson

• Dickson Middle School Daniel Lewis

• Centennial Elementary School Tabitha Jennette

• Oakmont Elementary School Jamie Patterson

• Dickson Elementary School Larson Petty

• The Discovery School Val Duran

• Supervisor/Detective Curtis Robertson

The City of Dickson’s budget commitment to nine SRO positions totals over $650,000 with a little more than $100,000 reimbursed by the school system and $450,000 from the state school safety grant to cover salaries, benefits and equipment.

The Music in Holland Park concert series concludes Friday, Aug. 11, with the return of Piney River Pearls.

Presented by the City of Dickson Parks and Recreation Department, the free concert is 6-8 pm on the stage in Holland Park next door to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum in downtown Dickson.

Taking their name from the popular waterway that runs through Dickson and Hickman counties to be a tributary to the Duck River, the Piney River Pearls are Tabitha Booker, Connie Ethridge, Shannon Moss and Angelica Amos.

They describe themselves as “perfectly imperfect like fresh water pearls. Just four girls having a big time.”

The Piney River Pearls present an eclectic music experience with their mix of “dirty blues, country and classics with a rockabilly twist.”

Featuring soaring three- and four-part harmonies, the Piney River Pearls feature a strong selection of music by some of the greatest female singers of all time, including Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, Ruth Brown, Sammi Smith, Wanda Jackson, Kitty Wells, Irma Thomas, Maria Muldaur, Michelle Shocked and more.

Selections range from blues classics like “Women Be Wise,” made famous by Sippy Wallace in 1967 and brought back in a 1982 duet with Bonnie Raitt, Queen of Rockabilly Jackson’s “Mean, Mean Man,” and country icons Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces” and Parton’s “Jolene” to Kris Kristofferson’s classics “Me and Bobby McGee,” recorded by Janis Joplin just days before her death in 1970, and “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” a hit by Sammi Smith that same year.

Showing off their versatility, the Piney River Pearls mix in their versions of classics like Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Born on the Bayou,” Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me,” Merle Haggard’s “Silver Wings,” John D. Loudermilk’s “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye” and Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” as well as original songs.

Emphasizing this variety of styles, members of Piney River Pearls perform in other area groups, including funk band Groove Crooze, The Keepers, Echo and Ziggy and A.J.

They were a part of the Music in Holland Park series last year and have performed at Pumphrey and Beard, Kimbro’s Pickin’ Parlor, Mockingbird Theater, the Dickson Street Festival, Brown’s Diner, the Junebug Music Fest, Wynot Saloon, Old Timers Day, One19 Craft Kitchen and Brewery, Yesterday’s Treasures Today, Oktoberfest, the Charlotte Festival, the Storytellers Museum, St. Patrick’s Day Festival and other venues and events in Middle Tennessee. For more on the group, visit the Piney River Pearls page on Facebook where there are videos of some of their performances.

The Music in Holland Park series presents free concerts on the second Friday of each month May-August. Those attending the Music in Holland Park concert series can bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the free concert. Alcohol is not allowed in city parks. For more information, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at (615) 446-1721.

With three weeks of enjoyment of the new Splash Pad and Playground at Henslee Park providing several learning experiences, the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department is modifying the days and hours of operation to accommodate necessary maintenance and cleaning.

The new recreation facility at the site of the former Dickson Country Club at 800 Highway 70 West opened June 17 and has drawn thousands of visitors enjoying fun new opportunities and seeking relief from the summer heat.

“The Splash Pad and Playground have been a tremendous success and will continue to attract visitors to Dickson for its unique recreational features,” said Public Works Department Director David Travis. “We’ve also been learning from the experience and are continuing to seek ways to enhance the play experience.”

After having been open for three weeks, the department has determined it needs to modify the operational hours to allow for needed maintenance and cleaning, Travis said.

Effective Friday, July 7, the Henslee Park Splash Pad will operate:

• Mondays 8:00 am-8:00 pm;

• Tuesday 8:00 am-8:00 pm;

• Wednesdays 4:00 pm-8:00 pm;

• Thursdays 8:00 am-8:00 pm;

• Fridays 8:00 am-8:00 pm;

• Saturdays 8:00 am-8:00 pm; and

• Sundays 12:00 pm-8:00 pm.

The Splash Pad and Playground will be closed for maintenance and cleaning on Wednesdays and will open at 4:00 pm.

The Henslee Park Playground will be open:

• Mondays sunrise to 10:00 pm;

• Tuesdays sunrise to 10:00 pm;

• Wednesdays 4:00 pm-10:00 pm;

• Thursdays sunrise-10:00 pm;

• Fridays sunrise-10:00 pm;

• Saturdays sunrise-10:00 pm; and

• Sundays sunrise-10:00 pm.

Henslee Park, with its walking, running and biking paths and Dog Park, is open sunrise to 10:00 pm seven days a week and most holidays.

“It is important that we maintain the city’s investment by keeping the Splash Pad and Playground clean and safe,” Travis said. “This requires weekly pressure washing and flushing of the 3,000-gallon tank that supplies the water for the Splash Pad, which requires several hours.”

The popularity of the new park has brought issues with parking. The city continues construction of an additional parking area and in the meantime has designated an overflow parking area with signage.

“We ask that you not park in the grass of Henslee Park or along the entrance road, which is actually a street that provides access to the neighborhood behind the park,” Travis said. “There are signs directing people to the overflow parking area and we hope to complete the new parking lot very soon.”

Another issue that has surfaced in the early days of the park is keeping the turf of the Playground clear.

“Each structure in the Playground has a designated landing zone in case someone falls off and those need to be kept clear at all times,” Travis said. “We ask that you not set up towels or blankets within the play area. As a general rule, if you are within an arm’s reach of any concrete, you should be clear of the fall zones. We also ask that you don’t block the sidewalks.”

Chairs and tables are not allowed in the Playground area as they can damage the turf surface. Chairs, tables, towels, blankets and pop-up canopies can be set up in the grassy area surrounding the Splash Pad and Playground. The picnic tables under the pavilion and the shaded benches around the park are available on a first-come, first-served basis. No part of the park can be reserved or rented.

As part of keeping the Splash Pad and Playground clean, food is not allowed within any of the play areas and those enjoying the park are asked to dispose of their trash before leaving.

Adults are asked to not leave children unsupervised. There is no climbing allowed on the Splash Pad features and all Playground structures are to be used properly in order to prevent injuries. Children should not be allowed to climb up the slides from the exit points, stand on the swings or use any of the structures in any way that could harm themselves or others. Parents should caution children about walking in the areas around the swings and zipline features to avoid being struck.

“We want everybody to safely enjoy this wonderful new facility,” said Parks Department Superintendent Cherie Wilson. “We have parks staff on site during operating hours and hope everybody will follow their instructions as they are there for your safety and to maintain the facility.”

Wilson reminds parents that during extreme summer heat, the surfaces of the Splash Pad and Playground can be hot and the surface of the Splash Pad is wet and can be slippery.

“Everyone should wear shoes at all times and children should be discouraged from running within the Splash Pad area,” Wilson said. “While the Splash Pad is a great way to get relief from the heat, high temperatures will make the surfaces of some of the Playground features hot.”

 “We look forward to years of enjoyment at Henslee Park and hope those enjoying the Splash Pad and Playground will help us in maintaining this unique recreation area by following the rules and using all necessary precautions to protect themselves and each other,” said Travis. “We continue to evaluate the park’s operation and are looking at ways to improve and enhance the recreation experience.”

The Dickson City Council recently approved over $38,000 to add a fence along Highway 70 at the park and over $11,000 to purchase activity features for the fenced Henslee Park Dog Park near the Splash Pad. Those projects, along with the new parking area, should be completed in the coming weeks.

For more information on Henslee Park and the other facilities and activities of the Parks and Recreation Department, call (615) 446-1721 or visit cityofdickson.com or the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department page on Facebook.

A pair of sibling violin/fiddle players will present a free performance in the next installment of the Music in Holland Park concert series in downtown Dickson.

Nashville-based Fiddle Sisters will play 6-8 pm Friday, July 14, on the Holland Park stage next to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum in the series presented by the City of Dickson Parks and Recreation Department.

Fiddle Sisters is 13-year-old Summer and 10-year-old Kadence with youngest sister Violet starting lessons and waiting in the wings to join.

Summer and Kadence began studying violin at age two with their mother, who is a professional violinist, teacher and strings conductor for a youth symphony.

The sisters enjoy taking both Suzuki and fiddle lessons and have played numerous places with Fiddle Frenzy, a Nashville-based energetic performing ensemble of violin/fiddle students.

Fiddle Sisters’ performance pieces range from classical compositions to Bluegrass to Irish music and they are often joined by their father on guitar.

“We love to share our music and bring a little bit of magic and inspiration to those around us,” Fiddle Sisters said about their upcoming show. “We can’t wait to see you in Holland Park on July 14.”

Fiddle Sisters performs monthly at the Bellevue Farmers Market in Red Caboose Park, at neighborhood festivals and private events as well as occasionally playing in downtown Franklin and busking on Broadway in Nashville. Recent performances include the Music City Irish Fest at the Grand Ole Opry House, the Budding Branches Festival and the Sister Cities of Nashville Gala. For more information, visit the Fiddle Sisters page on Facebook, where there are videos of recent performances and booking information.

The Music in Holland Park series presents free concerts on the second Friday of each month May-August. The opening concert with Franklin-based Whiskey and Steel was rained out in May and country/gospel/bluegrass group Maggie Valley Express opened the series June 10. After Fiddle Sisters, Piney River Pearls will conclude the 2023 series on Aug. 11.

Those attending the Music in Holland Park concert series can bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the free concert. Alcohol is not allowed in city parks. For more information, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at (615) 446-1721.

The City of Dickson Parks and Recreation Department reminds parents that high temperatures expected today can impact the surfaces of play areas.

The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for Dickson and surrounding counties 11:00 am-8:00 pm Friday, June 30. Dangerously hot conditions are predicted with heat index values up to 114 degrees expected.

“Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities,” according to the NWS statement.

While the city’s parks facilities will remain open, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Cherie Wilson warns parents to take precautions for children playing outside anywhere and at the playgrounds, especially the new Splash Pad and Playground at Henslee Park.

“Under these extreme conditions, the surfaces and structures at the parks can get extremely hot,” Wilson cautioned. “The concrete of the Splash Pad and the artificial turf surface of the Playground can get extremely hot to children’s feet. We urge everyone getting out to enjoy our facilities to keep this in mind and urge all children to wear sneakers or creek shoes to protect their feet and use caution on all metal and plastic surfaces.”

Wilson also emphasized the importance of remaining hydrated while working or playing in the extreme conditions.

“Cooling off in the Splash Pad is a great relief from the heat but it’s also important to take care on the inside with plenty of water,” Wilson said. “Don’t drink sugary beverages or caffeine as they actually cause water loss in the body’s tissues.”

Wilson urges parents to keep watch for the signs of dehydration or other heat-related conditions, such as dry, irritated, inflamed, itchy or sensitive skin, muscle cramps, dizziness, fatigue, nausea or a lack of or dark urine.

“Monitor children closely and make sure they get frequent fluids and periods in the shade or indoors,” Wilson said. “We want everyone to have fun and enjoy all our parks while being careful during extreme conditions.”

The Dickson City Council has voted to name the building that houses the Senior Activity Center in honor of the late David Alan Shepard, whose legacy of public service includes being a city councilman, state representative and county commissioner.

At its June 5 meeting, the council approved Resolution #2023-15 to designate the building at 100 Payne Springs Road as the David A. Shepard Building. The city purchased the former Dickson Athletic Club in December 2020 and remodeled it to be the new City of Dickson Senior Activity Center that opened in October 2022.

A Hickman County native, Shepard served on the Dickson City Council 1977-89 including 10 years as vice mayor, served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 69th District 2000-16 and was elected to the Dickson County Commission from the 9th District in 2018, where he was serving at the time of his death Feb. 4, 2021, after a battle with cancer at the age of 73.

In addition to his elected service, Shepard was a decorated Vietnam War veteran, served 22 years as a clinical pharmacy specialist with the Veterans Administration Medical Center and, along with wife Martha, owned and operated Dickson Apothecary and other independent pharmacies in Middle Tennessee.

Councilperson Jason Epley (1st Ward), who chairs the city’s Naming Committee, said a petition was submitted by the members of the Reynolds Potter Ragan Vandivort law firm to honor Shepard by naming a city facility after him. After consulting with Shepard’s family and Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr., the committee unanimously recommended to the council that the senior center building be named for him.

The motion to approve the resolution passed 6-0-1 with Vice Mayor Robby Harmon (2nd Ward) absent and Councilperson Stacey Levine (3rd Ward), who is Shepard’s daughter, abstaining.

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” an emotional Levine responded after the vote was followed by a round of applause. “On behalf of my family, thank you so much. It’s really an honor. Thank you.”

Mayor Weiss said the senior center will continue to be called the City of Dickson Senior Activity Center and the building will be designated as the David A. Shepard Building.

The mayor said a grand opening for the senior center will be scheduled sometime this summer and the tentative plan is to hold a dedication ceremony for the building around the first anniversary of the center’s opening near the end of October.

The resolution states, “Appropriate memorialization of Mr. Shepard’s legacy of service be placed and displayed on or within the building so long as it shall bear his name.”

“I will always cherish my time working with David on city projects, but most of all will miss his friendship and spending many hours on the golf course together," Mayor Weiss said in a statement following his passing. "He will be remembered as a great community leader, but most of all as the perfect example of a son, brother, husband, father and grandfather.”

Born in Hickman County to M.O. and Patricia Shepard, his family moved to Dickson when his father was named University of Tennessee extension agent for Dickson County. He graduated from Dickson High School in 1965 and attended the University of Tennessee Martin where he played baseball. After graduating in 1969, he served in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star with Valor.

Following his service, Shepard attended UT Pharmacy School in Memphis, where he met Martha Frazier and they married in 1974. They bought the former Hamdorff Pharmacy in Dickson in 1981 and opened Dickson Apothecary. He became the first certified clinical pharmacist in the Veterans Administration medical system.

He received the Tennessee Pharmacy Association Bowl of Hygeia for Community Service in 1998, was the TPA Outstanding Pharmacist of the Year in 2000, received the TPA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, the TPA Barbara McAndrew Herald Award in 2016, the Court-Appointed Special Advocates Champions for Children Award in 2017 and the Dickson County Good Scout Award in 2019.

Shepard served on the boards of directors for The Bank of Dickson, Dickson County Community Clinic, Clement Railroad Hotel Museum and The Jackson Foundation and was appointed to the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2017.

He participated in medical mission trips to Belize, Guatemala and Haiti.

In addition to his wife, Shepard is survived by three children, Chris Shepard, Stacey Levine and Ben Shepard; six grandchildren and five siblings.

The city is still putting some finishing touches on the building and at its June 26 special session the city council approved a bid of $11,940 from Nashville Tent and Awning to construct a cover at the entrance.

Under a new law passed by the 113th Tennessee General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Lee, the Dickson City Council will add a public comment section to the agenda of regular public meetings.

Public Chapter No. 300 signed by the governor April 28 requires all local government legislative bodies such as city councils, county commissions and boards of aldermen to “reserve a period for public comment to provide the public with the opportunity to comment on matters that are germane to the items on the agenda” starting July 1.

The new statute also authorizes the local governing bodies to adopt “reasonable restrictions on the period for public comment” and establish the procedure by which the public may indicate an intention to make comments during a public meeting.

Under Ordinance #1535 adopted by the Dickson City Council on second and final reading during a special session Monday, April 26, the public comment period will be added to the agenda for regular public meetings following the approval of the previous meeting’s minutes and prior to considering old and new business.

At the same meeting, the council approved Resolution #2023-12 that establishes the City of Dickson Public Engagement Policy with the regulations and procedures for citizen participation in public hearings, the public comment periods, inclusion on the agenda and making requests of the council.

Public hearings are required on certain business considered by the council that includes budgetary matters, rezoning requests, annexations or other certain issues. In a scheduled public hearing, there is no requirement for advance notification of a desire to speak and the presiding officer can establish limits on the length of time allowed based on the number of speakers.

In the new public comment periods, citizens may speak related to any item that is on the agenda for consideration at that meeting. The council will place a sign-up sheet at each regular meeting and those wishing to comment during the period must register before the meeting starts and indicate the item(s) on which they wish to comment. Only those registering prior to the meeting will be allowed to speak. The presiding officer can set a time limit for each speaker and the council must make every practicable effort to allow opportunity for opposing views to be equally presented.

For public hearings and the public comment periods, groups or citizens wishing to express the same comments may be asked to designate a spokesperson to present those shared views.

The new Public Engagement Policy also incorporates the city’s existing policy for inclusion on the meeting agenda. Under this policy, citizens can request to be added to the agenda to address the council on a matter or issue that is not included on the agenda. A request form available at City Hall and on the city’s website must be completed and submitted to the City Recorder’s office at least six days prior to the scheduled meeting.

The city also provides contact information for each city council member on its website and in 2020 adopted a policy by which citizens can make requests for items such as speed humps, street signs, street lights and other matters. The policy, forms and required petitions are available at City Hall and on the city’s website at cityofdickson.com.

Under each form of public engagement, the new policy establishes restrictions preventing malicious or slanderous comments, personal attacks and comments in support of or opposition to candidates for office. All comments must be directed to the presiding officer and not council members, city staff or agents or other speakers unless directed by the presiding officer. Allotted time for comments cannot be reserved or transferred and unused time is waived and forfeited. Speakers may not respond or make additional comments following their allotted time unless permitted by the presiding officer.

Any violation of the public engagement regulations may result in a speaker’s allotted time being terminated.

For more information on the City of Dickson Public Engagement Policy, contact City Recorder Chris Norman at cnorman@cityofdickson.com or (615) 441-9508 or visit the city’s website at cityofdickson.com.

The statute includes exceptions to the public comment period that include meetings where there are no actionable items and portions of meetings that consist of disciplinary hearings for a member of the governing body.

The new policy will take effect with the City Council’s next regular meeting rescheduled to 7:00 pm Monday, July 17. The council regularly meets at 7:00 pm on the first Monday of each month unless rescheduled by the mayor or council due to a holiday or other reason. The council’s Finance and Management Committee meets at 6:00 pm on the third Monday of each month. Meetings are in the Council Chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. and are open to the public.

The City of Dickson Splash Pad and Playground at Henslee Park are now open to the public.

One of the largest recreation areas of its type in the State of Tennessee, the new facility includes a 25,000-square-foot playground with 26 separate features and a 4,000-square-foot splash pad with 20 features and are open to all ages.

The Splash Pad and Playground are on the site of the former Dickson Country Club at 800 Highway 70 West, which the city bought in July 2018 and opened as the 126-acre Henslee Park with more than four miles of walking, running and biking paths. Since then the park has added a fenced Dog Park with areas for large and small breeds and activity features to be installed this summer.

Henslee Park is open sunrise to 10 pm daily and the Splash Pad will operate 8 am-8 pm. Admission is free.

The Splash Pad and Playground contain several inclusive features for persons of all abilities and some play structures that cannot be found anywhere else in the region.

The Splash Pad includes a pavilion with picnic tables and restrooms and a large greenspace for picnicking.

The picnic tables in the pavilion are available on a first-come, first-served basis and visitors are free to set up popup canopies or tents, portable tables and lawn chairs in the greenspace. The pavilion, Splash Pad and Playground are not available for rentals or reservations.

No pets are allowed in the Splash Pad and Playground areas but are allowed on leash in the greenspace and trails. The adjacent Dog Park is the only area in Henslee Park where dogs may be off leash.

Skateboards, scooters, roller skates, inline skates and other wheeled devices are not allowed in the Splash Pad or Playground area and pavilion, steps or railings.

The City of Dickson continues to research the possibility of adding an aquatic facility to Henslee Park.

For more information on Henslee Park, call the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at 615-446-1721.

In response to a petition signed by most of the residents, the Dickson City Council has voted to restrict the majority of Poplar Street to one-way traffic.

At its June 5 meeting, the council voted unanimously to approve a recommendation from Public Works Director David Travis to restrict Poplar Street to one-way traffic southbound from East Rickert Avenue almost to East College Street. An approximately 170-foot section of Poplar Street on the East College Street end will remain two-way traffic to maintain access to the businesses and parking lots on either side and an alley that provides access to residences.

Travis said there is a city alley behind Dickson Florist and Yessick’s Design that runs through the parking lots on either side of Poplar Street and provides access to an alley that runs behind residences on East College Street and the east side of Poplar Street.

Poplar Street is an approximately 917-foot street running north and south between East Rickert Avenue and East College Street between Masonic Street to the east and Sylvis Street to the west. There are 16 residences on the street and all but two either have driveways or access for parking off alleys that run on either side.

At its May 1 meeting, the council received a petition signed by most of the residents of Poplar Street requesting the street be restricted to one-way traffic from East Rickert Avenue to East College Street. The petition came as the council was considering new parking restrictions that could have prohibited all on-street parking on Poplar Street. By making the street one way, it keeps parking on one side of the street under the new parking regulations.

Because businesses and residences on East College Street have access from Poplar Street, Travis said he and City Engineer Bret Stock determined a section of Poplar Street should remain open to two-way traffic.

“The city has an alley that runs kind of through the funeral home parking lot there. It’s actually designated city property,” Travis said.

Travis recommended that a four-way stop intersection be created at the alley that crosses Poplar Street with the south section remaining two-way traffic and the remaining section north to East Rickert Avenue be restricted to one-way traffic southbound.

“We’ll sign it right there so you’ll still be able to turn off College and go to the flower shop or the home interior shop there and then there will be signs there ‘Do Not Enter’ both ways and that’s where the four-way stop will be,” Travis said.

The adoption of new parking restrictions at the same meeting would restrict parking on one-way Poplar Street to the west side of the street. The new ordinance limits on-street parking to only the right-hand side of the street based on the direction of traffic.

“That would put the parking on the west side of the street,” Travis said.

As the traffic on the one-way section approaches the four-way stop, striping on the street in front of 103 Poplar St. will direct it back to the right-hand side so it is not facing oncoming traffic head-on.

Travis said the signage and striping is projected to cost $7,750.

On a motion by Councilperson Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward) with a second by Councilperson Betty Lou Alsobrooks (1st Ward), the council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation to make most of Poplar Street one-way traffic and create a four-way stop intersection at the alley.

Travis said he expects to be able to get the striping and intersection done in the next couple weeks and officially convert Poplar Street to one-way traffic by July 3.

The new parking restriction adopted June 5 take effect immediately, although enforcement by the Dickson Police Department will not begin until Jan. 1, 2024, to allow time for residents to adjust to the new regulations.

The Dickson City Council has adopted new restrictions on parking throughout the city that are designed to improve safety and reduce traffic hazards.

After more than a year of discussion, research and the appointment of a special committee, the council approved an amendment to the city’s parking ordinance on second and final reading at its June 5 meeting.

The primary change in the new code prohibits any vehicles from parking on the side of a street where it forces traffic to cross the center point of the street to safely pass the parked vehicle. The same restriction was included in the original proposal that was unanimously approved by the council May 2, 2022, and then unanimously rejected on second reading Jan. 9, 2023, after being deferred for several months.

A special four-member committee appointed by Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. met March 13 and April 24 before coming back to the council with a slightly revised ordinance that was unanimously approved May 1 and June 5.

The restrictions in the new ordinance go into effect immediately but the adopting ordinance includes a provision that the Dickson Police Department will not start enforcement of the new rules until Jan. 1, 2024, to allow residents time to adjust to the changes. In the meantime, officers will issue warnings to violators and the city will make efforts to inform residents of the new restrictions.

While the restrictions apply throughout the city, the primary focus of debate over the last year has been Poplar Street, where on-street parking was shown to create difficulty for Dickson Fire Department equipment to navigate the street and prohibit the larger ladder trucks from being able to set up with outriggers that stabilize the vehicle for an aerial attack on a fire.

Public Works Director David Travis also told the council that his department receives numerous complaints every week about residential trash not being picked up because vehicles parked on the street blocked access to the mechanical-arm trucks used to pick up and empty city trash cans. Travis said there also are issues with vehicles blocking brush and leaf pickup and Dickson Police Department Chief Jeff Lewis reported complaints about vehicles blocking driveways and interfering with mail delivery.

The new code’s definition of “illegal parking” includes:

1) Every vehicle parked upon a street within the City of Dickson shall be so parked that it does not create a hazard to traffic.

2) Every vehicle parked upon a street within the City of Dickson shall be so parked that it does not encroach into a lane of traffic.

a) Vehicles shall only be parked on the right side of the street and/or lane(s) of traffic as defined by the designated direction of travel for the street or lane.

b) Any vehicle parked in such a manner to require vehicles passing in the same direction to cross any line that marks a lane of traffic violates the prohibition of subsection (2) above.

c) It is presumed that any vehicle parked such that its left wheels are within the driving lane encroaches into a lane for traffic.

i. The "lane for traffic" is the area bounded on the left and right as designating the path for vehicles traveling in that direction.

ii. On a two-way street, the "lane for traffic" is designated by the center line of the street and the outside, right-hand boundary of the street.

d) Where traffic lanes are not marked, vehicles shall be so parked that vehicles passing them in the same direction are not required to cross the center line of the street into the opposite lane to avoid the parked vehicles.

e) The actions set forth in subsections (a)-(d) above are not exclusive, as all actions that create a hazard for traffic are prohibited.

The ordinance makes allowances for delivery and service vehicles to temporarily park on the street, but requires they make every effort “to not interfere with the flow of traffic or create high-risk hazards.” Service and delivery vehicles should utilize “proper safety precautions, which can include signage, flaggers, safety cones, flares or other safety measures to warn drivers.”

The new ordinance also prohibits parking:

1) On a sidewalk.

2) In a manner that interferes with access to a public or private driveway.

3) In such a manner that interferes with the routine collection of household refuse, leaves or brush by the municipality or the delivery of mail.

4) Within an intersection or within twenty-five (25) feet of the center point thereof.

5) Within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant unless permitted by designation of a parking space by the municipality through signage or surface markings.

6) Within a pedestrian or school children's crosswalk.

7) Within fifty (50) feet of a railroad crossing.

8) Within twenty (20) feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station, and on the side of the street opposite the entrance to any fire station within seventy-five (75) feet of the entrance.

9) Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when other traffic would be obstructed.

10) On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street.

11) Upon any bridge.

12) Alongside any curb painted yellow or red by the City of Dickson or designated for no parking by the municipality through signage.

13) In any public parking space designated by signage or surface markings as being limited to handicapped drivers unless in a vehicle displaying the authorized license plate or placard issued by the State of Tennessee Department of Safety.

14) More than eighteen (18) inches from the nearest tire(s) of the vehicle to the nearest curb, sidewalk or other tire stop structure or marking installed, designated or maintained by the municipality, whether angle, parallel or pull-in parking.

15) By parking a vehicle different from the type or size designated for a particular parking space by signage or surface marking.

Starting Jan. 1, 2024, violators face receipt of citations for illegal parking that could result in fines of up to $50 for each violation plus court costs.

At the same meeting, the council approved a recommendation to convert most of Poplar Street to one-way traffic southbound from East Rickert Avenue to East College Street. Approximately 170 feet from the East College Street end will remain two-way traffic to provide access to the businesses and parking lots on either side of Poplar Street. The changes to Poplar Street are to take effect as soon as the Public Works Department completes the creation of a four-way stop intersection with the installation of signage and striping.

The full text of the new parking ordinance can be viewed in Chapter 6 of Title 15 of the Dickson Municipal Code at https://irp.cdn-website.com/fc32ce20/files/uploaded/TITLE%2015%20-%20Motor%20Vehicles-%20Traffic-%20Parking.pdf.

The Dickson Parks and Recreation Department presents the annual Kids Fishing Rodeo on Saturday, June 10, as part of the annual free fishing day across the state of Tennessee. The rodeo will be held rain or shine unless there is a presence of lightning.

The Kids Fishing Rodeo begins at 6 am at Buckner Lake on the north side of Highway 70 West at J. Dan Buckner Park. The event is free for toddlers to age 16. Parents are asked to bring their children by the main tent near Weaver Drive to register for the rodeo on the day of the event. Advance registration is not required and participants must supply their own fishing rod and tackle.

There is a weigh-in at 10 am and there will be prizes for largest fish caught in several age groups. There also are several door prizes to be given away in drawings.

The Kids Fishing Rodeo is presented in partnership with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and sponsors Walmart and Traditions Bank. TWRA will stock Buckner Lake prior to the rodeo. Walmart will provide water and worms. Traditions Bank provides donuts and the Parks and Recreation Department will provide milk and juice for participants.

Children 16 and under can fish without a license for the entire week starting on Free Fishing Day through the next Friday. Children under 13 can fish without a license year 'round. Anglers of all ages can fish free June 10.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency sponsors many free fishing day events and stocks thousands of pounds of catfish in selected area lakes and ponds for the day. The Free Fishing Day on June 10 applies only to public waters, TWRA-owned and -operated waters and state park facilities. For a list of events and more information, visit tn.gov/twra.

Buckner Lake is closed for fishing effective June 4 until after the Kids Fishing Rodeo on June 10.

For more information on the Kids Fishing Rodeo, call the parks department at 615-446-1721.

After rain canceled the kickoff show, the City of Dickson Parks and Recreation Department’s Music in Holland Park series is scheduled to try again with Maggie Valley Express on Friday, June 9.

The free performance is 6-8 pm and starts a series of concerts in the park next to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum in Downtown Dickson on the second Friday of each month through August.

Maggie Valley Express is a Middle Tennessee-based bluegrass, country and gospel band that includes Gary Kimbro, Mike Wilson, Donnie Dixon, Glenn Mason and Bill Sammons.

The band performs throughout the region and has been featured at the annual Charlotte Festival, Old Timers Day in Dickson, Gallagher’s Restaurant in White Bluff, the Main Street Festival in White Bluff, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America convention in Nashville, Frank and Jesse James Day in Springfield and others.

The Music in Holland Park series was scheduled to begin May 12 with Franklin-based duo Whiskey and Steel but rain forced the performance to be canceled.

The July 14 installment of Music in Holland Park will feature Fiddle Sisters from Nashville.

Those attending the Music in Holland Park concert series can bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the free concert. Alcohol is not allowed in city parks. For more information, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at (615) 446-1721.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and Dickson Fire Department Chief Richard Greer presented the Medal of Valor to Lt. Jeff Salewsky for his actions in attempting to save a man from his burning home.

Mayor Weiss and the Dickson City Council recognized Salewsky at the May 1 council meeting.

The mayor stated that Salewsky was traveling home with his family on April 12 when they spotted a house on fire on Hortense Road.

While his wife called 911, Salewsky entered the burning home without firefighting equipment and located the resident, later identified as 62-year-old Alphonso “Big Al” Vaughn Sr., in a bedroom. According to reports, Salewsky was unable to remove Vaughn from the home as he was driven out by smoke and heat.

Chief Greer said Salewsky entered the home a second time without protective gear but was unsuccessful in removing Vaughn due to the ongoing fire.

When local volunteer firefighters arrived on the scene, Salewsky utilized gear and equipment to enter the home a third time and suppress the fire.

Neighbors, family members and others managed to tear a hole through a bedroom wall to remove Vaughn from the home. He later died as a result of injuries suffered in the blaze, according to reports.

At the council meeting, Mayor Weiss and Chief Greer recognized Salewsky “for his unselfish and courageous action” in attempting to rescue Vaughn.

A funeral service for Vaughn was held April 18 at Taylor Funeral Home with burial in Dickson County Memorial Gardens.

A lieutenant on Dickson Fire Department’s B shift, Salewsky has been with the department for 35 years. He also works as a part-time corrections officer with the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office.

The Dickson Parks and Recreation Department is kicking off its 2023 Music in Holland Park with Whiskey & Steel on Friday, May 12.

The free performance is 6-8 pm and starts a series of concerts in the park next to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum in Downtown Dickson on the second Friday of each month through August.

Based in Franklin, Whiskey & Steel is an acoustic duo featuring Sutton Parks and Carla Theodore.

The pair have been friends and bandmates for almost 20 years in cover bands in the Nashville area and began performing as a duo last fall. They showcase stellar lead vocals and harmonies on a wide range of music, from rock and roll to country.

Their music includes selections from Johnny Cash, John Prine, John Denver, The Eagles, Alanis Morrisette, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty, Brooks and Dunn and more.

A native of North Tonawanda, N.Y., now residing in Franklin, Parks is the owner of Shear Sharp Pros, which specializes in mobile sharpening services for shears for hair stylists and dog groomers, clipper blades, scissors and kitchen knives. A Macedon, N.Y., native, Theodore is now living in Spring Hill.

They have performed recently at The Chef and I in Nashville, The Titled Mule in Columbia and Scissors and Scotch in Brentwood, where they got their own personalized cocktails added to the menu.

Those attending the Music in Holland Park concert series can bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the free concert. For more information, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at (615) 446-1721.

A special committee appointed by Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. has recommended changes to the City of Dickson’s parking regulations that are substantially unchanged from an amendment that was previously rejected by the City Council.

At its second meeting Monday, April 24, the four-member committee unanimously approved a draft amendment to the city’s Municipal Code and forwarded it to the full council’s May 1 meeting for consideration.

The special committee included councilpersons Betty Lou Alsobrooks (1st Ward), Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward), Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) and Dwight Haynes (4th Ward), who served as chairman.

At its first meeting March 13, the committee made a list of minor changes to an amendment that was unanimously approved on first reading by the council May 2, 2022, and then unanimously rejected on second reading Jan. 9, 2023, after being deferred for several months.

If the draft ordinance adopting the amendment is approved by the City Council on two readings, it includes a provision that enforcement of the new regulations will begin Jan. 1, 2024, giving residents time to become familiar with the new code.

The primary restriction of the new ordinance prohibits any type of vehicles from being parked on a city street in a manner that forces traffic to cross the center line of the street into the opposite lane in order to safely pass the parked vehicle.

The proposed code establishing “illegal parking” includes:

1) Every vehicle parked upon a street within the City of Dickson shall be so parked that it does not create a hazard to traffic.

2) Every vehicle parked upon a street within the City of Dickson shall be so parked that it does not encroach into a lane of traffic.

a) Vehicles shall only be parked on the right side of the street and/or lane(s) of traffic as defined by the designated direction of travel for the street or lane.

b) Any vehicle parked in such a manner to require vehicles passing in the same direction to cross any line that marks a lane of traffic violates the prohibition of subsection (2) above.

c) It is presumed that any vehicle parked such that its left wheels are within the driving lane encroaches into a lane for traffic.

i. The "lane for traffic" is the area bounded on the left and right as designating the path for vehicles traveling in that direction.

ii. On a two-way street, the "lane for traffic" is designated by the center line of the street and the outside, right-hand boundary of the street.

d) Where traffic lanes are not marked, vehicles shall be so parked that vehicles passing them in the same direction are not required to cross the center line of the street into the opposite lane to avoid the parked vehicles.

e) The actions set forth in subsections (a)-(d) above are not exclusive, as all actions that create a hazard for traffic are prohibited.

The draft ordinance makes allowances for delivery and service vehicles to temporarily park on the street, but requires they make every effort “to not interfere with the flow of traffic or create high-risk hazards.” Service and delivery vehicles should utilize “proper safety precautions, which can include signage, flaggers, safety cones, flares or other safety measures to warn drivers.”

The new ordinance also prohibits parking:

1) On a sidewalk.

2) In a manner that interferes with access to a public or private driveway.

3) In such a manner that interferes with the routine collection of household refuse, leaves or brush by the municipality or the delivery of mail.

4) Within an intersection or within twenty-five (25) feet of the center point thereof.

5) Within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant unless permitted by designation of a parking space by the municipality through signage or surface markings.

6) Within a pedestrian or school children's crosswalk.

7) Within fifty (50) feet of a railroad crossing.

8) Within twenty (20) feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station, and on the side of the street opposite the entrance to any fire station within seventy-five (75) feet of the entrance.

9) Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when other traffic would be obstructed.

10) On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street.

11) Upon any bridge.

12) Alongside any curb painted yellow or red by the City of Dickson or designated for no parking by the municipality through signage.

13) In any public parking space designated by signage or surface markings as being limited to handicapped drivers unless in a vehicle displaying the authorized license plate or placard issued by the State of Tennessee Department of Safety.

14) More than eighteen (18) inches from the nearest tire(s) of the vehicle to the nearest curb, sidewalk or other tire stop structure or marking installed, designated or maintained by the municipality, whether angle, parallel or pull-in parking.

15) By parking a vehicle different from the type or size designated for a particular parking space by signage or surface marking.

The committee recommended that if the new ordinance is passed by the council at its May and June meetings, the city will allow six months before it begins issuing citations for violations so residents have time to become familiar with the new code, recommending an effective date of Jan. 1. During the adjustment period, the police department will issue warning citations for violations.

The new regulations were prompted by concerns about hazardous driving situations on streets throughout the city, but particularly focused on Poplar Street, where on-street parking reduces the street to one lane of traffic and makes it difficult for the fire department’s larger vehicles to pass or set up to fight a fire.

Poplar Street residents Beverly and David Caldwell and Bob and Melissa Britt were the only citizens in attendance at the Parking Committee meetings and said they are prepared to present a petition to the city council asking to convert Poplar Street to a one-way street, which is on the agenda for the May 1 meeting.

Poplar Street residents previously presented a petition seeking speed humps on the street to reduce speeding and discourage drivers from using Poplar Street to bypass traffic on East College Street by cutting through to Rickert Avenue. Drainage and safety concerns prompted the council to turn down the speed humps request Aug. 2, 2021.

Under the new ordinance, converting Poplar Street to one-way traffic would restrict on-street parking to only the right side of the street based on the direction of traffic, meaning residents on the other side of the street would not be allowed to park on the street in front of their homes.

Of the 16 residences on Poplar Street, two homes appear to not have a driveway or rear access from the alleys on either side because of fences.

Public Works Director David Travis said his department receives frequent complaints throughout the city about trash not being picked up because vehicles are parked in a way that prevents his mechanical arm trucks from safely picking up containers and brush and leaves that can’t be picked up because vehicles are parked in the way.

Police Chief Jeff Lewis has said his department receives complaints about vehicles parked in a way that interferes with residents getting in and out of their driveways and officers have issued citations to vehicles that are parked on sidewalks. Lewis said Municipal Court Judge Stan Reynolds asked that the city’s parking regulations be revised. The Parking Committee was told that Judge Reynolds has reviewed and approved the proposed draft amendment.

The committee voted unanimously to approve a motion by Councilperson Levine with a second by Councilperson Alsobrooks to forward Ordinance #1531 to amend the city’s parking code to the city council with a recommendation for approval. The ordinance must be approved on two readings by the council to be adopted. It will be considered at the May 1 council meeting and, if passed on first reading, face a final vote at the June 5 meeting.

The petition to convert Poplar Street to one-way traffic is scheduled to be presented at the May 1 meeting and, per the city’s policy, will be turned over to staff to research and prepare a recommendation for a subsequent meeting.

The City Council meets at 7:00 pm Monday, May 1, in the Council Chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. All meetings are open to the public. The meeting agenda and draft documents can be viewed at cityofdickson.com.

The Dickson Beer Board gave Bulldogs Bar and Nightclub the option of serving a 14-day suspension of its beer permit or paying a $500 penalty for allowing prohibited sexual activity during a performance by male dancers.

Two special agents of the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission testified at a special session of the Beer Board April 17 that five performers from Hunks The Show performed lap dances in the audience that included contact in violation of a state law prohibiting sexual conduct in a business holding a state liquor license during the Jan. 21 show. The City of Dickson’s municipal code also contains the same prohibition for businesses with beer permits. The TABC citation states, “The performance included simulating sexual acts, the performers and audience members touching each other, and exposing buttocks.”

The TABC citation assessed a civil penalty of $8,050 but Simmons testified that Bulldogs negotiated a settlement with the ABC’s legal counsel.

According to an agreed order signed by Bulldogs owner Luke Frost, the TABC suspended the club’s liquor license for two days and assessed a $2,000 fine for seven violations, one for prohibited conduct by each of the five male dancers, one for giving away free drinks and one for “failure to maintain law and order.” The order states the license was to be suspended Feb. 22-23 and the fine to be paid by Feb. 28.

On its Facebook page, Bulldogs announced it would be closed Feb. 20-23 for “deep cleaning” and reopened with a Ladies Night Feb. 24 and a Mardi Gras party Feb. 25.

Special Agents Kaley Simmons and Monica MacKin testified they saw an advertisement for the performance on social media and were assigned to go to the club undercover to watch for violations. MacKin said she recorded over 90 minutes of video showing the performers having contact with audience members on and off stage and showed segments of that to Beer Board members.

Frost did not contest the allegations, saying he had previously hosted the same performance without incident, including on one occasion when there was a TABC agent present.

“It’s unfortunate this event happened. We’ve had this show four times, three times previously,” Frost said. “Discussed it with the business, the owner of the company, to discuss what was allowed and what wasn’t allowed.”

Frost said due to personal reasons he was “in and out” of the building in the time frame of the performance and “it’s unfortunate that some of the actions that did happen happened but I’m the owner, I take full responsibility.”

City Attorney Jerry Smith explained that the Beer Board, which consists of the entire City Council, must determine whether a violation of the city’s Municipal Code occurred and, if so, how many violations occurred.

With members Jason Epley (1st Ward) and Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward) absent, the Beer Board unanimously approved a motion by Horace Perkins III (3rd Ward) to find Bulldogs in violation of the Municipal Code prohibition on “sexual or pornographic conduct.” The board then voted unanimously to approve a motion by Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) to consider it one violation.

Smith said the violation can be punished by a suspension of the club’s beer permit for a minimum of 14 days up to permanent revocation of the club’s permit. He said the board also can offer the offender the option of paying a civil penalty up to $1,000 in lieu of a suspension.

Board member Dwight Haynes (4th Ward) said since it is Bulldogs’ first offense he made a motion to suspend the beer permit for the minimum 14 days and offer the option to pay a $500 civil penalty instead of the suspension, which passed unanimously.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. informed Frost he has seven days to pay the penalty and, if not paid, the 14-day suspension of the beer permit will begin at midnight of the eighth day

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. swore in four new officers for the Dickson Police Department at the city council’s Finance and Management Committee meeting.

Mayor Weiss administered the Peace Officer’s oath to Officers Jonathan Killebrew, Bradley Simpson, Andrew Deason and Craig Haneline during the April 17 meeting.

A 2020 graduate of Dickson County High School, Officer Killebrew has worked as a brick mason and a caregiver prior to joining the police department.

“Without God, none of this would be possible,” Officer Killebrew said on joining his hometown force. “I would like to thank God and my whole family for making me the man I am today. I will do my best to protect and serve this community.”

Officer Killebrew is currently in the department’s 12-week Field Training program and is scheduled to attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy this summer. He will be assigned to the department’s Patrol Division.

Born in Humphreys County, Officer Simpson moved at a young age to Norfolk, Va., where his father was stationed in the U.S. Navy. After graduating from Matthew Fontaine Maury High School in Norfolk in 2014, Officer Simpson moved back to New Johnsonville in 2020.

He has worked as an automotive and power sports technician until joining the police department. Officer Simpson also is an active volunteer firefighter with the city of Waverly.

“I am looking forward to working with the City of Dickson and getting to meet and interact with the community,” Simpson said on joining DPD.

Officer Simpson and his wife, Michaela, have two daughters.

He will complete the department’s 12-week Field Training program and attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy this summer. He will be assigned to the department’s Patrol Division.

Officer Deason is a lifelong resident of Dickson County and graduated from Creek Wood High School in 2010 and earned a degree in Business from Bethel University in 2014. He has previously worked as a fitness trainer and owns and operates his own woodworking business.

“I want to thank God, first and foremost, along with my family for the constant encouragement and support,” Officer Deason said on joining the department. “I look forward to this opportunity to help, serve and protect our community.”

Officer Deason will complete the department’s 12-week Field Training program and attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy this summer. He will be assigned to the department’s Patrol Division.

A native of Dickson County and graduate of Dickson County High School, Officer Haneline served in the United States Marine Corps 2002-06, including a tour in Fallujah, Iraq. After his service, Officer Haneline earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from East Tennessee State University.

Prior to joining the department, Officer Haneline worked for Silverdale Detention Center in Chattanooga and the State of Tennessee Department of Probation and Parole.

He graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in 2017 and has six years of law enforcement experience, including the Patrol Divisions of the Lawrence County and Dickson County Sheriff’s Offices.

“I am grateful and excited for my new opportunity with DPD as a school resource officer,” Officer Haneline said on joining the department. “I am eager to protect the students and pray I can maintain an environment they feel safe in and can focus on their education.”

Officer Haneline is married to his high school sweetheart and best friend, Amanda, and they have four children: Annabelle, Harper, Sawyer and Atticus.

Officer Haneline will be assigned to the department’s Special Services Division as one of the department’s nine school resource officers serving in the seven Dickson County schools located inside the city.

Mayor Weiss welcomed the four new officers to the Dickson Police Department.

By 7:00 am Thursday, April 13, 2023, the new traffic signals at the entrance to DCHS on Henslee Drive, at Highway 46 and Crestview Park Drive and at Highway 70 East at Hummingbird Lane will be activated. Motorists should be alert to possible stops at these intersections. The Dickson City Council approved a new timing and traffic study for the signals at DCHS and they will be adjusted once it is completed.

The City of Dickson’s Public Works Department will end its loose-leaf pickup season on Friday, April 14. After that date, the city will pick up only leaves in biodegradable bags until the next loose-leaf season starts Nov. 1, 2023.

The city’s vacuum truck crews will complete their final passes through the city on a street-by-street rotation April 14 before the season closes. Crews will not return to a street after their final route so leaves that are not at the curb when the crews serve that street will not be picked up.

For maximum efficiency, loose leaves are picked up on a street-by-street rotation and not in response to calls, according to Public Works Director David Travis.

“To make the most effective use of our leaf season, the crews pass through the city street by street multiple times during the season,” Travis said. “It is not efficient to have the crews running around to different parts of the city in response to calls.”

According to the Public Works Department policy, loose leaves are picked up Nov. 1-April 15. Leaves should be free of brush, limbs or other debris that could damage the vacuum. Leaves must be placed at the curb or roadside without creating a traffic hazard, blocking sidewalks or closing culverts or drains. Leaves should be at least four feet from any mailbox, signpost, utility pole or other structures.

The Public Works Department will pick up leaves in biodegradable bags throughout the year. Leaves in bags should be free of brush, limbs and other debris. To schedule pickup of bagged leaves, notify the Public Works Department at 615-441-9508 or jporter@cityofdickson.com.

For more information on the City of Dickson’s leaf removal, brush removal or sanitation services, call 615-441-9508 or visit the Public Works Department page on the city’s website at cityofdickson.com.

The special committee appointed to review the City of Dickson’s parking ordinance discussed minor changes to an amendment that was previously rejected by the Dickson City Council and could present a new proposal as soon as May. The committee will meet again April 24.

At its first meeting March 13 after being appointed by Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr., the committee reviewed section by section the amendment that was unanimously approved on first reading May 2, 2022, and then was unanimously rejected on second reading Jan. 9, 2023 after several deferrals.

The main change in the proposed amendment is prohibiting on-street parking on any street where traffic would be forced to cross the center line of the street into the opposite lane to get around parked vehicles.

That restriction has prompted objections mainly from residents on Poplar Street, several of whom claim they have no option other than on-street parking due to a lack of driveways or fences, outbuildings or other obstructions to access from the alleys behind the homes.

Public Works Director David Travis has told the council that on-street parking is a problem throughout the city, regularly interfering with the collection of trash, brush and leaves and the delivery of mail. At the committee meeting, Travis said he has a list of more than 40 streets for which his department has received more than 70 complaints about trash not being picked up because of vehicles parked in the way of the sanitation trucks over the last six months.

Other concerns presented to the council include difficulty in getting down some streets with the larger fire engines and being unable to set up the outrigger arms of a ladder truck if needed to fight a fire. Fire Chief Richard Greer said the department’s quint needs as much as 24 feet in width to fully deploy.

Chaired by Councilperson Dwight Haynes (4th Ward), the special committee includes councilpersons Betty Lou Alsobrooks (1st Ward), Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward) and Stacey Levine (3rd Ward). The committee’s first scheduled meeting in February was canceled due to last-minute schedule conflicts.

During an almost two-hour meeting March 13, the committee reviewed the rejected amendment and discussed adding definitions, how to regulate drivers pulling all the way into parking spaces and the possibility of creating one-way streets, but left intact the prohibition on encroaching into the lane of traffic.

Police Chief Jeff Lewis said one of the reasons behind the proposed changes is Municipal Court Judge Stan Reynolds saying the city’s current ordinance is not clear enough to enforce.

“We had some issues with some parking. He and I both interpreted the ordinance differently, which I guess all that matters is the way he interpreted it because it’s his court,” Lewis said. “So, he asked me at that time to get with Dave (Travis) and (Planning and Zoning Director) Jason, Mr. Pilkinton, and come up with something new for the ordinance, to rewrite the ordinance to where it made more sense and was more clear.”

Lewis said he, Travis and Greer put their concerns together and Travis reviewed ordinances from several other cities to come up with the proposed amendment. 

Asked if the problems are in particular parts of the city, Travis said he has compiled a list of complaints about the inability to pick up trash from September through February that consists of 72 reports from more than 40 streets because of vehicles parked on streets. He said that doesn’t include times when the leaf or brush trucks were unable to pick up.

“Because when somebody comes home and their trash hasn’t been picked up, it’s the end of the world for them. So, they call and don’t talk nice to us, so we kind of keep a running track of that every time our trash driver sees a can they can’t dump they usually try to take a photo and I’ve got a book here with some photos in it, because we document that,” Travis said.

Travis said at least 50 percent of the time when his staff informs residents that a car was blocking the trash pickup, the caller states the offending vehicle isn’t even theirs, but belongs to a neighbor who parks in front of their house.

“The person paying the price isn’t the person that made the infractions,” Travis said. “That’s kind of the frustration in my department… It’s widespread all over the city.”

Travis said even homes with traditional driveways can be a problem because many residences now include more than two vehicles, so to keep from having to shuffle cars a resident will park on the street.

Lewis said his department receives frequent complaints about vehicles parked on the street in a way that blocks other people’s driveways or interferes with mail delivery.

“We can’t be on every street every minute of every day. That just can’t happen when you’re running with seven patrol officers on a shift and the volume of calls that we’ve got,” Lewis said.

The committee questioned if changes are made would the city have to put up signs on streets that are too narrow for on-street parking. Travis said that the original ordinance adopting the amendment included a provision for an unspecified “grace period” at the police chief’s discretion in which the department would issue warnings to illegally parked vehicles to allow time for residents to learn the new restrictions and make adaptations. He said installing signs throughout the city would prove to be costly.

“Most streets in a neighborhood are 20 feet wide. Eight foot is what you’ve got to have for a lane,” Travis said. “That’s 16 (feet) so that leaves you four feet. So, you can’t park in the road with two cars passing in 99 percent of our neighborhoods.”

While the amendment would affect the entire city, much of the discussion has focused on the impact it would have on the 16 residences on Poplar Street, where on-street parking routinely reduces traffic flow to one lane. About six of the homes have driveways from Poplar Street and eight homes have parking access from the alleys on either side of the street, leaving two homes currently with no off-street parking options.

Four residents of Poplar Street who made up the audience at the committee meeting said they have a petition signed by every resident requesting that it be made a one-way street. Residents previously brought a petition to have speed humps installed to slow down speeders and discourage drivers from using Poplar Street to get around congestion downtown by cutting from East College Street to East Rickert Street. Based on staff concerns about drainage and safety issues, the council voted Aug. 2, 2021, not to install the speed humps.

“I completely understand a parking ordinance that would prohibit people from blocking, that would interfere with everyday operations of the city, picking up brush, picking up leaves, picking up trash, delivering mail,” said Sanders, whose ward includes Poplar Street. “My concern is those folks that are potentially affected who don’t have any other option as far as parking goes. Neighborhoods evolve over time, you know, and they become probably something they were not originally intended to think about.”

Sanders cited Poplar Street as an “extreme example” of the parking issue, pointing out that when sidewalks in the area are improved to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards they will have to be widened, possibly reducing the narrow street even more. He said over the years several of the homes have installed fences, developed gardens, placed outbuildings, built patios or other steps that eliminated access from the alleys.

“It would be a big burden and a big expense to ask people to deconstruct things they’ve spent a lot of money on to create parking coming off that alley,” Sanders said. “I do think, probably, that there are some folks that are, maybe out of convenience, parking on the street. Maybe they do have off-street parking but, for whatever reason, maybe it’s just easier for them to park on the street.”

Sanders brought up the possibility of using one-way streets to reduce the needed width for traffic and create more space for parking.

Under the previously presented amendment, on-street parking would be limited to only the right side of the street based on the direction of travel, which means a one-way street would only allow parking on one side.

“I guess my question there is how do you decide which side gets the privilege of parking in the road and the other side doesn’t,” Travis said. “There wouldn’t be enough room for all of those residents to park on one side of the road.”

Using Poplar as an example, Chairman Haynes inquired about the possibility of removing the sidewalks to widen the street. But Travis said removing two three-foot-wide sidewalks only adds six feet to the width, which is still not enough to allow on-street parking on both sides.

Travis said even more important than the issues of picking up trash or setting up a fire truck is the safety issue of children running out in the street from between parked cars.

Sanders pointed out that an opinion the city has received from an attorney with the Municipal Technical Advisory Service states the city could have potential liability if it doesn’t address the safety issues of on-street parking.

In response to a question from Mayor Weiss, MTAS attorney Elisha Hodge states that since the city has identified potential issues with safety, “I do think that the City has constructive notice of a potential issue” that could lead to a liability claim if corrective actions are not taken.

“So, obviously, that’s concerning as a city councilperson that we’re leaving the city in a potentially liable situation,” Sanders said.

Chief Greer pointed out that the current and proposed ordinances prohibit parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, but there are parking spaces downtown in front of hydrants.

“We need to look at that on Main Street,” Greer said. “We’re allowing them to park within two feet of a hydrant.”

Greer said the 15-foot prohibition would include the space in front of a hydrant and one on either side, meaning three spaces would be lost for each of the six hydrants on Main Street.

“We’re hurting for spots downtown now,” Greer said.

The chief also pointed out the current and proposed ordinances prohibit parking within 20 feet of any entrance to a fire station and within 75 feet on the opposite side of the street from any fire station entrance to provide adequate space for the larger vehicles to pull onto the street.

He said that would eliminate all on-street parking on the block of Church Street from Make Your Mark Framing Company to Katie’s Ice Cream by being within 75 feet of the apron in front of the fire station.

After reviewing the rejected amendment section by section, Chairman Haynes asked about a timeframe for anything that is passed to take effect and whether a “hard date” should be included. The original ordinance adopting the amendment states, “Enforcement of the new regulations shall include a reasonable grace period as determined by the Chief of Police to allow the public to become aware of the new regulations.”

Councilwoman Alsobrooks also asked how the city would make all residents aware of any changes to the ordinance.

Committee members discussed presenting an ordinance to the City Council at the May and June meetings and, if passed, having an effective date of Jan. 1, 2024, giving a six-month period for residents to learn about the new regulations.

Chief Lewis said if a new ordinance is passed, his officers will provide adequate opportunities for residents parked in violation to come into compliance.

“I want to make sure y’all are clear on this. Even with the ordinance, even with the grace period, once the grace period’s over and the officers are told, ‘Hey, this ordinance is now in effect,’ these men and women of the police department are not going to go out and hunt down every illegal parker or vehicle parked on the side of the street,” Lewis said. “What they will do is, for the most part, they’re going to show compassion to the citizen and say, ‘Hey, it’s an ordinance and we want you to move your vehicle and this is why.’ At that point, it’s up to the citizen to move the vehicle. If they don’t, then that gives the officer another tool to either tow the vehicle or to cite. 99.9 percent of the time, they move the vehicle without any question. So, it’s not like the officers are going to write an abundance of tickets because of illegal parking. They’re going to give them time to move them.”

The committee asked that revisions be made to the amendment and presented to another meeting set for Monday, April 17, after the Finance and Management Committee. Since the meeting, Chairman Haynes requested that the Parking Committee meeting be rescheduled to 6:00 pm Monday, April 24, in the Council Chambers at Dickson City Hall. All meetings are open to the public.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. administered the Peace Officer’s Oath to three new members of the Dickson Police Department at the Finance and Management Committee meeting Monday, March 20.

Mayor Weiss welcomed Officer Jordan Hagewood, Officer Austin Murphy and Officer Joel Moss to the department in the ceremony.

A resident of Hickman County, Officer Hagewood is a 2017 graduate of Dickson County High School. He previously worked in the healthcare industry as a hospitality aide and nurse’s aide at Lake Shore Meadows in Bellevue.

After completing the 12-week Field Training Officer program, Officer Hagewood will attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy this spring. He is currently assigned to the Patrol Division.

A Dickson native who grew up in Bon Aqua, Officer Murphy graduated from Hickman County High School in 2020. He graduated cum laude with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Columbia State Community College.

For the past two years, Murphy was employed with the City of Belle Meade Police Department.

After completing the 12-week FTO program, Murphy graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy last fall. He is currently assigned to the Patrol Division.

Officer Moss grew up in San Jose, Ca., where his father was an officer with the San Jose Police Department. After his father’s retirement, the family moved to Colorado where Moss graduated from Liberty High School in Colorado Springs in 1999. He then attended the University of Nevada at Las Vegas where he earned a degree in Management Information Systems.

After college, Moss joined the United States Army where he served as a Field Artillery Officer and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and 2012. Following his 2012 deployment, Moss was commander for the Graham Resiliency Training Center at Fort Sill in Lawton, Ok. He earned a Master’s Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management through the National University.

After retiring from the Army, Moss moved to Tennessee and joined the Tennessee Department of Correction where he served on the Special Operations Tactical Team and the Correctional Emergency Response Team at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville.

In 2018 he joined the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office where he worked as a deputy in the Booking Division and then was hired as a uniformed officer by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and attended the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy.

Prior to joining the Dickson Police Department, Moss worked as a bailiff in the Warrants Division of the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office.

Officer Moss will be assigned to DPD’s Special Services Division as a School Resource Officer.

Country music star and business entrepreneur John Rich returned to Dickson Tuesday, March 7, for the unveiling of his Tennessee Music Pathways marker in Holland Park.

Rich is the third marker placed in the City of Dickson’s park by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, along with country singer and Dickson County resident Craig Morgan and big band leader Dickson native Francis Craig.

A former member of Lonestar, half of the duo Big and Rich and the 2011 winner of Celebrity Apprentice, Rich talked about attending Dickson County High School for his senior year, his grandparents who resided in Dickson and singing at the Grand Old Hatchery as he was honored for his legacy as a performer, songwriter and producer.

Introduced by his first friend at DCHS, Jody Barrett, Rich said he was proud to support Barrett’s recent successful campaign to represent the 69th District in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

“My roots in this county and this town go way, way back,” Rich told a group gathered in the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum. “My mother’s a Kimbro, that was her family name. And so, growing up in Amarillo, Texas, where I’m from up in the panhandle, it’s about a thousand miles one direction to Dickson and every summer we’d drive out to this county, come right up Highway 46 and turn left on Cowan Road and that’s where my Papaw Kimbro and Granny Kimbro lived.”

Rich said his grandfather, Leonard Kimbro, was a farmer and fiddle player who returned to his home of Dickson after serving in World War II. When Rich’s parents divorced, he moved with his mother to Cheatham County but wanted more opportunities as he entered his senior year of high school so he chose to drive from Ashland City every day to attend Dickson County High School, where he graduated in 1992.

“That was one of the most daunting things I ever looked at, was to leave all my friends back at school in my senior year and I was at a tiny little school that had about 25 kids in the class and I walk in to Dickson County High School, at that point we had one high school, and in the senior class alone there was 630-something kids,” Rich recalled.

He talked about encountering Barrett, who said he met Rich during a lock-in after the prom the previous year, and finding comfort in seeing a familiar face, who, along with current Creek Wood High School Assistant Principal Marcus Peters, helped him settle in at the new school and became best friends, allowing him to spend nights in their homes when he didn’t want to drive back and forth to Cheatham County in his 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger, that Rich said he still owns.

Hoping to pursue music as a career, Rich began performing at the Opryland theme park after high school, singing Clint Black, Vince Gill and Oak Ridge Boys songs in the Country Music USA show. Through that he connected with a group of performers who persuaded him to go on the road instead of college and they became the country group Lonestar, for which he played bass, sang and wrote songs, including the number-one hit “Come Cryin’ to Me.”

“As I’ve learned over the years, I think this goes back to what the people in this county and this town are like, is when you get knocked down, if you still love it and it still makes you happy, you figure out another angle to come at it and you come at ‘em again,” Rich said. “And, so, I’m in a band. I’m eventually not in a band. I come at ‘em again as a solo act. That doesn’t work. I come at ‘em again with this long-haired hippie from Virginia named Big Kenny and that one worked.”

Rich and Kenny Alphin exploded on the charts in 2004 with the rocking country duo Big and Rich, with hit songs “Save A Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” “That’s Why I Pray,” “Comin’ to Your City” and the number one “Lost in This Moment.”

Rich said eventually his political views began to clash with music industry powers and he ended up going solo again.

“And then I started speaking out about our country. And when I speak out about our country and I write songs about our country, I’m always reminded of Leonard Kimbro,” Rich said of his grandfather. “He was in his late 20s when he went into World War II, which was really old to go into World War II. But that’s how dire the situation was. He left everybody back home, went over there and fought in Germany, tore up both of his knees, his knees hurt from the day he came back. And you think about what those men and women and the whole country did back in the Greatest Generation. Who are we to let up? “We’ve got the right to pursue happiness because of them, so I’ve never let up, I’ve kept going. Been very blessed.”

Just blocks from where Leonard Kimbro is buried in Union Cemetery, Rich said his grandfather would “get a big kick” out of the honor Rich was receiving with the Tennessee Music Pathways marker. “Especially because it’s because of music. Because he was a fiddler and he played square dances and stuff all over this county. So, it does go way back for me in this county.”

Rich remembered getting to sing before an audience when he performed at the Grand Old Hatchery in shows that were broadcast on WDKN.

“I can tell you right down the street from here, as I was parking my truck, I said, ‘I think I’m close to a place I used to sing.’ And I looked out the window, Jody, and you know what I saw down the road – the Grand Old Hatchery,” Rich said. “I hadn’t seen that since I was 16 years old.”

Rich said on a visit to his grandparents, they convinced him to audition for the Grand Old Hatchery and he was selected to perform.

“So, every time I was back in Dickson, they would let me get up and play. That’s the first time I was ever heard on a radio station, would have been on DKN, WDKN, Dickson on the AM station. I wish I had that audio,” Rich said. “But it was such a rush to stand up on stage with real musicians and know it’s being broadcast to people that I’ll never meet. That was my first real taste of what it must feel like to be an artist, a real country music artist. So, I owe this town a lot, I owe my friends a lot in this town and I thank you guys very much for the honor.”

Rich was joined by Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr., Dickson County Mayor Bob Rial, Dickson County Chamber President Jennie Wagner, Barrett and representatives of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to unveil his marker in Holland Park next door to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum.

Launched by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in 2018, Tennessee Music Pathways is an online planning guide that connects visitors to the state’s rich musical heritage at tnmusicpathways.com. From the largest cities to the smallest communities, Tennessee Music Pathways stretches across all 95 counties and features hundreds of landmarks from the seven genres of music that call Tennessee home.

Friday’s storms caused “devastating” damage that left more than half of Dickson Electric System’s customers without service at one point.

DES General Manager Darrell Gillespie updated Dickson City Council members on the utility’s recovery efforts during their Monday, March 6, meeting.

The National Weather Service reported wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour throughout Middle Tennessee with a high of 79 miles per hour reported in Clarksville as storms moved through the region during Friday.

“Probably one of the more devastating storms that we’ve had to deal with in the 15 years that I’ve been here, which (includes) historic floods and multiple tornadoes and a couple of ice storms,” Gillespie told the council. “At one point in time we had over 19,000 customers, which we have 37,000 customers total, so half of our customers were without power just shortly after midday on Friday of this week.”

Gillespie said all DES crews mobilized and the utility brought in outside resources.

“Right at this very moment, we have well over 150 men and women helping us restore power, 99 of which are not on our system but are off-system folks here to help us make this restoration,” Gillespie said. “And they’ve made tremendous progress.”

Gillespie said the system reduced the 19,000 power outages to 10,000 or 11,000 in the first day and as of Monday’s meeting about 2,000 customers were still without power across the nine counties served by DES.

“In the meantime, we’re going to continue to work, you know, until we get everyone back on,” Gillespie said. “I’m hopeful that at the end of this week we’ll have successfully done that. But we’re going to be a while cleaning this storm up.”

Gillespie said the recovery effort costs about $10,000 per hour in labor plus the cost of materials in replacing broken poles and downed lines. He estimates it will take at least 160 hours to complete the restoration.

“This storm’s probably going to be one of the more expensive ones as well, coming in just under $2 million,” Gillespie said.

He pointed out that Dickson County is not alone as widespread damage has been reported from one end of Tennessee to the other.

“Power companies experienced with this storm significant outages and all of the Middle Tennessee electric systems are in the same spot we are, making repairs right now,” Gillespie said.

While no declaration has yet been made, Gillespie said he hopes the storms will be classified as a disaster that could make Federal Emergency Management Agency funds available to local governments and utilities.

At least three deaths were reported in Hendersonville, Gallatin and Humphreys County when people were struck by falling trees. No storm-related injuries were reported in Dickson County and there were widespread reports of damage to structures and several roads were temporarily blocked by downed trees.

Five members of the Dickson Fire Department were recognized for their efforts in rescuing a resident from a burning home last month.

At the Monday, March 6, Dickson City Council meeting, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and Dickson Fire Department Chief Richard Greer presented medals of valor and certificates to Fire Marshal Robby Street and firefighters Chris Johnson, Dylan Dunnagan, Cain DeLoach and Bryan Gregory.

According to a report read by Mayor Weiss at the council meeting, on Feb. 2 the fire department’s C-Shift responded to a report of a fire in a home at 216 Water St., in the block behind Dickson Fire Department Station #1.

“On arrival crews encountered a large amount of heavy smoke coming from the structure,” Weiss said. “Crews made entry into the structure and began simultaneous suppression and search operations.”

During the search, Fire Marshal Street and firefighter Dunnagan located an elderly man on the floor and notified other firefighters of the discovery. Firefighters Johnson, DeLoach and Gregory joined Street and Dunnagan in carrying the resident out of the home.

The victim was reported to be unconscious and barely breathing, Weiss said. He was taken by Dickson County Ambulance Service to Horizon Medical Center and ultimately transferred to Skyline Medical Center.

“Because of the actions of Fire Marshal Robby Street, firefighters Chris Johnson, Dylan Dunnagan, Cain DeLoach and Bryan Gregory, the gentleman pulled from that house is expected to make a full recovery,” Weiss reported. “Tonight, we are proud to present these members of the Dickson Fire Department with the Medal of Valor for their quick and courageous actions on Feb. 2, 2023.”

The cause of the fire is believed to have been electrical due to an overloaded outlet in the kitchen and the home suffered extensive smoke damage and moderate fire damage, according to the report.

City of Dickson Office of Planning and Zoning Director Jason Pilkinton has completed the Certified Public Manager (CPM) program through the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service.

Now in his 26th year with the City of Dickson, Pilkinton served as a police officer 1997-2002 and has been director of the Office of Planning and Zoning since 2007. A Charlotte native, Pilkinton is a 1992 graduate of Dickson County High School and studied at Austin Peay State University, the University of Tennessee at Martin and Walters State Community College.

Based in the Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership, the CPM program is accredited by the National Certified Manager Program. The CPM program is designed to provide an in-depth, comprehensive, competency-based, nationally certified development program for all managers from state and local government organizations, universities and those from business and industry who desire training and certification.

The Tennessee CPM program is a 300-hour hybrid program designed for working professionals with busy schedules by combining online instruction with monthly in-person classes over the course of a year.

“The CPM Program was a great experience and the class included state officials and employees, leaders from other cities and a Metro Council member,” Pilkinton said. “We learned a lot about management, of course, but also what it takes to relate to employees and being a better leader through communication and making difficult decisions.”

During the program, students must complete a capstone project in order to receive certification.

Pilkinton’s project addressed stormwater issues and how development affects runoff to local creeks, streams and rivers and how the city’s current Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program operates.

“All my classmates had very interesting topics for their projects and our instructors keep a tab on the potential value of improvements and impacts they could have on Middle Tennessee,” Pilkinton said. “With this class’s projects and ideas, that potential impact was $217 million in improvements to a better quality of life for citizens of our great state.”

The Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership offers the CPM program January-November in Jackson, Nashville and Knoxville.

“The curriculum was a little more than I thought it would be, but was definitely worth the time and effort. I can’t say enough great things about it and I appreciate Mayor Don Weiss and City Administrator Rydell Wesson allowing me to attend this over the last year,” Pilkinton said. “I feel like I improved as a department head and even more as a person.”

For more information on the Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership’s Certified Public Manager program, visit www.leadership.tennessee.edu.

The ad hoc committee created to review the City of Dickson’s parking regulations will meet at 6:00 pm Monday, March 13, in the Council Chambers of Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. The meeting is open to the public.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. appointed the special committee at the Jan. 9 City Council meeting after the council unanimously rejected on second reading an ordinance adopting restrictions for on-street parking. The ordinance had unanimously passed on first reading in May 2022 but was subsequently deferred three times after facing opposition from residents.

In making the motion to reject the ordinance, Councilperson Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward) requested the mayor appoint a special committee to review the city’s current regulations and consider any recommendations for changes.

Mayor Weiss appointed councilpersons Betty Lou Alsobrooks (1st Ward), Sanders, Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) and Dwight Haynes (4th Ward) to the special committee and asked Haynes to chair it. No timeline was established for when the committee is expected to make a recommendation to the full council.

The committee originally scheduled its initial meeting for Feb. 13 but conflicts prevented two of the members from being able to attend and Chairman Haynes postponed the meeting until March 13.

At its May 2, 2022, meeting, the city council approved on first reading Ordinance #1522 to adopt new regulations regarding on-street parking throughout the city. The change was initiated after the council previously rejected a request from residents to install speed humps on Poplar Street.

That rejection, along with rulings by Dickson Municipal Court Judge Stan Reynolds that the city’s parking regulations are not clear enough, prompted Police Chief Jeff Lewis, Fire Chief Richard Greer and Public Works Director David Travis to draft recommended changes.

In a presentation to the council, Travis showed pictures of several areas around the city where vehicles parking on the streets partially block the lane of travel while other vehicles were parking on sidewalks, which is already prohibited by a city ordinance.

Poplar Street became the example of where on-street parking reduced the lane of travel to one lane. Fire Chief Greer said the department’s larger trucks could barely pass between parked vehicles on Poplar Street and in the event of a fire the department would be hindered in making an aerial attack because the ladder truck would not be able to set up with its stabilization arms extended.

Travis said the city’s sanitation trucks regularly experience problems picking up residents’ trash because of vehicles parked on the street and the leaf and brush crews also are hampered by parked vehicles.

The ordinance originally approved by the council in May would have prohibited on-street parking anywhere that would force traffic to cross the center of the street into the opposite lane to safely get around the parked vehicle. It also limited parking on the side of the street with the direction of traffic in that lane.

The ordinance faced opposition primarily from residents of Poplar Street, several of whom said they have no other option other than parking on the street. Mayor Weiss and the council deferred second reading on the ordinance three times before it was finally voted down at the January meeting and the special committee appointed.

Dickson Electric System General Manager Darrell Gillespie says the utility has started creating its new broadband division and expects to begin providing retail services to the first customers in a couple months.

Gillespie was presenting the DES annual report to the Dickson City Council at its Feb. 6 meeting and was asked for an update on the broadband project by Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr.

“We’ve made a lot of progress since the last time I had the opportunity to speak to the council,” Gillespie said. “We’ve let contracts go for main line construction of our fiber build and the installers that will be installing fiber to the homes. Engineering design work’s being worked on. They’re doing approximately 80 miles a week right now and, of course, there’s 2,700 miles to go. So, it’s going to take a while to get there.”

DES already has fiberoptic lines installed to schools and some other locations, and Gillespie said it will be another couple months before the service begins in homes.

“It probably will not be but maybe another two months before we’ll actually be in people’s homes, making a lot of installs,” Gillespie said. “We have some customers, but we’ll actually be providing retail service at that time.”

Gillespie did not identify specific areas he expects service to be available in initially but in a prior update to the council said construction would begin simultaneously in urban and rural parts of the service area.

“We have a brand new broadband division manager, an operations manager and we’re building that team,” Gillespie said. “And they’re making tremendous progress in getting a very large project off the ground and moving.”

DES has used bonds to generate $50 million for the creation of the broadband service and Gillespie has said competitive internet packages will be available to every home, business and industry in the five counties served by Dickson Electric.

On its website, DES identifies Ronnie Sagar as the new broadband director and George Benjamin as broadband operations manager with other positions currently being filled.

In his January update, Sagar says DES “will be finalizing the design work with Ervin Cable Construction and releasing the color-coded phase map allowing us to finally answer your number one question: When will it be available in my area?”

Sagar says the division has a new space and will begin acquiring the materials it needs to begin installing the new fiber lines.

“We’ve recently secured a warehouse facility nearby and have executed a lease agreement with a community partner to rent a space in the industrial park,” Sagar says in an update dated January 2023. “Over the coming weeks, we will be working with Wesco on procurement of material to begin filling our new facility. Trucks will soon be rolling out and we’ll be hanging fiber this spring!”

For updates, information and frequently asked questions on Dickson Electric System’s broadband project, visit dicksonelectric.com/fiber20/.

In presenting Dickson Electric System’s annual report to the council, Gillespie said the utility’s consumers increased from 36,629 to 37,079 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. During that period, kilowatt-hour sales increased 1.28 percent with operating revenues growing 7.91 percent from $84,749,816 to $91,451,727.

Of the utility’s expenses, power purchased from the Tennessee Valley Authority accounted for $68,166,531 (74.44 percent of revenues), operating expenses were $7,743,889 (8.46 percent) and maintenance expenses were $5,685,895 (6.21 percent). The utility showed net revenue of $4,387,290.

The City of Dickson’s Municipal Planning Commission recently honored Kendel Barber for her service on the board.

Barber resigned and attended her last planning commission in December after serving for three years.

She was nominated by Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and approved by the Dickson City Council July 1, 2019, to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Beth Garrett. She was appointed to a full three-year term Oct. 5, 2020.

Mayor Weiss nominated Dr. Mary McNeal, a pediatrician with Dickson Medical Associates, to serve the remainder of Barber’s term until October 2023 and she was unanimously approved by the Dickson City Council at its Feb. 6 meeting.

The eight-member Municipal Planning Commission includes six Dickson residents appointed to three-year terms, one member of the Dickson City Council who serves in conjunction with his or her four-year term and the mayor or his designee. Mayor Weiss chooses to designate a second member of the City Council as his designee.

Planning and Zoning Director Jason Pilkinton praised Barber and the other members of the commission for the work they do to guide the City of Dickson’s growth.

“This Planning Commission is a great group who cares about smart growth in the city and takes great pride and honor in their positions,” Pilkinton said. “I work with several other cities and their planning commissions and I always feel that we have one of the best groups and we are lucky to have them here.”

The current membership of the Dickson Municipal Planning Commission includes Councilpersons Jason Epley (1st Ward) and Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward) and citizen members Jamie James, Steve Scherer, C.K. Pruett, Brett Reynolds and Mike Petty, who serves as chairman.

A graduate of Austin Peay State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and a Master of Science in Management, Barber and husband Jeff have two sons, Brice and Mac, and a daughter, Montgomery Jean.

The Dickson Municipal Planning Commission oversees implementation of the city’s zoning ordinances and offers guidance on the city’s growth. It meets at 6:30 pm on the third Tuesday of each month in the Council Chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. All meetings are open to the public.

The ad hoc committee created to review the City of Dickson’s parking regulations will meet at 6:00 pm Monday, Feb. 13, in the Council Chambers of Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. The meeting is open to the public.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. appointed the special committee at the Jan. 9 City Council meeting after the council unanimously rejected on second reading an ordinance adopting restrictions for on-street parking. The ordinance had unanimously passed on first reading in May but was subsequently deferred three times after facing opposition from residents.

In making the motion to reject the ordinance, Councilperson Kyle Sanders (2nd Ward) requested the mayor appoint a special committee to review the city’s current regulations and consider any recommendations for changes.

Mayor Weiss appointed councilpersons Betty Lou Alsobrooks (1st Ward), Sanders, Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) and Dwight Haynes (4th Ward) to the special committee and asked Haynes to chair it. No timeline was established for when the committee is expected to make a recommendation to the full council.

At its May 2, 2022, meeting, the city council approved on first reading Ordinance #1522 to adopt new regulations regarding on-street parking throughout the city. The change was initiated after the council previously rejected a request from residents to install speed humps on Poplar Street.

That rejection, along with rulings by Dickson Municipal Court Judge Stan Reynolds that the city’s parking regulations were not clear enough, prompted Police Chief Jeff Lewis, Fire Chief Richard Greer and Public Works Director David Travis to draft recommended changes.

In a presentation to the council, Travis showed pictures of several areas around the city where vehicles parking on the streets partially block the lane of travel while other vehicles were parking on sidewalks, which is already prohibited by a city ordinance.

Poplar Street became the example of where on-street parking reduced the lane of travel to one lane. Fire Chief Greer said the department’s larger trucks could barely pass between parked vehicles on Poplar Street and in the event of a fire the department would be hindered in making an aerial attack because the ladder truck would not be able to set up with the stabilization arms extended.

Travis said the city’s sanitation trucks regularly experience problems picking up residents’ trash because of vehicles parked on the street and the leaf and brush crews also are hampered by parked vehicles.

The ordinance originally approved by the council in May would have prohibited on-street parking anywhere that would force traffic to cross the center of the street into the opposite lane to safely get around the parked vehicle. It also limited parking on the side of the street to the direction of traffic in that lane.

The ordinance faced opposition primarily from residents of Poplar Street, several of whom said they have no other option other than parking on the street. Mayor Weiss and the council deferred second reading on the ordinance three times before it was finally voted down at the January meeting and the special committee appointed.

Dickson Police Department’s Todd Christian has been promoted to major and designated as the director of the City of Dickson’s newly created Office of Emergency Management.

A 22-year law enforcement veteran, Christian will continue to lead the department’s Special Operations Division, which oversees training, equipment and the department fleet, and will continue his role as the department’s network coordinator with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office. As director of the OEM, Christian will add the responsibility of creating and implementing the city’s Emergency Operations Plan in response to natural and man-made disasters.

At its Jan. 9 meeting, the Dickson City Council approved Resolution #2023-3 to authorize and create the Office of Emergency Management. Police Chief Jeff Lewis told the council that the city would not be hiring a full-time director for the new office but would be adding those duties to an existing position.

A Dickson County native and graduate of Dickson County High School, Christian has worked at the Dickson Police Department since Aug. 3, 2000. He served as the patrol lieutenant overseeing 33 patrol officers before becoming captain of the Special Operations Division and the generalized departmental instructor for the department.

Prior to his career in law enforcement, Christian was a full-time firefighter with the Burns Fire Department where he was a shift captain. Since 1990 he has served as a volunteer with the Burns Fire Department and Dickson County Fire and Rescue.

“Maj. Christian’s extensive background in law enforcement and firefighting combined with his experience in designing and facilitating programs to train other officers make him an excellent choice to direct the formation of the new Office of Emergency Management,” said Chief Lewis. “He is well-versed in working with multiple emergency response agencies, which equips him to coordinate events in the City of Dickson that require a multi-pronged reaction to preserve lives and property.”

Maj. Christian is trained as a traffic crash reconstructionist, serving as one of the department’s leads in crash investigations. He is an instructor in crash investigation and crash reconstruction, teaching classes across Tennessee for the Tennessee Highway Safety Office. He is an investigator with Farmer Collision Analysis and investigates crashes across the state.

Maj. Christian also serves as a leader of the department’s Hostage Negotiator team.

He is an adjunct instructor for the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, Southeastern Training Group and the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in crash investigations, crash reconstruction and emergency vehicle operations.

Maj. Christian’s training and certifications include being a state police instructor in various fields, law enforcement aging driver specialist, school threat assessment, Bulletproof Leadership, terrorism incident defensive operations for emergency responders, first line supervisor, National Fire Protection Association classes in forcible entry, rescue and extrication, fire behavior, and ventilation, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency classes in Incident Command System for Expanding Incidents, domestic preparedness, recognizing and identifying hazardous materials, and emergency response to terrorism, Federal Emergency Management Agency classes in national response plan, incident command system for law enforcement, radiological emergency management, and national incident management system, National Fire Academy training as incident safety officer and recognizing and identifying hazardous materials, dive rescue international public safety diver, Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads trench rescue training, rescue responders basic and advanced rope rescue, International Association of Fire Fighters surviving hazmat incidents, Tennessee state fire school basic firefighting I and II and Interpersonal Effectiveness for Leaders.

He is a 2015 graduate of Leadership Dickson County.

According to the resolution creating the OEM, the director “shall have the authority to request the declaration of the existence of an emergency by the City Mayor.”

The director is responsible for the “preparation of all local emergency management plans and procedures and recruitment and training of local emergency response personnel from local government departments, private, volunteer and civic groups.”

The local response plan must be developed within the guidelines of the state plan and be approved by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

The resolution establishes the director’s responsibilities to include:

• In conjunction with elected and appointed local government officials and private, volunteer and civic organizations, assist in the creation, revision and update of the Local Emergency Operations Plan and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs);

• Develop and manage the agency’s annual budget in accordance with local guidelines;

• Collect initial disaster intelligence information, extract essential elements of information and prioritize use of critical resources;

• Prepare and transmit Situation Reports to the State Emergency Operations Center;

• Assess the impact of major emergencies and initiate requests for declarations of emergency for the City of Dickson Mayor’s signature;

• Serve as the focal point for damage assessment information and coordinate all relief activities through the City Mayor;

• Promote and supervise the development of various emergency management related public education and information services. These include training programs, brochures, speaking opportunities and media programs;

• Develop and maintain an Emergency Operations Center to ensure direction and control and continuity of local government during emergencies and disasters;

• Conduct Hazardous Analysis, Capability Assessment and Vulnerability Analysis and make periodic updates to same;

• Be “On Call” for response to any type of disaster or major emergency; natural, manmade, or technological;

• Provide assistance to private sector organizations on issues pertaining to emergency management and homeland security;

• Provide resource coordination and technical assistance during major emergencies and disasters.

• Prepare after-action reports as required; and

• Perform other duties as directed by the City of Dickson Mayor.

The director also will organize and facilitate an Emergency Services Coordinator Group, a Local Emergency Planning Committee, a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee and Emergency Management Executive Board that will assist in the development and implementation of the Emergency Operations Plan. These boards and committees can consist of elected officials, city department heads, and representatives of volunteer and civic organizations, businesses and industries.

Chief Lewis told the city council the city is considering creating an enclosed classroom at its training facility in J. Dan Buckner Park and proposes to equip it to serve as an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) from which disaster responses will be coordinated.

The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development unveiled a Tennessee Music Pathways marker honoring Dickson native Francis Craig in Holland Park on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.

Craig was honored for his musical contributions that include writing and recording Nashville’s first chart-topping song and Vanderbilt University’s most well-known fight song as well as decades leading his own jazz band.

It is the second Tennessee Music Pathways marker installed in Holland Park after country music singer and Dickson County resident Craig Morgan was honored in October.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr., Dickson County Mayor Bob Rial, Dickson County Chamber President Jennie Wagner, Clement Railroad Hotel Museum Director Zach Kinslow and Department of Tourist Development Middle Tennessee Division Manager Ashley DeRossett joined descendants of Craig in a ceremony at the museum before unveiling the marker in the city park next door.

“The City of Dickson’s connection to the music industry goes back as far as the beginning of the city,” said Weiss. “As part of Middle Tennessee and a neighbor to Music City USA, this area has been home and host to many of country music’s brightest stars. But the musical connections of the Dickson area also have included early rock and roll influences, gospel, southern rock, blues, jazz and one of the early leaders of the big band era, who we honor today.”

A Vanderbilt season ticket holder and fan, Rial welcomed family members of Craig, who wrote one of the university’s fight songs, “Dynamite!”

“I was telling the family earlier, I can never get all the lyrics right, but I can hum that song from the beginning as well as anybody in this room,” Rial said.

The son of a Methodist minister assigned to Dickson, Craig was born Sept. 10, 1900, less than a year after the town was incorporated. He showed early signs of inheriting the talents of a pianist mother and was playing piano by ear by the age of 10.

While a student at Vanderbilt University, Craig formed his own jazz orchestra called the Vanderbilt Jazz Band, gaining popularity playing dances in the region. When the school’s chancellor told Craig he would have to change the band’s name, he left college and soon was the bandleader at the iconic Hermitage Hotel in Nashville.

During his 25 years there, he helped launch the careers of stars like Dinah Shore, Snooky Lanson and Kitty Kallen.

Craig would direct the first studio band at Nashville’s most famous radio station WSM when it began broadcasting in 1925 and also would be a deejay at Chicago’s WGN in 1940 and host “Sunday Down South” on the NBC radio network for 12 years.

Craig’s 1947 recording of his composition “Near You” sold 3 ½ million copies and was the first record produced in Nashville to hit number one on the Billboard magazine Honor Roll of Hits list, where it remained for 17 consecutive weeks, a record that stood until “Old Town Road” topped the chart for 19 consecutive weeks 72 years later.

“Near You” would be recorded by legends such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, Pat Boone, The Andrews Sisters and George Jones and Tammy Wynette.

Before Vanderbilt was to face the 4th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in a 1938 football game, Craig composed and debuted “Dynamite!” as a university fight song. While Tennessee won that game 14-0 on the way to winning the school’s first National Championship, “Dynamite!” has since become Vanderbilt University’s most popular fight song and 85 years later still is played at Commodore football games, basketball games and other sporting events.

Craig died in Sewanee in 1966.

“While not as well known today as some of the other music stars who are connected to Dickson, Francis Craig has a legacy that endures today more than a century after being born here,” Weiss said. “The City of Dickson is pleased to honor native son Francis Craig by hosting the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s Tennessee Music Pathway marker in his honor here in Holland Park as a tour stop on the Soundtrack of America.”

DeRossett said a third marker is currently planned for Holland Park, which will honor former Dickson resident John Rich, formerly of Lonestar and half of the country duo Big and Rich.

Launched by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in 2018, Tennessee Music Pathways is an online planning guide that connects visitors to the state’s rich musical heritage at tnmusicpathways.com. From the largest cities to the smallest communities, Tennessee Music Pathways stretches across all 95 counties and features hundreds of landmarks from the seven genres of music that call Tennessee home.

The City of Dickson is considering creating an Office of Emergency Management to coordinate responses to natural and other disasters in the city.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. presented a resolution to create an Office of Emergency Management to the Dickson City Council’s Finance and Management Committee for discussion at its meeting Monday Dec. 19, 2022. Weiss said the resolution will be on the council’s January agenda for consideration.

“We’ve been discussing this among staff members now since just a little before COVID started,” Weiss said.

City Administrator Rydell Wesson and Police Chief Jeff Lewis said creating the office will give the city direct access to information, funding and planning to formulate and facilitate the city’s response to all kinds of emergencies, from tornadoes, flooding, storms and other weather events to fires, hazardous materials incidents and even terrorism attacks.

“The current Emergency Management Agency, the EMA, is a county organization. That EMA, through the state and federal agencies, holds most of the HAZMAT equipment and stuff that we actually have the manpower and the people that utilize that,” Wesson said. “There’s funding out there that we can look into.”

Wesson said the new office also would be able to research and plan for early warning systems such as tornado sirens within the city.

Chief Lewis said creating the city’s own Office of Emergency Management would allow the city to receive information on events and disasters directly from the Federal and Tennessee emergency management agencies. Currently the city is included in the Dickson County Emergency Management Agency’s response plan and receives information and instructions through that agency.

“What we’d love to do is clean up the process where we’re getting the same information at the same time as everybody else is,” Lewis said. “We feel it’s pertinent not only to our citizens of the city, but the employees as well.”

Lewis said a city emergency management office will coordinate the city’s resources and personnel in the response to any emergency. The city is considering creating an enclosed classroom at its training facility in J. Dan Buckner Park and proposes to equip it to serve as an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) from which disaster responses will be coordinated.

A designated Emergency Management director would oversee the creation of the city’s Basic Emergency Operations Plan (BEOP) and oversee an Emergency Services Coordinator (ESC) Group consisting of city officials and department heads that would respond to the EOC to coordinate the response.

“When you start talking about the Office of Emergency Management, we’re going to be utilizing police department employees, public works employees, we’re going to be utilizing folks from the fire department and also communications to help do this,” Lewis said.

As an example, Lewis said when tornados struck in the Burns and Dickson area, causing extensive damage along Murrell Road last December, the police department had seven officers on the road who had no information about what was going on, placing them at risk.

“This allows us to receive the same information at the same time as everyone else,” Lewis said. “The Office of Emergency Management director at that point will start notifying the department heads where we need to go and what resources we’re going to have to have.”

Lewis said city officials have met with Dickson County Emergency Management Agency Director Rob Fisher and he agrees it is time that the City of Dickson formulate its own response protocols and resources.

“He says it’s time that the city does this, that we’re big enough,” Lewis said. “A lot of cities our size have an Office of Emergency Management.”

Lewis said most of the information for the city’s BEOP already exists within the county’s response plan and the city “will not have to re-invent the wheel.”

“From a financial standpoint, too, it gives us resources from the state and federal agencies that we’re right now not utilizing,” Wesson said.

“This opens the door for us to be able to file for federal grants and also state grants to help us,” Lewis said. “I think it’s a really good move.”

Under mutual aid agreements with Dickson County and other municipalities, Lewis said the proposed Office of Emergency Management still would assist with emergency situations outside the city.

“We’ll still work with the county. We’re not excluding the county on anything,” Lewis said. “We’ll still work with them. If it’s out in the county and they need help, we’re going to go help.”

The resolution creating the Office of Emergency Management and establishing the responsibilities and duties of its director will be presented at the January council meeting, which has been rescheduled to 7:00 pm Monday, Jan. 9, due to the New Year’s holiday closing city offices on Jan. 2.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. administered the Peace Officer’s Oath to three new members of the Dickson Police Department at the Dec. 19, 2022, Finance and Management Committee meeting.

Mayor Weiss welcomed officers Marco Salas′-Tirado, Luke McClendon and Dyllon Larson to the Dickson Police Department at the ceremony.

A native of Michoacán de Ocampo, Mexico, Salas′-Tirado has lived in Dickson County since the age of three. He graduated from Dickson County High School in 2020.

After working as a server at Camino Real for five years, Salas′-Tirado became the first member of his family to pursue a career in law enforcement when he joined the Dickson Police Department in August.

Salas′-Tirado has participated in DPD’s 12-week Field Training Officer program and will attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in January.

A native of Cumberland Furnace, McClendon graduated from Creek Wood High School in 2018.

He worked in the customer service field in the retail industry before joining the Dickson Police Department in October.

McClendon will go through DPD’s 12-week Field Training Officer program and then attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in Spring 2023.

Larson grew up in northern Minnesota where he enjoyed hunting, fishing and the outdoors. He graduated from Fisher High School in Fisher, Minn., in 2009 and earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy in 2012.

He relocated to Seattle in 2013 where he worked in private security before returning to law enforcement with the police department at Naval Base Kitsap, the largest U.S. Navy base in Washington.

Larson graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy in 2019 where he earned special recognition in shooting and driving.

In 2021, Larson relocated to Tennessee where he worked in the Detention Division with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and was a member of the Critical Emergency Response Team.

Larson joined the Dickson Police Department in October and will participate in a three-week transition school with the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy.

Salas′-Tirado, McClendon and Larson are assigned to the Dickson Police Department’s Patrol Division.

Following the annual Dickson County Veterans Day Parade on Sunday, Nov. 6, the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department will host a free concert and Kid Zone in Holland Park in downtown Dickson.

The concert will feature singer/songwriter and Dickson native Leslie Dysinger and the Kid Zone will include inflatable fun, face painting and balloons.

Presented by the Veterans Day Committee, the annual Veterans Day Parade begins at 2:00 pm Sunday, Nov. 6. The parade will assemble on the campus of Dickson County High School and follow the traditional parade route on North Charlotte Street to McFarland Lane to Highway 48 into downtown Dickson on Main Street, turning left before the railroad tracks and crossing to Church Street, then turning on East College Street before turning onto Academy Street and disbanding in the Dickson Middle School parking lot.

A 1989 graduate of Dickson County High School, Dysinger was featured at the first Veterans Day Concert hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department in 2018. She is a frequent performer in Dickson and will be part of the City Limits songwriter series with J Edwards and host Brian Rhea at Events on Main on Nov. 9.

After studying psychology and law at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Dysinger began her music career writing and performing in Memphis in 1992. She was the lead singer for an all-girl group called Girls Room Only, then she and guitarist Jody Swanner formed the group Undecided, playing the Memphis bar scene and becoming the weekend house band for Denim and Diamonds, Hwy. 51 Bar and Grill and Buffalos South.

Dysinger moved back to Nashville in 1998 to focus on songwriting, releasing her debut solo album “Cause & Effect” in 2008 and has performed regularly throughout the southeast for 30 years. “Ourstage” magazine described Dysinger’s style as, “Imagine if Janis Joplin were alive today and able to metamorph into a Nashville artist singer/songwriter writing honestly about love, loss, lust and the challenges of everyday life, add a half cup of Patty Griffin and a tablespoon of Melissa Etheridge and you have Leslie Dysinger.”

Since 2016, Dysinger has worked as a budget accounting analyst at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and in 2020 she joined the Division of Hematology and Oncology.

The concert featuring Dysinger is free and will be on the stage in Holland Park next door to the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum with the Kid Zone set up around the park. It starts following the completion of the Veterans Day Parade and those attending can bring lawn chairs or blankets to the park.

For parade information or entries, contact David McCutchen at (615) 390-2228 or gyro28866@gmail.com. There is a $10 donation to the Veterans Day Committee for entry into the parade.

For information on the concert or Kid Zone, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at (615) 446-1721.

Conditions have improved enough that the Dickson Fire Department has lifted the ban on outdoor burning within the City of Dickson.

Fire Marshal Robby Street withdrew the ban effective Monday, Oct. 31. Dry, windy conditions prompted the latest ban that was issued Oct. 6.

“The few showers we have received along with lower temperatures, higher humidity and lighter winds have reduced the risk of fires getting out of control enough to lift the ban on outdoor burning,” Street said. “We will continue to monitor conditions daily and control all outdoor burning through the required permits.”

Even with the burn ban lifted, residents within the city of Dickson are required to obtain a permit for any outdoor burning of leaves, brush, refuse or debris. The permits are free and can be obtained by phone by calling the department at (615) 446-6331.

“We still urge residents to be careful and follow all normal safety procedures when it comes to outdoor burning,” Street said. “Conditions have improved but the risks that are inherent in outdoor burning always will require vigilance and precautions.”

The Property Maintenance Regulations included in Title 13 of the Dickson Municipal Code state, “no person, firm or corporation shall burn or attempt to burn any material outdoors on private or public property within the corporate limits of the City of Dickson, Tennessee, without first securing a permit from the City of Dickson Fire Department.”

 “The permit requirement allows us to regulate outdoor burning based on the conditions,” Street said. “Not only are dry conditions taken into consideration, but the wind also is a risk factor considered in the decision on whether to restrict burning. Those conditions change day to day.”

Under the Dickson Municipal Code, the following restrictions apply to outdoor burning:

1) Open burning may be conducted subject to specified limitations and provided further that no public nuisance is or will be created by such open burning. The issuance of a permit will in no way relieve the person responsible for such burning from the consequences or the damages, injuries or claims resulting from such burning;

2) All materials to be burned shall be readily combustible;

3) An area of at least ten feet (10’) surrounding the material to be burned must be cleared to prevent the spread of fire;

4) A continuous water supply equipped with a shut off nozzle and a hose long enough to reach fifteen feet (15’) beyond the farthest pile shall be provided;

5) If the permit holder cannot meet the requirements of subsection 4, the permit holder shall have on site a bulldozer with qualified operator during the period of the permit;

6) The permit holder shall have on site a responsible adult whose sole duty shall be to attend the fire from the time it is first set until the fire is totally extinguished;

7) Burning shall not be permitted on any property where four (4) or more dwelling units are located;

8) Materials used to facilitate such burning shall be minimal amounts of diesel fuel;

9) Burning shall be permitted only from 7:00 am until thirty (30) minutes before sunset unless the fire chief or his designee grants additional time; and

10) When a fire is used to clear land where trees and brush are present the fire marshal may require that an air curtain destructor be used when the distance of such burn is less than five hundred feet (500’) to an airport, hospital, nursing home, school, or a federal or state highway. Air curtain destructor shall be required when the pile to be burned is within two hundred fifty feet (250’) of a residence.

Any person or business found in violation of the burning restrictions can be required to reimburse the Dickson Fire Department $150 per hour for each apparatus used in response to the fire, $50 per hour for each firefighter involved in the response and the cost of any materials used plus 30 percent. Second and subsequent offenses can result in the fees being doubled.

For residents outside municipalities with full-time fire departments, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division requires burn permits from Oct. 15 to May 15. As in the city, the permits are free but provide the state with a way of regulating burning. Forestry Division permits for outdoor burning can be obtained at 877-350-BURN (2876) or online at burnsafetn.org.

Anyone living within the borders of a city with a full-time fire department should contact that department about regulations on outdoor burning.

For more safety tips on outdoor burning or to obtain a permit in the city of Dickson, call (615) 446-6331. For outside the city limits, call (877) 350-2876, go online to burnsafetn.org or contact your local fire department.

The City of Dickson Public Works Department will launch its seasonal loose-leaf pickup service Tuesday, Nov. 1. The service runs through Friday, April 14, 2023.

As a service to residents of the city, crews will circulate through every street in the city multiple times during the season to vacuum leaves that have been raked or blown to the side of the street. Loose leaves are not picked up by calls or appointments.

“We’ve determined that it is more efficient to send our leaf-vacuum crews around the city on a street-by-street schedule instead of running around the city responding to calls,” said Public Works Director David Travis. “Crews will continue their routes through the city until April 14 and will make multiple passes on every street during this time.”

Residents inside the city limits of Dickson can rake or blow loose leaves to the street right-of-way for pickup. Leaves should be no more than five feet from the shoulder of the road or curb and no more than two feet deep, but should not block drainage ditches or storm drains, obstruct sidewalks or create a traffic hazard.

Leaves should not be within three feet of any mailbox, sign post, utility pole or other structure. They also should be free of any debris, branches or other materials that could damage the vacuums.

“As we enter the season for leaf-pickup, I want to assure all city residents that we will get your leaves picked up. There is no need to call to report that your leaves are ready to be picked up,” Travis said. “Even if a crew passes your house before you have your leaves ready, don’t worry because we will be back several times before the season ends.”

In addition to loose-leaf pickup Nov. 1-April 14, the Public Works Department picks up bagged leaves year-‘round. Leaves in biodegradable bags should be free of household garbage, branches and other debris and placed at the side of the road. Bagged leaves are picked up on a per-call basis at 615-441-9508 or by email to Jeanneé Porter at jporter@cityofdickson.com throughout the calendar year.

Residents who hire a business or service to gather leaves must also include leaf removal in that service. The city will not pick up leaves gathered or moved to the roadside by a commercial company or service.

The Public Works Department offers pickup service for brush and one tree cut less than six feet in length and 12 inches in diameter at no charge. A bulk pickup pre-paid fee of $150 per load is required for the removal of more than one tree or one tree that exceeds the restrictions on length and diameter.

The department will not pick up brush and limbs cut by a commercial landscaping or tree-trimming company.

The City of Dickson’s leaf- and brush-removal policies can be viewed on the city’s website at cityofdickson.com under the Public Works Department or call the department at 615-441-9508 for more information.

As dry conditions persist, with little to no humidity, the City of Dickson has issued a ban on all outdoor burning effective immediately until the area receives significant rainfall.

Dickson Fire Department Fire Marshal Robby Street announced the burn ban Thursday morning, Oct. 6, after an assessment of continuing drought conditions, dry vegetation and low humidity determined the risk to life and property has reached a critical stage.

“With only brief showers during the last few weeks, conditions in the City of Dickson have deteriorated to the point that we don’t believe we can safely allow any outdoor burning,” Street said. “The fire department will not issue any burn permits or sanction any outdoor burning until we see a good, prolonged, soaking rain that will reduce the risk.”

The ban applies to any outdoor fires, including the burning of leaves, brush, debris, trash, campfires, bonfires and even screened barrels within the boundaries of the City of Dickson.

“Right now conditions are bad enough that the smallest ember can start a grass fire that could threaten structures and lives,” Street said. “We also urge residents to be extremely careful discarding cigarettes and other smoking materials.”

The Dickson Fire Department ban applies to burning inside the city limits. Municipalities with full-time fire departments regulate burning within those jurisdictions.

The Tennessee Division of Forestry regulates burning outside of municipalities with full-time fire departments and information on current conditions and permit requirements can be found at burnsafetn.org. The division will begin requiring permits for all outdoor burning in areas without other regulations Oct. 15.

As of Thursday, the National Weather Service forecast for Dickson includes drought conditions with low humidity and winds around 8-10 mph.  A less than 10% chance of scattered showers are forecasted over the next 7-10 days.

The Dickson Fire Department ban will remain in effect until further notice. Announcements will be made at cityofdickson.com or on the City of Dickson page on Facebook.

The Dickson Municipal Code requires residents of the city to obtain a permit from the fire department prior to any outdoor burning. The permits are free but allow the department to monitor conditions and control when and where burning takes place. Permit information can be obtained by calling the department at 615-446-6331.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. provided updates on several ongoing city projects at the Dickson City Council meeting Monday, Sept. 19.

The updates included:

• Downtown Revitalization Project Phase V

Funded with a Transportation Alternative Program grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the project consists of pedestrian and drainage improvements on North Mulberry Street from Main Street to College Street. Mayor Weiss reported the contractor is waiting on AT&T and Comcast to move their utility lines from the existing poles to new poles that have been set by Dickson Electric System. Once the lines are moved, the old poles will be removed and the new sidewalks can be poured.

• Sylvis Street Storm Drain Replacement

The council approved a change order for $103,634.20 for cost overruns due to the relocation of utility lines and additional cost for stone. Mayor Weiss reported that a drain and catch basin is being added to the east side of the alley between Sylvis Street and Poplar Street. Curbs and gutters have been poured and sidewalk construction is pending. The contractor will then mill Sylvis Street and repave. The engineer for the project is awaiting documentation from the contractor on another $104,000 in requested additional funds for the project originally contracted at just under $1,000,000.

• Dickson Fire Department Station #3

Construction continues on the new station at the corner of Highway 70 East and Ridgecrest Drive. Mayor Weiss reported that the interior framing is about 98 percent complete with work continuing on electrical, plumbing and mechanical elements. The spray insulation has been completed. Drywall installation should begin in 2-3 weeks. The exterior stone is not expected to arrive until November. While the exterior brick is on site, it has to wait on the stone and the roof has to wait on completion of the exterior. Work on a retention pond is under way. Earlier in the meeting, the council approved a purchase order for $33,049.25 for furniture for the station. The city already has received one of the trucks that will be placed at the new station and has ordered two others.

• Extension of Alexander Drive

The city is preparing to extend Alexander Drive to connect with Gum Branch Road to try to relieve congestion from Highway 46 near Interstate 40. Mayor Weiss reported the advertisement for bids was published Sept. 9 and a pre-bid conference was held Sept. 16. Bids are to be opened Sept. 30.

• Dickson Senior Center

Remodeling of the former Dickson Athletic Club at 100 Payne Springs Road continues with plans to begin moving the senior center next month. “Phase I is basically 100 percent complete. Phase II is in progress,” Mayor Weiss reported. Planning and Zoning Director Jason Pilkinton reported an electrical panel arrived Monday and “power has been switched over to a new pole and all the underground utilities are in the building.” Mayor Weiss said Senior Center Director Joan Rial and city staff have discussed the move into the new building and have tentatively scheduled that to start Oct. 14. The center will have to be closed for a couple of weeks during the move. “We’re hoping right now that Mrs. Rial can open the 31st on Halloween,” Weiss said. “We’re hoping Phase II will be complete at that time. We may have to open with limited meals or no meals for a few days, but we’re going to at least be in the Phase I part of that hopefully by the 31st of October.”

• Henslee Park

The assembly of splash pad and playground features is under way. Mayor Weiss said the contractor is waiting on a water line to be installed and paving work on the parking lot is pending. The city’s advertisement seeking Requests for Qualifications for design work of an aquatic/recreational center was published Sept. 14 with a deadline for submission of Sept. 30. A committee will review the RFQs and select companies for interviews and proposals. Weiss said the committee’s selection will not be ready by the council’s next meeting on Oct. 3 but a special session of the council can be scheduled if needed.

• Buckner Park Phase I

The city is completing final design work for the renovations to the area of J. Dan Buckner Park along Weaver Drive and hopes to advertise for bids in October. Earlier in the meeting, the council unanimously approved allocating an additional $125,000 in matching funds for a grant for the park project. The City has been awarded a $1,000,000 grant for Phase I from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Local Parks and Recreation Fund, which requires a 50 percent local match. The city included $500,000 for the match in its 2022-2023 budget. Mayor Weiss said TDEC offered to increase the grant 25 percent due to the increased costs of materials, which will require an additional 50 percent match from the city.

“That’s the update on all the projects we have going on right now,” Weiss said. “It’s just a lot going on – the most projects we’ve had going at one time, I think, ever here inside the city. Everybody’s doing a good job. It’s just like everything else, supply chain holds a lot of stuff up right now.”

The Dickson City Council approved an ordinance authorizing the sale of property that the Tennsco Corp. has been leasing for 60 years.

At its meeting Monday, Sept. 19, the council unanimously approved Ordinance #1527 authorizing Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. to sign and execute all documents necessary to sell the property at 402 East Broad St. to Tennsco under the terms of a 1961 lease agreement. The ordinance faces a second vote at the Oct. 3 council meeting and must be approved by the Dickson Industrial Trust.

Created by the Dickson Board of Aldermen in the 1920s, the Dickson Industrial Trust worked to create jobs by obtaining property and constructing buildings for manufacturing operations. According to Robert S. Clement’s book “From Mile Post 42 to City of Dickson 1980,” the Dickson Industrial Trust obtained 2.76 acres in 1952 that had previously been the site of the Dickson Raincoat Factory on East Broad Street. The trust constructed a building and leased the property to the K.F. Cline Company, which “was engaged in the manufacture and warehousing of wire products and plastics.”

Clement reports the property and lease were acquired by Diebold Inc. in 1959 and that company manufactured safes and office equipment. In 1962, the property was leased to Chicago native Lester Speyer, who started the Tennsco Corp. in the manufacture of filing cabinets and office furniture. Tennsco has since grown to eight plants in Dickson as the county’s largest industrial employer and continued to lease the property that became Plant #1 for 60 years at $600 a year. The initial term of the lease was for 10 years and the parties agreed to 10 five-year extensions for a total of 60 years that expired Dec. 31, 2021. Over the years, additional properties were acquired and added to the lease, which allowed the company to expand the building.

According to the terms of the 1962 lease agreement, Tennsco could purchase the property in the first 10 years for the amount remaining on the lease and after Jan. 1, 1972, can purchase the property for $3,000. Tennsco notified the city of its desire to exercise the option to purchase the land and buildings on Aug. 24.

City Recorder Chris Norman reported at the council meeting that the Tennsco property is believed to be the last property involving the Dickson Industrial Trust. Most of the authority of the DIT was transferred to the Industrial Development Board of Dickson County when it was created by the legislature in the 1970s.

According to Clement, the Dickson Industrial Trust was involved in the creation of many of the industrial properties in the city of Dickson, including the Winner Boats plant in West Dickson that is now Tennsco Plant #2, the American Cigar Company on North Mulberry Street that became Red Kap in 1928 and is now Red Kap Flats condominiums, and the Henry I. Siegel plant on South Mulberry Street that is now Mulberry Mills. The trust also was involved in the acquisition of property in west Dickson that became a National Youth Administration Resident Project as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal recovery from The Great Depression, which later became the Valley West Complex, and arranged the donation of equipment to Dickson Central High School in 1944 that enabled the school to add a cafeteria.

Norman said the Dickson Industrial Trust, which is not believed to have met in over 40 years, will have to convene a meeting to approve the sale of the property to Tennsco. According to the City Charter, the Dickson Industrial Trust is comprised of the mayor, the president of The Bank of Dickson, the city attorney and the chairman of the council’s Finance Committee. With the Tennsco property believed to be the last involvement of the trust, Norman said the council can consider seeking a private act from the next session of the Tennessee General Assembly to dissolve the trust and remove it from the charter.

Once approved on second reading by the council and by the Dickson Industrial Trust, the city will schedule a closing to finalize the sale of the property to Tennsco.

The Dickson City Council approved a resolution to amend its agreement with the Humane Society of Dickson County to increase the city’s annual allocation to $60,000.

At its meeting Monday, Sept. 19, the council approved Resolution #2022-19 to amend the Memorandum of Understanding with the Humane Society to increase the allocation from $35,000 to $60,000 effective with the current fiscal budget that begin July 1.

Under the 2019 MOU, the Humane Society agreed to provide office space for the city’s Animal Control officer and to house all animals seized by the officer. The city initially allocated $25,500 under the agreement and increased it to $35,000 effective July 1, 2021.

Humane Society of Dickson County Board of Directors President Carrie Peery presented the council with data showing that in 2021, 23.39 percent of the cats and dogs taken in at June’s Pet Haven and Bark Park, the society’s shelter on Tennsco Drive, were brought in by the city of Dickson’s Animal Control officer and 39.54 percent were brought in by Dickson County’s animal control officer while the remainder of the 1,338 intakes were owner surrenders, strays turned in by citizens or endangered-animal seizures by the society. The shelter had 2021 operating expenses of $609,785.65 with $35,000 from the city and $45,000 from the county.

“This is a lot more affordable for us to contribute to that operation than to try to operate a shelter,” City Administrator Rydell Wesson said of the agreement with HSDC. “Our recommendation is that we up our funding to the Humane Society to $60,000 and change our MOU.”

Peery said the shelter is currently housing 116 dogs and over 100 cats. The statistics show that from January 2021 through May 2022, the shelter had 498 animals brought in by the city’s Animal Control and 812 by the county with a total intake of 1,996 cats and dogs for that period.

“The animal control partnership with the city, especially, has really worked well for us and, I think, well for the city,” Peery said. “We get a lot of cats from the city, because it’s the city and there’s a lot of feral cats in the downtown area. Dogs are easier to return (to their owners) from our standpoint because more people seem to have their pets chipped or collars or those kinds of things. Cats is just a problem that’s not ever going to end because they’re not spayed or neutered and it’s a never-ending process when it comes to cats and it’s a city problem everywhere.”

Peery said the number of animals the society has received since opening its facility has exceeded all expectations and caused overcrowding problems at the shelter.

“It’s a substantially bigger problem than I think most people realize,” Peery said. “It’s large numbers of animals and we’re doing everything we can but the numbers are more than we all anticipated. We’re scrambling to do everything that we can right now to take care of the animals that are there.

“We are way over capacity. We’ve got 40 or 50 more dogs than we have places. We have some kennels with three, four dogs in them. We’ve got cages with five, six, seven, 10 cats in them.”

Peery said the society is looking at several options, including a modular building just to house sick cats, building more kennels and more space for cats.

Wesson also pointed out that under the agreement with the city, when the shelter is full and cannot accept animals from the public, it still accepts animals brought in by the animal control officers. 

“That’s the job that we agreed to do, and that’s what we have to try to make work,” Peery said. “It’s tough. We could build a building triple that size and it would be filled up in a year. It’s just a non-ending problem. The way to solve the problem is with some spay/neuter legislation. But that’s a subject for another day.”

The resolution to amend the MOU passed unanimously and must now be approved by the HSDC board of directors. Once finalized, the city will issue the additional $25,000 to the humane society to go with the $35,000 already paid for the current fiscal year.

An ordinance approved by the Dickson City Council will keep the voting wards unchanged following the 2020 Census.

At its Sept. 19 meeting, the City Council unanimously approved Ordinance #1526 on the first of two required votes. The ordinance amends Section 1.04 of the city’s Charter to adopt the new voting ward map based on the population figures determined in the 2020 Census. The ward boundaries are the same as those adopted in 2014 after the 2010 Census.

The council voted July 18 to keep the boundaries unchanged after a study by the Greater Nashville Regional Council determined the difference in population among the four wards is within the acceptable deviation established by previous court rulings.

At the June 20 Finance and Management Committee meeting, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and City Administrator Rydell Wesson presented the council with the 2020 Census data showing the population makeup of the current wards as determined by GNRC.

The GNRC data shows Dickson with a population of 16,063 based on the 2020 Census. Under the U.S. and Tennessee Constitutions’ provisions that voting districts be as equal as possible -- known as the “one-person, one-vote” doctrine – the ideal population for each of the city’s wards would be 4,016. Wesson explained that while there is no statutory limit on the acceptable deviation from the ideal population, federal and state court rulings over the last 58 years have generally established the limit as 10 percent.

Based on the data provided by GNRC, the current populations and deviation from ideal are:

• Ward 1 – 4,177 residents, 161 (4.01%) above ideal;
• Ward 2 – 3,953 residents, 63 (1.57%) below ideal;
• Ward 3 – 3,771 residents, 245 (6.10%) below ideal; and
• Ward 4 – 4,162 residents, 146 (3.64%) above ideal.

The city’s Charter requires the city be divided into four wards with two council members elected from each ward for four-year terms. The terms are staggered so that one council member from each ward is elected every two years.

The Charter provides that the ward boundaries can be amended by an ordinance passed on two separate votes by the City Council, instead of having to go through the Tennessee General Assembly, as required on other changes to the Charter.

City Attorney Jerry Smith said the city might be required to hold a public hearing before adopting the new ward map, so Mayor Weiss scheduled one for the next council meeting at 7:00 pm Monday, Oct. 3, when the council is expected to vote on the ordinance on second and final reading.

A change to the City Charter approved by the Tennessee General Assembly and City Council moved the municipal election from the last Thursday to the second Thursday in September of odd-numbered years. That means the next municipal election will be Sept. 14, 2023, at which time the mayor’s office and the council seats currently held by Betty Lou Alsobrooks in the 1st Ward, Robby Harmon in the 2nd Ward, Horace Perkins III in the 3rd Ward and Dwight Haynes in the 4th Ward will be on the ballot.

The Dickson City Council unanimously approved a lease that will enable Nashville State Community College to continue offering classes in Dickson while planning for a permanent campus

At its meeting Monday, Sept. 19, the council approved and authorized Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. to execute the lease that will allow NSCC to operate in the current Dickson Senior Center at 206 West Walnut St. for three years with an option to extend it another two years. City Administrator Rydell Wesson said the lease was revised to make the effective date Nov. 1, 2022, while the senior center continues preparations for moving to its new location in the former Dickson Athletic Club at 100 Payne Springs Road.

Mayor Weiss announced later in the meeting that the senior center hopes to open in its new location Oct. 31.

After leaving the Freed-Hardeman University campus at The Renaissance Center in July following its sale to David Rives Ministries, Nashville State Community College made temporary arrangements to offer a combination of in-person and online classes for the Fall 2022 semester at Tennessee College of Applied Technology’s Dickson campus. Under the new lease, NSCC will remodel the former senior center and begin offering classes for the Spring 2023 semester.

The Tennessee Board of Regents will lease the building for $60,000 a year for a three-year term through December 2025 with an option for the state to extend the lease two years to May 31, 2027.

In presenting the draft of the lease to the council, Mayor Weiss said he believes it is important for the city to do everything it can to keep Nashville State in Dickson.

“We don’t want to lose Nashville State. We feel like Nashville State is very important to our community,” Weiss said at the council’s July 18 meeting. “We feel like if we lose Nashville State, the odds of getting them back here are very slim.”

NSCC President Dr. Shanna Jackson said the community college’s plan is to obtain property and build a permanent campus in Dickson.

“I would like to reiterate that I truly do believe this change will prove to be a positive step in the future of Nashville State and Dickson County,” Jackson said in a July statement. “Once we secure a permanent new home, we will be able to grow and expand our programs and services to meet the growing needs of Dickson and the surrounding communities.”

Nashville State will begin its plans to remodel the building during the next couple of months after the senior center moves out with the Spring 2023 semester scheduled to begin Jan. 17.

The city has been looking to move the Dickson Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division and Training Division into the former senior center building, but Mayor Weiss said he believes working to keep Nashville State in Dickson is important enough to temporarily put those plans on hold. The city continues to investigate several options for expanding or relocating the police department and Municipal Court from the Municipal Building on South Main Street.

Planes, trucks and automobiles return to the Dickson Municipal Airport for the annual Touch A Truck/Fly-In on Saturday, Oct. 1.

The Dickson Parks and Recreation Department presents its 17th Touch A Truck and the Dickson Municipal Airport hosts its 9th Fly-In 10 am-2 pm at Pack Field, 2372 Sylvia Road. The event is free and the Humane Society of Dickson County will be on site to accept donations to help care for the animals in its shelter.

Children of all ages will get the chance to experience emergency and working vehicles of all kinds as part of Touch A Truck. The Fly-In will bring a variety of small aircraft to the experience as well and will offer airplane rides over Dickson County.

From fire trucks, police cars, motorcycles and ambulances to dump trucks, construction equipment and tractors, Touch A Truck provides a chance for children to experience these vehicles up close. 

In 2018, the Parks and Recreation Department moved Touch A Truck from J. Dan Buckner Park to the Dickson Municipal Airport-Pack Field to join forces with its annual Fly-In to expand into the field of aviation. The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the event returned in 2021 with a toy drive to benefit the children of Waverly following the devastating flood of Aug. 21, 2021.

This year’s event will feature donations for June’s Pet Haven and Bark Park, the Humane Society’s shelter on Tennsco Drive. The shelter is currently experiencing an overcrowding crisis with more than 115 dogs and 100 cats housed in the facility. Donations of dog and cat food, bleach, litter, towels, blankets, detergent, cleaning products and cash will be accepted.

“Touch A Truck has been one of the Parks Department’s most popular annual events for more than 15 years,” said Tabitha Jennette, programs coordinator for the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department. “Joining forces with the airport to add airplanes has only increased interest in the event.”

Touch A Truck will include a Kidzone with an inflatable slide, face painting and a balloon artist. Concessions will be available.

Dickson Airport Manager Mike Gallagher said a few of the pilots who will be attending the Fly-In have agreed to provide a limited number of airplane rides. Tickets for the airplane rides will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis for $20 per person until all the available ride slots have been filled.

Because there is limited parking at the airport, those attending Touch A Truck and the Fly-In will park near the south end of the runway in a field near the Airport Market at 2306 Sylvia Road. Jennette said there will be signs directing people to the parking area and buses will shuttle people to and from the airport throughout the event.

The Dickson Municipal Airport-Pack Field created the Fly-In as part of an annual 2nd Century of Flight celebration in 2012. During the annual celebrations, the airport dedicated its Aviation Wall of Fame.

The Aviation Wall of Fame features Garland Pack, Bruce Peery, Larry Horn, Lt. Col. Glenn Hicks and Buford “Booty” Reed as pioneers and contributors to aviation. The airfield at Dickson Municipal Airport was dedicated as Pack Field in 1999, honoring the Dickson native who built a biplane in downtown Dickson to become a barnstormer, then flew supply missions through the Himalayas in World War II and was a pioneer in glider technology. Peery was a WWII bomber pilot; Horn flew a B-23 Liberator in WWII; and Hicks flew a P24 fighter jet in WWII. A long-time Dickson County commissioner, Reed served on the Dickson Airport Authority and helped guide its growth and operation until his passing in 2019.

For more information on the 17th annual Touch A Truck, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at 615-446-1721. For more information on the 9th annual Fly-In, contact the Dickson Municipal Airport at 615-446-6611.

Dickson officials and the Tennessee Board of Regents are reviewing a draft lease that will allow Nashville State Community College to continue offering classes in Dickson County while it searches for a permanent home.

At the Aug. 15 meeting of the city’s Finance and Management Committee, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and City Administrator Rydell Wesson presented to city council members a lease that would allow NSCC to begin offering classes in the current Dickson Senior Center at 206 West College St. for the Spring 2023 semester. The city is currently remodeling the former Dickson Athletic Club on Payne Springs Road and plans to move the senior center there as early as October.

Under the terms of the draft agreement, NSCC will lease the 11,000-square-foot building for $60,000 a year for a three-year term through December 2025 with an option for the state to extend the lease two years to May 31, 2027. Nashville State officials have announced a temporary arrangement with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson to offer a combination of in-person and online classes for the Fall 2022 semester.

“We reported to the council, I guess, at the last meeting that we had been in discussions with Nashville State and I just can’t emphasize how important I think it is that we do everything we can as a city to keep Nashville State here in our city,” said Mayor Weiss. “They had to leave the current Renaissance Center rather abruptly. TCAT has been nice enough to furnish them two classrooms there and they’re having to do the rest online for the Fall semester. Our hope is that we can help them with the senior center.”

Nashville State leased space at The Renaissance Center at 855 Hwy. 46 S. from Freed-Hardeman University since 2008. In June, Freed-Hardeman sold The Renaissance Center to the David Rives Ministries of Lewisburg for a reported $6 million. NSCC President Dr. Shanna Jackson said the new owner declined to continue the lease and the college had to move out of the building by July 28.

Wesson said under the agreement the City of Dickson will continue to pay utility and exterior maintenance costs for the senior center building while Nashville State will fund the interior remodeling necessary to create classroom space and pay the cost of telephone and internet services.

“They have the right to terminate with notice prior to the expiration of the lease,” Wesson said. “As the mayor stated, we’re trying to assist and help them keep classrooms here and we feel like this document does that. They can extend it. It’s currently set for just a little over a three-year period and they would have another option to extend out to May of 2027.”

President Jackson has said Nashville State hopes to obtain property and build a permanent campus in Dickson, perhaps in conjunction with TCAT-Dickson and/or a public four-year university.

“They want desperately to have their own facility here,” said Mayor Weiss. “That’s their ultimate goal is to have their own facility here. So, we’re just trying to help them in the meantime and hopefully we’ll be able to work with them on finding a place where they can have their own facility at some point in time.”

Matt McLean, director of the Dickson campus for Nashville State, said the college is excited about the possibility of staying in Dickson.

“We want to be here forever,” McLean told the committee. “I tell this to everybody I see. Dickson County is the third-largest provider of students to Nashville State, just behind Clarksville-Montgomery County and Metro-Davidson. So even though they’re the fifth and the largest cities in the state, Dickson County is still pumping out a better type of student and enrolled in the healthcare programs we’re usually better prepared, better ACT scores and better students overall. So, they’re very excited to keep Dickson County folks enrolled in our classes across all our programs at all campuses.”

McLean said even at the height of the COVID pandemic, Dickson County produced 400-450 students across all of Nashville State’s campuses.

“We’re looking eventually to build a permanent location with TCAT as a partner, as well. They are landlocked and out of space as well. And we’re wanting to expand both of our institutions’ programs and keep training and educating this community,” McLean said.

The draft lease has been presented to the Tennessee Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s community college system, and to the members of the city council. Mayor Weiss said he will ask the council to vote on approving the lease at its Sept. 19 meeting.

The lease includes a projected start date of Oct. 1, which McLean said gives Nashville State time to make renovations to the building before the Spring semester begins Jan. 17. Wesson said the city is pressing its contractor to complete the renovation of the new senior center by its contracted date of mid-September.

Due to the Labor Day holiday, the city council’s next regular meeting has been rescheduled to 7:00 pm Monday, Sept. 19, in the Council Chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. All meetings are open to the public.

Following the overwhelmingly positive reaction to its new downtown skatepark, the City of Dickson is considering building a playground in the same area.

At the Aug 15 Finance and Management Committee meeting, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. told city council members that the Parks and Recreation Department is looking into the possibility of building a fire department-themed playground next to the skatepark behind Dickson Fire Department Station #1 on Church Street.

Conceptual drawings presented to the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board depict playground features resembling fire trucks, fire stations and other similarly themed activities.

Weiss told the committee the board is looking at the area next to the skatepark where the city purchased property that includes a former automobile body shop building. The mayor said the building would be torn down and the facility could include a pavilion and bathrooms.

In recent years, the city has applied for a Blue Cross/Blue Shield Healthy Places grant to build a playground and fitness area in the same spot. Those grants provide pre-designed facilities and require signage for Blue Cross/Blue Shield while the city has to provide a location that meets the required footprint. The city has been turned down twice for those grants.

“(City Administrator Rydell) Wesson and I started talking even before we got turned down for the last one that, if we got turned down the second time, we might ought to look at doing something ourself where we were planning on putting this Blue Cross playground,” Weiss said.

The city purchased the site of the former Alvin Jones Chevrolet dealership on the corner of Church and East College streets and built a new public parking lot. At the same time it purchased the property behind the fire station from Dan Evertson and in April opened the new skatepark.

“The old body shop building, which is really an eyesore in our downtown area right now…, we’ve looked at that building pretty extensively,” Weiss said. “The thing we noticed when we opened the skatepark was that when parents were bringing their kids to the skatepark, the younger kids who are not old enough to skateboard and all yet, didn’t really have anything to do. It’s amazing to sit there and watch how good the older kids are with the younger kids, but the more we saw that, we decided that it would be good to talk with the park board about removing that building there. We’d like to see a playground in that area along with a pavilion and a set of bathrooms there.”

Weiss said he believes it would be a good addition to the area and bring more people downtown for recreation and other activities.

“We have discussed the idea of a fire-themed playground in that area since the fire department’s right there and all kids like fire engines,” Weiss said.

Weiss said the preliminary concept would probably cost $400,000-$600,000.

The mayor said more detailed plans will be brought to the city council in the future.

The City of Dickson is looking at the possibility of building an aquatic facility that could include an indoor or indoor/outdoor swimming pool at Henslee Park.

At the Aug. 15 Finance and Management Committee meeting, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. updated city council members on plans currently being considered by the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board that could include construction of an indoor pool to replace the 44-year-old municipal pool at J. Dan Buckner Park.

“As you know the Buckner Park pool has been an issue for the last couple of years, especially, more from a staffing standpoint, but also from a renovation standpoint,” Weiss said. “We were fortunate to get it open last year; we were even more fortunate to be able to open it this year. We don’t feel like the Buckner pool is a repair; we feel like it’s a replace, a total replace meaning going in and having to demo everything and totally replace it.”

For the last two seasons, the city has had to reduce operating hours and close the pool season early because of a lack of staff. With most of its seasonal lifeguards being high school or college students, the city has been unable to maintain the required number of staff to keep the pool operating after school starts.

Mayor Weiss, City Administrator Rydell Wesson and Public Works Director David Travis have met with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which the mayor said has recommended seeking requests for proposals (RFPs) for engineering firms to “look at the possibility of an indoor-type facility or an indoor/outdoor-type facility at Henslee Park.” Weiss said the administration will ask for the council’s approval to move ahead with RFPs at its Sept. 19 meeting.

“They feel like and I feel like that if we were to have a pool that could be used 24/7, that that might help our lifeguard issue from the standpoint that that becomes a full-time city position. It’s open 365 days a year. It will get more use,” Weiss said. “We think right now that to replace the Buckner Park pool at its current location, we’re looking somewhere at $1.5 million to $2 million for a pool that’s only open, at the most, three months out of the year and, the last couple of years, we’ve only gotten two months out of the year for it.”

Weiss said an indoor facility would get more use and could be linked to “some type of multi-purpose-type facility there, also, a recreation-type complex, civic center-type complex, multi-use type facility.”

The mayor said the city has a big need for a larger facility for events. The city’s primary venue, the Tennsco Community Center, stays booked for most of the year.

“We feel like we’re in that type of a situation at this point,” Weiss said.

Councilperson Horace Perkins III (3rd Ward), who serves on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, said there has been discussion on the future of the pool for the last three years and the struggles to keep it open.

“It’s just come to the point that it’s not going to be able to happen and the board is in 100 percent to do some kind of indoor facility with maybe some rooms for parties and different things,” Perkins said.

Councilperson Stacey Levine (3rd Ward), who also serves on the board, said the board has given serious consideration to the proposal.

“It’s a big step to jump from the outdoor pool to the indoor pool, but looking at the issues we’ve had with staffing and knowing that it would create just a different culture around aquatics for the city, which is something that is a really awesome thing that we could offer the citizens to be able to swim year-round for fitness or for recreation, or for parties or teaching swimming lessons, things like that, we think it’s a good thing to look into,” Levine said.

Opened in 1978, the pool at Buckner Park was renovated in 1997 with the addition of a slide and remodeling of the kiddie pool. Public Works Director Travis said in 2005 there were improvements to the accompanying structures and in 2005 a PVC liner was added, which is now showing signs of deterioration in the concrete surface underneath.

“Water seeps behind that liner and gets under that concrete through the years,” Travis said. “I don’t think it can be brought back.”

“That’s why we feel it’s a total replace, not just a repair at this point,” Weiss said.

Weiss said the council will be asked in September to authorize the city to request proposals for professional design services to construct a facility near the splash pad and playground currently under construction in Henslee Park. The 4,000-square-foot splash pad with 20 water features and 25,000-square-foot playground with 26 features is scheduled to be completed in September.

The council’s next scheduled meeting is 7:00 pm Monday, Sept. 19, in the Council Chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meets at 6:00 pm on the third Thursday of the month in the Council Chambers. All meetings are open to the public.

At a special session Aug. 15, the Dickson City Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the issuance of up to $50 million in Electric System Revenue Bonds to fund the startup of the Dickson Electric System’s broadband project.

DES General Management Darrell Gillespie told the council that he expects broadband service to be available to the first customers before the end of the year.

Gillespie said the Board of Public Utilities recommended approval of the resolution at its Aug. 2 meeting.

“The electric system will issue these bonds and revenues from electric sales will cover those bonds,” Gillespie explained. “Its main, primary purpose will be for additions to the electric system, to enhance the electric system operations, but the excess capacity that we’ll have as part of this improvement will go toward the broadband system and the broadband will make use of that excess capacity to operate and provide broadband services to every electrical customer we have.

“Our general feeling is that this is a big investment in the future of Dickson Electric and we foresee that, you know, revenues and lease payments that will be made by the broadband system to the electric system will allow us to keep rates low in the long-term future of Dickson Electric and provide other benefits to the communities we serve that’s very much in line with what we do today on the electric side,” Gillespie said.

Gillespie said the bonds would have a term of either 20 or 25 years.

“I’m leaning toward a 25-year (term) just because it allows for a principal and interest payment which keeps our ratio in a very good margin,” Gillespie said.

Because Dickson Electric System currently has no debt, Gillespie said the system will have the capability to sustain the bond payments on either term and potentially call the bonds early and pay them off.

Asked about the timeline for the first customers to begin receiving broadband service, Gillespie said he fully expects that to happen this year.

“All the other pieces are in place, now we just need the financing in order to build it,” Gillespie said. “The electric system will construct all the core infrastructure and then we’ll make an interdivisional loan over to the broadband division to establish it with financing capability to be able to do that part. All goes well, and I hope it does, that’s our plan.”

“So, by the end of the year broadband could be live?” asked Councilperson Jason Epley (1st Ward).

“We really think we could do it very fast because we have a lot of infrastructure in place today and we’re already providing services today, but not the retail space,” Gillespie said. “So, it will be real easy for us to start supplying retail services.”

Because the City of Dickson owns the Dickson Electric System, the city council must authorize the issuance of the bonds to incur debt and the city would ultimately be responsible for the bonds should DES become insolvent and go bankrupt.

“Under the governmental structure that we have, the city is the ultimate backstop for those type things,” Gillespie said. “And right now, in reserves, we have probably about half that amount available today, but we’re not going to dip into our electric reserves in order to be able to cover that bond issuance. We’ll just cover it with our normal revenues that we generate through the electric system. And by some of the enhancements we’re going to make, we’ll generate some extra revenue as well. And the lease payments from the broadband division should have plenty of coverage for that debt. So, we’ve got multiple revenue streams that’ll cover that.”

Following a motion by Councilperson Epley with a second by Councilperson Betty Lou Alsobrooks (1st Ward), the council voted 7-0 with Councilperson Dwight Haynes (4th Ward) absent to approve the resolution authorizing the bonds.

Gillespie has previously told the council that once the financing is in place, DES will begin construction of the broadband system simultaneously in the urban and rural areas of the county. He has said the full build-out to provide service to all DES customers in the five counties it serves could take 4-5 years.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. swore in two new officers for the Dickson Police Department at the Aug. 15 Finance and Management Committee meeting.

Weiss administered the Peace Officer’s oath to Officer Bridget Smith and Officer Brandon LaFever.

Raised in Dickson County and a Creek Wood High School graduate, Smith grew up around family members in law enforcement and became interested in it as a career path.

She participated in the Dickson Police Department’s Citizen’s Policy Academy to advance her knowledge of the field and decided to begin her career as an officer.

Smith is currently participating in a 12-week field training program and will attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in October.

LaFever grew up in Kingston Springs and graduated from Harpeth High School.

He worked in the automotive industry as a technician until 2020 when he began working for the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections deputy and became the Corrections Field Training officer for the Dickson County Jail before joining the Dickson Police Department.

LaFever is currently participating in a 12-week field training program and will attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in October.

Weiss welcomed Smith and LaFever to the Dickson Police Department.

Due to a shortage of lifeguards, the Municipal Pool at J. Dan Buckner Park is being forced to end its season early.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. announced at the Aug. 1 City Council meeting that the pool is closing effective immediately.

Traditionally the pool closes on weekdays once Dickson County schools start their new year and remains open on weekends through Labor Day. But the inability to keep the required number of lifeguards on staff after schools opened Aug. 1 means the pool is closing.

“We started the summer with 28 lifeguards. We lost about six or seven before July 4th,” Weiss told the council. “And we lost all but six as of Friday. So, we’re down to six lifeguards. It takes nine to operate the pool for one day.”

Public Works Director David Travis said most of the seasonal lifeguards are high school students who returned to school Aug. 1 and have other commitments on weekends. A few college students work as lifeguards but they also are preparing to return to school and unable to continue working.

Dickson Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Cherie Wilson had announced July 18 that the pool was limiting its daily capacity to 150 people at a time in the pool area due to the staffing issue. The pool is required to have one lifeguard on staff for every 25 people in each area of the pool facility, including the deep end, shallow end, children’s pool and deck area.

“The safety of our patrons is our number one concern, and being understaffed is a risk we are not willing to take,” Wilson said in announcing the pool closure Aug. 2. “We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Wilson said anyone who purchased a 2022 season pass can call the parks department at 615-446-1721 about receiving a partial refund.

With the Buckner Park pool in need of renovations, the Dickson City Council has approved a 2022-2023 budget that includes $1 million for a pool project. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board has begun discussing the options of renovations to the existing pool or construction of a new aquatic facility at Henslee Park.

Mayor Weiss has asked the board to look into the option of an indoor or covered pool facility that would be open for year-round use, making the lifeguard positions full-time instead of part-time seasonal workers.

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will begin discussions on the future of the pool facility at a special session at 6:00 pm Tuesday, Aug. 9, in the Council Chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. Also on the agenda are discussion on upgrades and renovations to facilities at Buckner Park and a possible first responder-themed playground behind Dickson Fire Department Station #1 and the new Dickson Skatepark.

The City of Dickson continued its effort to promote school safety by renewing its agreement to provide school resource officers for all the public schools located within the city.

At its Monday, July 18, meeting, the City Council approved and authorized Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dickson County Board of Education to provide nine trained and certified police officers to be on seven Dickson County campuses for the 2022-2023 school year that begins Aug. 1. The MOU goes before the Dickson County School Board at its July 28 meeting.

Under the agreement, the Dickson Police Department will provide:

• A supervisor/detective to oversee the SRO program;

• Two SROs at Dickson County High School; and

• One SRO each at:

o Centennial Elementary School;

o Oakmont Elementary School;

o Dickson Elementary School;

o The Discovery School;

o Dickson Middle School; and

o The Dickson County High School Lower Campus (formerly Sullivan Central Elementary School).

Under the terms of the agreement, the City of Dickson will fully fund the salaries and benefits of all nine officers. The school system will reimburse the city the equivalent of 185 days of salaries and benefits for five of the officers, to cover the 180 days of the school year and five days of required training.

For the nine officers assigned as SROs for 2022-2023, the total salaries and benefits committed by the City of Dickson will be $653,000.96. The reimbursement of approximately 71% of the cost of the five SROs will be $257,231.40, an increase of just under $25,000 or 10.75% over the previous year, pending approval of the MOU by the school board.

“The City of Dickson is committed to doing everything possible to create a safe educational environment for students in our public schools,” said Mayor Weiss. “We know this program has been effective in promoting healthy relationships between students and law enforcement officers and has contributed to preventing potentially dangerous situations on local campuses.”

Using a grant, the Dickson Police Department placed its first SRO at Dickson Elementary School in a pilot program in 1998 until the grant expired.

In 2008, the Dickson City Council agreed to place an officer at Dickson County High School as a full-time SRO funded by the city.

In 2011, the city and school board approved an MOU to add an SRO at Dickson Middle School with the school system reimbursing the city for 185 days of the officer’s salary and benefits.

Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., in February 2018, Mayor Weiss asked the city council to fully fund two more SROs for a period of three years. In 2021, the council agreed to extend those two positions for another three-year period through 2024.

In July 2018, the Dickson County Commission approved a schools budget that included SROs at all campuses in the county. The Dickson Police Department added four more officers to be reimbursed by the school system to cover all seven schools in the city by the end of Christmas break in January 2019, bringing the department’s total to eight.

The SRO supervisor/detective position was added in 2020 at the request of Chief Jeff Lewis for nine Dickson Police Department officers working full-time inside seven schools, all fully funded by the City of Dickson with reimbursement for five from the school system.

For 2022-2023, the school resource officers from the Dickson Police Department will be Supervisor/Detective Sgt. Eric Chandler and officers Cameron Stinson, Holden Foster, Charlie Mullins, Daniel Lewis, Jamie Patterson, Larson Petty, Curtis Robertson and J.D. Sumerour.

Some SROs also serve as instructors for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program in their schools. When school is not in session, SROs return to assignments with the police department.

Under a proposal approved on first reading by the Dickson City Council, the Dickson Fire Department could soon begin offering subscription rural fire service for commercial and industrial properties outside the city limits.

At its July 18 meeting, the council unanimously approved on the first of two required votes an amendment to its rural fire service policy to provide fire protection for commercial businesses and industries that are located within the service areas of its stations.

Since 1982, the Dickson Fire Department has offered subscription fire protection for residential properties located within five road miles of its main station on Church Street and in 1991 added Station #2 on Pringle Drive in Pomona. Station #3 under construction at the corner of Highway 70 East and Ridgecrest Drive is expected to begin service in January 2023.

“Development outside the city limits has continued at a steady pace in all directions and we want to be able to offer the response capabilities of the county’s largest professional fire department to those properties,” said Dickson Fire Department Chief Richard Greer. “Our primary responsibility always will be to the citizens and businesses located in the City of Dickson, but as we continue to grow we want to offer the option of a subscription service to the properties within a reasonable response time from our stations.”

The Dickson Fire Department currently offers subscription rural fire service to residences outside the city limits but within five road miles of a city fire station at a fee equal to one tenth of one percent of the current appraised value by the Dickson County Assessor of Property’s office excluding the value of the land with a minimum of $75 and maximum of $500. A $500 deposit is required unless there is a guarantee by the homeowner’s insurance provider to pay a $500 service call fee for each emergency response to the property.

In the new policy for commercial properties:

• The property must be zoned for commercial use and assessed at a commercial rate by the assessor’s office;

• The property must be outside the city limits but within five road miles of a city-operated fire department; and

• The property must be accessible by and provide access to all Dickson Fire Department equipment and personnel.

A rural fire service subscription for commercial property will cost $2,500 annually and the property owner/insurer must agree to reimburse the city based on a fee schedule for the type of emergency response, equipment used, time on the scene and personnel required in the response.

The applicant must allow access to the property and structures by providing codes to electronic locks or the installation of an approved key box. The applicant also must provide 24-hour contact information and all appropriate Material Safety Data Sheets for hazardous materials stored on the property.

In the new services for industrial properties:

• The property must be zoned for industrial use and assessed at an industrial rate by the assessor’s office;

• The property must be outside the city limits but within five road miles of a city-operated fire department; and

• The property must be accessible by and provide access to all Dickson Fire Department equipment and personnel.

The annual subscription fee for industrial property is based on the hazard level classification established in the current International Building Code Occupancy Classification and Use guidelines and ranges from $5,000 to $20,000. 

The property owner/insurer must agree to reimburse the city based on a fee schedule for the type of emergency response, equipment used, time on the scene and personnel required in the response.

The applicant must allow access to the property and structures by providing codes to electronic locks or the installation of an approved key box. The applicant also must provide 24-hour contact information and all appropriate Material Safety Data Sheets for hazardous materials stored on the property.

Having a rural fire service subscription from a full-time, professional fire department can result in a lower property insurance premium.

“As we take a more regional approach to our development and planning, it is important that we consider beyond our city limits and expanding the services of the best fire department in the county to those areas and property owners,” said Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. “While the taxpayers in the city are our main focus, a good neighbor philosophy should take into account the homes, businesses and industries just beyond our borders.”

The amendment to the city’s subscription rural fire service ordinance faces a second and final vote at the Aug. 1 council meeting and will take effect immediately after passage.

The Dickson City Council voted to keep the city’s current voting ward boundaries for elections.

At its meeting Monday, July 18, the council voted unanimously to keep the current structure after determining the ward populations are within what has been established as acceptable deviations following the 2020 Census. The city’s current ward boundaries were adopted in 2014 after the 2010 Census.

By its charter, the city is divided into four wards and residents elect two council members from each ward for four-year terms in odd years. The terms are staggered so that one councilperson is elected from each ward every two years.

At the June 20 Finance and Management Committee meeting, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and City Administrator Rydell Wesson presented the council with the 2020 Census data showing the population makeup of the current wards as determined by the Greater Nashville Regional Council.

The GNRC data shows Dickson with a population of 16,063 based on the 2020 Census. Under the U.S. and Tennessee Constitutions’ provisions that voting districts be as equal as possible -- known as the “one-person, one-vote” doctrine – the ideal population for each of the city’s wards would be 4,016. Wesson explained that while there is no statutory limit on the acceptable deviation from the ideal population, federal and state court rulings over the last 58 years have generally established the limit as 10 percent.

Based on the data provided by GNRC, the current populations and deviation from ideal are:

• Ward 1 – 4,177 residents, 161 (4.01%) above ideal;
• Ward 2 – 3,953 residents, 63 (1.57%) below ideal;
• Ward 3 – 3,771 residents, 245 (6.10%) below ideal; and
• Ward 4 – 4,162 residents, 146 (3.64%) above ideal.

Mayor Weiss told the council because the deviations are within the acceptable range, the city could continue to use the current boundaries or it could ask GNRC planners to draft new ward lines that could bring the wards closer to the ideal population.

“In our conversations with everyone from the state, we fall within the limits of the deviation,” Weiss said. “So, what we’re asking you to do tonight is either to adopt the current ward boundaries as they are or if you want to amend those ward boundaries, you would have to do that tonight.”

Councilperson Horace Perkins III (3rd Ward) made the motion to adopt the current ward boundaries for upcoming elections with a second by Councilperson Betty Lou Alsobrooks (1st Ward). Without any further discussion, the council voted unanimously to keep the ward boundaries unchanged.

After a recent change to the city’s charter, the next municipal election will be Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. The ballot will include the Mayor’s office and the council seats currently held by Betty Lou Alsobrooks in the 1st Ward, Robby Harmon in the 2nd Ward, Horace Perkins III in the 3rd Ward and Dwight Haynes in the 4th Ward.

A map of the current voting wards can be viewed on the city’s website at OFFICIALWARDMAP2014.pdf. The wards are for city elections only and do not apply or correspond to the county’s voting districts.

To be eligible to vote in city elections, citizens must be qualified to vote for members of the Tennessee General Assembly under state law, be a resident of the city for at least 30 days prior to the election and vote in the ward in which they reside. For more information, contact the Dickson County Election Office at (615) 671-1146 or visit dicksoncountyelection.com.

The City of Dickson is working with leaders of Nashville State Community College to find a temporary location to continue housing classes in Dickson after it leaves The Renaissance Center campus this month.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. informed the Dickson City Council at its meeting Monday, July 18, that the city is drafting an agreement to allow Nashville State to use the current Dickson Senior Center building after the senior center moves to its new location on City Lake.

“They are in a position right now that if they can’t find space we could lose Nashville State,” Weiss told the council. “If we lose Nashville State, the odds of us getting Nashville State back to Dickson, Dickson County, are slim to none.”

Nashville State has leased space and offered degree-level classes at The Renaissance Center on Highway 46 in Dickson since 2008. Freed-Hardeman University recently announced it has sold the property to David Rives Ministries of Lewisburg, which plans to convert the former arts and technology education and multimedia center into a Christian-based science museum and television production facility.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Nashville State President Dr. Shanna Jackson said the college will not be able to continue offering classes at The Renaissance Center and must be out of the building by July 28.

Jackson said Nashville State has arranged with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson to continue offering classes in Dickson for the Fall semester that starts next month.

“I am excited to tell you that we have worked out a one-semester agreement with TCAT-Dickson that will allow the college to continue to have a physical presence in Dickson,” Jackson said. “Administration and support services, along with some classes will be at TCAT. The student services team will begin working out of TCAT on Aug. 1.”

Jackson said the arrangement for the Fall semester will include a combination of in-person and virtual classes.

“We have been and will continue to enroll students for the Fall semester, which begins Aug. 22,” Jackson said. “While our long-term solution is to find a permanent location and build a campus, we are working on a longer short-term solution through continued discussions with the city, county, private industry, non-profit leaders, local school system and with TCAT-Dickson.”

Jackson expressed appreciation to TCAT’s leadership for working with Nashville State to continue providing educational opportunities in Dickson.

“I would like to thank TCAT President Dr. Arrita Summers and her staff for working to accommodate our staff and students,” Jackson said. “She continues to be a true partner in this and several other endeavors.”

Weiss told the council he believes it is critical that local leaders do everything possible to keep Nashville State in the community.

“We don’t want to lose Nashville State. We feel like Nashville State is very important to our community,” Weiss said. “We feel like if we lose Nashville State, the odds of getting them back here are very slim.”

With renovations continuing to turn the former Dickson Athletic Club on Payne Springs Road into the new home of the Dickson Senior Center, Weiss said Nashville State has determined the current center at 206 West Walnut St. can provide a temporary home for Nashville State while it works to acquire property and build a permanent location.

“They feel like that will work for them on a temporary basis. By temporary we’re talking about three years,” Weiss said. “They are looking to build their own facility. They’re looking for property as we speak. They’ve identified a couple of different pieces of property. Dr. Jackson is very committed to Dickson and Dickson County. She wants to see a center of higher education here. Nashville State wants to remain in Dickson and Dickson County, if at all possible. But they’ve got to have space.”

“I would like to reiterate that I truly do believe this change will prove to be a positive step in the future of Nashville State and Dickson County,” Jackson said in her statement. “Once we secure a permanent new home, we will be able to grow and expand our programs and services to meet the growing needs of Dickson and the surrounding communities.”

The city had planned to move the Dickson Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division and Training Division out of the Municipal Building into the former senior center building, but Weiss said he believes keeping Nashville State is important enough to delay those plans.

“We may have to put some things on hold that we wanted to do to try to keep Nashville State here in the city and in the county,” Weiss told the council. “But we feel like it’s very important that we try to help Nashville State. We are working on a memorandum of understanding with Nashville State right now for the existing senior center. We feel like we can be in the new senior center sometime in October, as long as we don’t have any hiccups along the way.”

Weiss told the council he expects to present the MOU for its approval in August or September. Nashville State will make renovations to the building and could begin offering classes there with the Spring 2023 semester scheduled to begin Jan. 17.

Weiss said when Nashville State acquires property and begins working on plans for a Dickson campus, the state’s building process will include a local match of around 10 percent of the cost from the community, unless the land and campus are privately funded.

Prior to the sale of The Renaissance Center, Freed-Hardeman announced a reduction in its class offerings and a teach-out plan to allow students seeking a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing to continue their classes in Dickson and at its Henderson, Tenn., campus. Freed-Hardeman has not announced plans for continuing in Dickson beyond its current semester.

Founded in 1970, Nashville State Community College is a Tennessee Board of Regents-operated institution with four campuses in Nashville, one in Clarksville and another in Humphreys County. The college offers more than 80 programs for associate degrees and technical certificates, some of which can be earned in a year, as well as the initial two years toward four-year degrees

Following Monday’s rain and break from 90-degree temperatures, the Dickson Fire Department has lifted its ban on outdoor burning.

Dickson Fire Department Fire Marshal Robby Street announced Monday morning that the department will resume issuing burn permits effective immediately, ending the ban that had been in place since July 6.

“With the popup showers we’ve had in the last few days and the more soaking rain on Monday, we believe we can safely resume outdoor burning under the usual safety guidelines,” Street said. “As temperatures reach back into the 90s this week, we will continue to monitor conditions daily and will issue additional burn bans if necessary.”

The latest burn ban was the first since Sept.18-Oct. 7, 2019, and Street said Dickson residents should remain vigilant with all burning.

“We still urge residents to be careful and follow all normal safety procedures when it comes to outdoor burning,” Street said. “The rain we experienced made conditions better but the risks that are inherent in outdoor burning always will require vigilance and precautions.”

Even with the burn ban lifted, residents within the city of Dickson are required to obtain a permit for any outdoor burning of leaves or debris. The permits are free and can be obtained by phone by calling the department at 615-446-6331.

“The permit requirement allows us to regulate outdoor burning based on the conditions,” Street said. “Not only are dry conditions taken into consideration, but the wind also is a risk factor considered in the decision on whether to restrict burning. Those conditions change day to day.”

For residents outside municipalities with full-time fire departments, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division requires burn permits from Oct. 15 to May 15. As in the city, the permits are free but provide the state with a way of regulating burning.

Forestry Division permits for outdoor burning can be obtained at 877-350-BURN (2876) or online at burnsafetn.org.

Anyone living within the borders of a city with a full-time fire department should contact that department about regulations on outdoor burning. Burning without a permit in the city is a violation of the municipal code and can result in a citation.

For anyone planning to conduct outdoor burning, the following safety precautions are recommended:

• When possible, contain the material to be burned within a non-flammable structure;

• Clear an area at least 10 feet around the burn site of all combustible materials;

• Do not use an accelerant or fuel to start the fire;

• Maintain a water supply within reach of the burn site;

• Have fire containment tools such as shovels or rakes on site;

• Remain with the fire until it is completely extinguished, and;

• Monitor changes in conditions such as wind that could increase the risk of a fire spreading.

For more safety tips on outdoor burning or to obtain a permit in the city of Dickson, call 615-446-6331. For outside the city limits, call 877-350-2876, go online to burnsafetn.org or contact your local fire department.

Info in Dickson Post

Info in The Dickson Herald

As hot, dry conditions persist, the City of Dickson has issued a ban on all outdoor burning effective immediately until the area receives significant rainfall.

Dickson Fire Department Fire Marshal Robby Street announced the burn ban Wednesday morning after an assessment of continuing drought conditions, high temperatures and low humidity determined the risk to life and property has reached a critical stage.

“With only brief showers during the last few weeks, conditions in the City of Dickson have deteriorated to the point that we don’t believe we can safely allow any outdoor burning,” Street said. “The fire department will not issue any burn permits or sanction any outdoor burning until we see a good, prolonged, soaking rain that will reduce the risk.”

The ban applies to any outdoor fires, including the burning of leaves, brush, debris, trash, campfires, bonfires and even screened barrels within the boundaries of the City of Dickson.

“Right now conditions are bad enough that the smallest ember can start a grass fire that could threaten structures and lives,” Street said. “We also urge residents to be extremely careful discarding cigarettes and other smoking materials.”

The Dickson Fire Department ban applies to burning inside the city limits. As of Wednesday, other Middle Tennessee areas such as Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Portland, Spring Hill, Lewisburg, Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, Lavergne, Brentwood and Rutherford County have issued burn bans in recent days. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has issued general burn bans in Montgomery, Cheatham and Sumner counties.

The Tennessee Division of Forestry regulates burning outside of municipalities with full-time fire departments and information on current conditions and permit requirements can be found at burnsafetn.org.

The last burn ban issued by the Dickson Fire Department was Sept. 18 through Oct. 7, 2019, and was lifted after most of the city received over two inches of rain in a single day.

As of Wednesday, the National Weather Service forecast for Dickson includes an excessive heat warning with high temperatures in the 90s and a chance of mostly scattered, afternoon showers over the next 10 days.

The Dickson Fire Department ban will remain in effect until further notice. Announcements will be made at cityofdickson.com or on the City of Dickson page on Facebook.

The Dickson Municipal Code requires residents of the city to obtain a permit from the fire department prior to any outdoor burning. The permits are free but allow the department to monitor conditions and control when and where burning takes place. Permit information can be obtained by calling the department at 615-446-6331.

The allowed use of fireworks under the Dickson Municipal Code ended July 5.

The City of Dickson Fire Department is closely monitoring weather conditions and urges residents to use extreme caution in doing any outdoor burning and in using fireworks.

“We are not to the point yet where we believe it is necessary to issue a ban on outdoor burning, but we are quickly approaching that point,” said Dickson Fire Department Chief Richard Greer. “Due to the lack of rainfall, high temperatures and low humidity causing dry conditions, we are evaluating the risk of fire on a day-to-day basis and want residents to be forewarned that if conditions get to that point we will issue a ban on outdoor burning. Such a ban could include the use of fireworks until conditions are safer.”

While outdoor burning permits are still being issued by the fire department, Greer urges anyone doing any burning to follow all safety precautions, including monitoring fires at all times, having an adequate water supply or other fire suppression method available, clearing an area around a fire site of all combustible materials and making sure fires are completely extinguished.

“An outdoor burning ban is an extreme measure that the city would take only when deemed necessary for the protection of lives and property,” said Fire Marshal Robby Street. “With the Independence Day holiday approaching, we want residents to be extremely cautious in the use of fireworks and to realize that you are responsible for any damage they might cause.”

The Dickson Municipal Code requires residents of the city to obtain a permit from the fire department prior to any outdoor burning. The permits are free but allow the department to monitor conditions and control when and where burning takes place. Permits can be obtained by calling the department at 615-446-6331.

The code also restricts the sale and use of fireworks inside the City of Dickson to 10:00 am-10:30 pm June 20-July 5. Fireworks may not be discharged within 600 feet of a church, assisted living facility, nursing home, funeral home, hospital or public school or within 200 feet of any location where fireworks are sold. Fireworks may not be thrown or launched from any moving vehicle or onto any private property without the owner’s consent.

Residents outside the City of Dickson should consult with their local fire department or the Tennessee Division of Forestry at burnsafetn.org for information on outdoor burning.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. swore in two new officers for the Dickson Police Department at the June 20 Finance and Management Committee meeting.

Weiss administered the Peace Officer’s oath to Officer Brandy Williams and Officer Daniel Epley.

A Georgia native, Williams graduated from Bowdon High School in 2009. She served in the United States Army as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Operations Specialist, working to decontaminate hazardous materials spills and accidents and to protect the country from weapons of mass destruction. She is currently a sergeant with the U.S. Army Reserve 310th Chemical Company based at Fort McClellan in Anniston, Ala.

Williams began her law enforcement career in 2017 with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office in Warner Robins, Ga., and joined the Dickson Police Department in 2022.

She now resides in Dickson County with fiancé Jodi Bullock and their three children.

After completing her field training and a transitional course at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, Williams will be assigned to the Patrol Division.

A Humphreys County native, Epley is a 2006 graduate of Waverly Central High School.

He began working with the Tennessee Department of Correction in 2007 and rose to the rank of sergeant.

He joined the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office as a correction officer and again rose to the rank of sergeant and also assisted in the Information Technology Division. Epley became a bailiff in 2021 and joined the Dickson Police Department in April.

After completing the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy and his field training, Epley will be assigned to the Patrol Division.

Weiss welcomed Williams and Epley to the Dickson Police Department.

With the ratification of a private act by the Dickson City Council at its May 2, 2022, meeting, the City of Dickson has made seven changes to its Charter, including changing the date of its municipal elections.

The city council unanimously approved Resolution #2022-10 to ratify Private Chapter No. 55, which was passed by the 112th Tennessee General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Lee on April 19, 2022. The private act was sponsored in the legislature by Rep. Michael Curcio, 69th District, and Sen. Kerry Roberts, 25th District.

“Some of these changes are housekeeping matters while the one that will affect our residents the most is a change in the date of city elections,” said Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr.

The charter change moves the municipal election from the last Thursday in September of odd years to the second Thursday of September in odd years. It does not change the beginning or end of the elected terms of office.

Weiss explained that the charter called for elections on the last Thursday of September with the new terms of office to begin at 7:00 pm on the first Monday of October. That has left as little as four days and a maximum of 11 days between election days and when those elected are to begin their terms.

“Those elected to office cannot begin their terms until the election results are certified by the Dickson County Election Commission,” Weiss said. “In recent elections, that has delayed the start of the new terms to allow adequate time for the commission to meet and review the election results. By moving the election to the second Thursday, that gives the election commission a minimum of 18 days and as much as 25 days depending on the calendar.”

The charter change will move the next Dickson municipal election from Sept. 28, 2023, to Sept. 14, 2023, with the office of mayor and one council member from each ward on the ballot. Those elected will begin their four-year terms on Oct. 2, 2023. The Dickson County Election Commission will make adjustments to the dates for candidate qualifying, voter registration, early voting and absentee voting to reflect the new election date.

The remaining charter changes ratified May 2 include:

• Changing the location of City Council meetings from the Municipal Building to City Hall. Council meetings moved from the Municipal Building at 202 S. Main St. to City Hall at 600 E. Walnut St. 14 years ago but the charter was never changed to reflect the move;

• Changing the title of the county executive to county mayor in a section that establishes the salary for the city mayor and council members. The charter establishes that the mayor’s salary shall be 30 percent of the county mayor’s and council members’ salaries shall be 17.5 percent of the county mayor’s salary. The charter was never changed to reflect the state’s reorganization of county governments that changed the office of county executive to county mayor. The section also makes the mayor and council members eligible for participation in the new 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans the city has begun offering its employees;

• Clarifying the process for selecting a vice mayor to include a nomination by the mayor that is then confirmed by a vote of the city council. While the city has been following that process for more than 50 years, the charter previously stated that the council would elect a vice mayor from among its members and did not provide the mayor the opportunity to nominate a vice mayor;

• Removing the requirement that all ordinances and resolutions be read aloud in their entirety at least one time at a council meeting. The new requirement is that all ordinances and resolutions be available to the public in person or electronically at least 72 hours before they are considered at a meeting. “Some of these ordinances can be 10 or more pages of legal terms or budget numbers that just make the meetings longer by having to be read aloud,” Weiss said. “By making ordinances and resolutions available in person or by email or on our website, we provide the information to the citizens in advance of its consideration and streamline our meetings;”

• Removing the requirement that department heads live in Dickson County. The council previously removed the requirement that certain department heads live within the city limits. “We recognize that today’s population is more commuter-oriented and advances in technology make it feasible for people to work from anywhere, as we saw during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said City Administrator Rydell Wesson. “By allowing our department heads to live in a broader area, we make the positions more attractive and widen our pool of resources.” The new charter encourages all department heads to live in Dickson County, but does not require; and

• The final change was a leftover from prior to 1973. The charter prohibited the City Recorder from holding any other position within the city unless the offices of Recorder and Tax Collector were combined by the City Council. That prohibition remained from when the City Recorder was originally an elected position until 1971. A charter change switched the Recorder from an elected position to an appointed position in 1973, but the prohibition on other positions remained in the charter. Over the last 30 years, City Recorder Dianne Shelton also held the position of administrative assistant and City Recorder Kimberly Givens also held the position of Office Coordinator for the Public Works Department. At the May 2 meeting, Mayor Weiss nominated and the City Council voted to name Administrative Assistant Chris Norman as City Recorder. “This is another change that is the result of the way the city government operates at its best efficiency and is a change to make the charter reflect what the city has been doing,” Wesson said.

“The City of Dickson’s charter goes back to 1925 and has been amended numerous times to reflect changes in the way local governments operate and to improve our service to the citizens,” Weiss said. “We are constantly reviewing the document and discussing updates and changes that will improve the operation and efficiency of city government. We appreciate the support of our delegation in the Tennessee General Assembly to help us in this process.”

The City of Dickson’s charter can be viewed on the city’s website at www.cityofdickson.com. Beginning with a May 16 special session of the city council, all resolutions and ordinances will be available for review in person at Dickson City Hall or on the city’s website.

The City of Dickson began accepting applications for mobile food vendors Tuesday following passage of an ordinance adopting regulations by the City Council.

At a special meeting Monday, March 21, the Dickson City Council unanimously approved Ordinance #1507 to establish a new chapter in the Municipal Code regulating mobile food vendors. The regulations come following years of discussion regarding food trucks operating in the city and months of deliberations by the council and a special committee appointed by Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr.

“Hopefully this puts the City of Dickson in a position where there will be clear requirements and regulations in place for the operation of food trucks and the protection of the safety and health of citizens and visitors,” Weiss said. “This gets us in a good place.”

With the approval of the ordinance on second and final reading, the new regulations go into effect immediately and the city’s Office of Planning and Zoning began accepting applications and issuing permits on Tuesday.

The permits are valid from Jan. 1 or the date they are issued through Dec. 31, 2022. A permit fee of $250 is required with the completed application along with proof of current health and fire safety inspections, a license to do business in the State of Tennessee, proof of liability insurance, a notarized Affidavit of Compliance and Responsibility and a copy of the driver’s license for the owner of the food truck.

A permit application packet that includes the Affidavit of Compliance and Responsibility and a copy of the city’s mobile food vendor regulations is available from the Office of Planning and Zoning or on the city’s website at cityofdickson.com. Applications are accepted and permits issued 7:30 am-4:30 pm Monday-Friday.

The new regulations restrict food trucks to private properties zoned for industrial or commercial use except when operating under a special event permit or at a private catered event. Food trucks cannot block roads, alleys, driveways, sidewalks or access to structures and cannot cause a business to have less than the required number of parking spaces. Food trucks are prohibited in a defined Downtown Dickson District except when operating under a special event permit.

Food trucks operating under a special event permit, at a private catered event or at the Dickson County Fair or Spring Festival at the Dickson County Fairgrounds are exempt from the permit requirement.

Beer and alcohol sales are prohibited from food trucks and a violation of any regulation may result in the suspension or revocation of a permit or the assessment of a civil penalty.

Traveling food vendors such as ice cream trucks also must abide by all the permit requirements and cannot create unsafe conditions for motorists or customers or violate any traffic statutes.

The ordinance allows the City Council to designate times and places that food trucks will be allowed to operate and says the Dickson Parks and Recreation Advisory Board can draft regulations to present to the council for allowing food trucks in parks and recreation areas owned or operated by the city.

The accountant who led the audit of the City of Dickson’s finances for its most recent fiscal year reported the city continues to be financially “healthy” with a reduction in its debt and an increase in reserves.

Matt Wood of Alexander Thompson Arnold CPAs presented the audit for the 2020-21 fiscal year to the Dickson City Council at its March 7 meeting. Wood said the audit includes no internal control findings or management issues to report.

Despite the impact of COVID, the City of Dickson was able to add $2.4 million to its fund balance for a total of just over $20 million, exceeding the budget estimate of $19.3 million.

Wood said a “healthy” fund balance for a municipality would be 25 percent of its operating expenses. With the better-than-expected revenues seen in 2020-21, the City of Dickson’s fund balance grew from 74.61 percent to 74.69 percent of its operating expenses. 

Wood said his company, which audits more municipalities than any company in Tennessee, frequently sees fund balances in the 5 percent range or even with negative balances by having to be used to cover expenditures.

Wood said the city saw collections of $1.56 million in state sales taxes to exceed budget projections of $1.16 million, while also receiving more than $750,000 in state and federal grants.

In addition to the revenue surplus, Wood said the city reduced its overall debt from $5.2 million to $4.8 million.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. thanked City Administrator Rydell Wesson and the administration’s department heads for being good stewards of the taxpayers’ money, especially at a time when the impact of the COVID pandemic could not be predicted.

The city council voted unanimously to accept the audit report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.

The Dickson City Council approved regulations for food truck operations in the city on the first of two required votes Monday night, March 7. The ordinance adding the Mobile Food Vendors chapter to the Municipal Code faces a second and final vote March 21 and could take effect the next day.

The council unanimously adopted regulations originally presented by Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr., in November with modifications recommended by an ad hoc committee appointed by the mayor in December and two final amendments proposed by the mayor.

“Food trucks have been a topic of discussion in this city for a long time and my staff began preparing draft ordinances over the last two years,” said Weiss. “We finally had four options we were ready to present to the City Council for consideration last year and the council asked for additional input from a citizen committee.”

Weiss appointed a special committee that included two council members and four local business owners, two of whom own food trucks. In a pair of meetings in January, the ad hoc committee chose one of the four drafts presented by the mayor and recommended a few changes. Weiss presented two 

recommended changes of his own and the council unanimously adopted the final version on the first of two required votes.

Weiss set a special session of the council for Monday, March 21, when a second and final vote is scheduled on the ordinance adopting the regulations. If passed then, the City of Dickson could begin issuing Mobile Food Vendor permits the next day.

“This is not an issue that just came to the city’s attention in November or a year ago when there was discussion about food trucks at a Finance and Management Committee meeting,” Weiss said. “My staff began researching regulations in other cities four years ago and we’ve held discussions about drafting regulations during this period. After getting input from business owners, food truck owners, my staff and other resources, we were comfortable that we finally had a fair and workable proposal to take to the council.”

Mayor Weiss also told the council that a bill presented in the Tennessee General Assembly by Rep. Michael Curcio of Dickson that would have removed much of cities’ authority to regulate food trucks failed in the Health Committee of the House of Representatives March 2 as several members voiced opinions that such regulations should remain a local decision.

Under the regulations approved by the City Council Monday night and facing a final vote March 21, food trucks will be allowed to operate on private property in the city zoned for commercial or industrial use with the owner’s permission and subject to certain requirements.

They must be licensed to do business in the State of Tennessee and have current fire safety and health inspections. Food trucks must obtain an annual permit from the City of Dickson’s Office of Planning and Zoning. The permit costs $250 and is valid from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of a calendar year.

Food trucks cannot cause a business to be in violation of any building codes such as the minimum required parking spaces, blocking ingress and egress to streets, alleys, parking lots or structures, or restricting access to fire hydrants, fire lanes or fire department connections. They must operate in compliance with all regulations set by the Tennessee Department of Health, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Fire Protection Association.

Food trucks only can operate on city-owned or –controlled property under the allowances contained in a special event permit.

Food trucks are not allowed to sell beer, wine or liquor.

The ordinance also outlines enforcement procedures and establishes that the City Council has the authority to suspend permits or assess a civil penalty for violations of the regulations.

Food trucks operating under a special event permit issued by the city, operating at the Dickson County Fair or the Spring Festival at the Dickson County Fairgrounds or at a private, catered event are exempt from the annual permit requirement.

Traveling food vendors such as ice cream trucks must obtain an annual permit and follow all traffic safety regulations while operating.

In one of the amendments proposed by Mayor Weiss, the ordinance establishes a Downtown Dickson District in which food trucks are restricted to operating only under a special event permit. That district is generally bordered by Rickert Avenue to the north, Sylvis and High streets to the east, Chestnut Street to the south and Charlotte Street to the west. City Administrator Rydell Wesson said parking in publicly and privately owned lots within that district is already at a premium for the downtown area and would be reduced by food trucks that could occupy 5-10 parking spaces each.

Under the private, catered event exemption, food trucks may operate on private property zoned residential, commercial or industrial to supply food and/or beverages to employees, customers and/or invited guests of an event that is not open to the general public and for which patrons are not charged.

The ordinance also allows the City Council to establish special times, days and locations that food trucks can operate and says the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board can prepare a draft of regulations for food truck operations at city-owned and –controlled parks for consideration by the council.

“We have strived to be responsive to the desires of our constituents while also being mindful of our established business community and responsible for protecting the health and safety of citizens and visitors to our city,” said Weiss. “We tried to address every situation we could think of, but I am sure we will have to come back and make adjustments to the ordinance as we gain experience from its implementation. I think this is an excellent first step in that process.”

The City Council will meet in a special session March 21 immediately following the Finance and Management Committee meeting scheduled for 6:00 pm in the Council Chambers of Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St., with the second and final vote on the ordinance adopting the regulations on the agenda.

Once the regulations are approved, food truck permit applications will be available from the Office of Planning and Zoning at Dickson City Hall and on the city’s website at cityofdickson.com.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. swore in a new police officer at a recent Finance and Management Committee meeting.

At the Feb. 22 meeting, Weiss administered the peace officer oath to Officer Lindsey Javins, who joined the Dickson Police Department in January.

An Alabama native, Javins is a 2010 graduate of Hazel Green High School, where she played softball for the Trojans.

Javins continued her education at Jefferson State Community College where she played on the Pioneers’ final team before the softball program was discontinued in 2011. She continued her studies at Talladega College, played centerfield for the Tornadoes and served one year as a graduate assistant.

Javins began working for the Fairview Police Department in 2017 and graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in 2018.

She has served as a field training officer and corporal before joining the Dickson Police Department. Following the completion of her field training, Javins will be assigned to the Patrol Division.

The City of Dickson’s Tree Management and Beautification Board is taking orders for the annual Tennessee Tree Day giveaway sponsored by the Tennessee Environmental Council. The deadline to order trees online is Feb. 13 and trees will be distributed March 19.

The Tennessee Environmental Council plans to engage 10,000 volunteers planting 50,000 native trees in all 95 counties for Tennessee Tree Day. The plantings will include counties in neighboring states encompassing all watersheds that flow through the Volunteer State.

Tennessee Tree Day has seen more than 741,000 native trees planted in Tennessee and surrounding states since 2007.

TEC says trees are planted to replace those lost to development, to repair degraded streams and improve water quality, increase habitat for wildlife or landscaping improvements. TEC hopes participating in Tree Day “instills public awareness of the value of trees, while nurturing a culture of sustainability in our region,” according to the organization’s website, tectn.org.

The Dickson Tree Management and Beautification Board will distribute trees 9 am-1 pm Saturday, March 19, in the parking lot of the Dickson County Library and Lifelong Learning Center, 303 Henslee Drive. In the event of inclement weather, the distribution will be rescheduled to March 26.

A variety of native tree species are available in bare-root seedlings ranging in size from 1 to 4 feet tall. A suggested donation of $1.99 is requested for each tree ordered. Cash sales will not be made at the distribution site and all trees must be ordered online by Feb. 13.

Tree species available for order in limited amounts include:

• Bald cypress;

• Eastern redbud;

• Gray dogwood;

• Northern red oak;

• Nuttall oak;

• Pecan;

• Pawpaw;

• Red mulberry;

• Shagbark hickory;

• Virginia pine; and

• Wild plum.

Orders can be placed at tectn.org by clicking the “Reserve Trees” button and the pin for the Dickson location or on the list of pick-up sites.

Tennessee Tree Day 2022 is the largest community tree-planting project of its kind in America with more than 50,000 trees expected to be planted.

The Tennessee Environmental Council’s website also includes instructional information and videos on selecting the right tree location, planting bare-root seedlings and information specific to each species offered.

Created by the Dickson City Council in 1996, the Tree Management and Beautification Board is a seven-member citizen committee providing management for trees and vegetation in the city. The current members are Warner Taylor, who serves as chairman, Mike Tummins, Linda Al-Sangar, Brian Hughett, Joann Anderson and Gayle Mitchell. Cynthia Hernandez, a member of the Tennessee Environmental Council who resides in Dickson, has been nominated to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Dennis Shepard due to his relocating outside Dickson.

The ordinance establishing the board sets its responsibilities as:

1) Prepare a tree and beautification plan for the community;

2) Coordinate plant-related activities;

3) Conduct Arbor Day ceremonies;

4) Provide tree, shrub, and flower information to the community;

5) Maintain a recommended tree, shrub, and flower list for the community;

6) Recognize groups and individuals completing planting projects;

7) Coordinate publicity concerning tree, shrub and flower planting programs;

8) Coordinate donations of tree, shrub and flowers or money to purchase plants; and

9) Perform other planting related duties and opportunities that arise from time to time.

Title 20 Chapter 6 of the Dickson Municipal Code is the city’s tree ordinance, which contains guidelines for planting and maintaining trees and a list of recommended species for the region. It can be viewed on the City of Dickson’s website at cityofdickson.com by clicking on the “Read the Municipal Code” button on the home page and the “Title 20 Miscellaneous” button.

For more information on Tennessee Tree Day or to order trees, visit tectn.org.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. administered the oath of office to two new officers of the Dickson Police Department at the Dickson City Council meeting.

Weiss swore in officers Collin Floyd and Joseph Medrano and welcomed them at the Jan. 3, 2022, meeting.

A Dickson County native, Floyd is a 2018 graduate of Dickson County High School. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Legal Services and emphasis in Forensic Science from Tennessee Wesleyan University in December 2021.

Floyd and his fiancée, Ada Danielle Bates, have a daughter, Ada Scottlyn Floyd.

Medrano will retire from the U.S. Army with 25 years of active duty service in 2022. He enlisted in 1997 and achieved the rank of sergeant major. Medrano spent almost 20 years in the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), one of the most-decorated active duty Special Forces groups in the U.S. Armed Forces, garrisoned at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Medrano and his wife, Kimberly, have three children: Jaeden, Owen and Paige.

Floyd and Medrano will attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy starting in January and will complete a 12-week training program with the Dickson Police Department’s Field Training Officers before joining the Patrol Division.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. has invited six people to serve on a special committee to review proposals and make recommendations regarding regulations for operating mobile food vendors inside the City of Dickson.

The mayor presented two draft ordinances to the Dickson City Council at its Nov. 15 Finance and Management Committee meeting and two revised drafts at the Dec. 6 council meeting. 

Councilwoman Stacey Levine (3rd Ward) asked if an ad hoc committee could be appointed to study the drafts and make recommendations to the mayor, saying food trucks had been a major point of discussion during her campaign for election to the council this fall.

Mayor Weiss agreed to appoint a special committee and on Friday, Dec. 17, received the final confirmations following his invitations to serve on the committee.

The Mobile Food Vendor Ad Hoc Committee appointed by Mayor Weiss is comprised of:

• Vice Mayor Robby Harmon (2nd Ward), who will serve as chairman;

• Councilwoman Stacey Levine (3rd Ward), who requested the committee;

• Dan Smith, owner of House of Brews, House of Vines and Events on Main;

• Tom Costa, owner of Katie’s Ice Cream and a mobile food vendor;

• Esther Wood, an owner of Zander’s Woodfired Pizza and a mobile food vendor; and

• Regina Fossie Ramey, owner of Fossie’s Barbecue.

Vice Mayor Harmon has scheduled the first meeting of the special committee for 5:30 pm Tuesday, Jan. 11, in the Council Chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. The meeting is open to the public.

Mayor Weiss has requested the committee to review the four drafts that have been presented to the city council and make recommendations for revisions to the mayor to be presented for consideration at the Finance and Management Committee meeting that will be rescheduled to 6:00 pm Tuesday, Feb. 22, due to the Presidents Day holiday. The city council could consider an ordinance as early as its March 7 meeting. All ordinances require passage on two votes for adoption.

The Dickson City Council approved a bid for construction and the purchases of equipment for the new Henslee Park splash pad and playground with the hope of being open next spring.

At a special session Monday, Nov. 15, the council voted unanimously to accept a bid of $2,040,000 from FTM Contracting of Cookeville for the excavation and construction work for the 4,000-square-foot splash pad and 25,000-square-foot inclusive playground to be constructed in the park on Henslee Drive at the site of the former Dickson Country Club.

The council also approved $1,173,082.52 for the purchase and installation of 20 splash pad features and 26 playground features and $376,528 for the playground surface turf from Recreational Concepts Inc. of Cookeville.

Public Works Director David Travis said when the construction contract is signed it will include 180 days for construction with a plan to open the new splash pad and playground by Memorial Day 2022.

City Administrator Rydell Wesson said the city included $3.3 million from its fund balance for the project in the 2021-2022 budget. With the bid and purchases approved by the council, the project’s construction cost is $3,589,610.52, with the additional $289,610.52 to come from reserves. Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. reminded the council that the city plans to utilize some of the $2.3 million it received in the first payment of American Recovery Plan Act federal funds to cover at least $500,000 of the cost of the ongoing stormwater system replacement project on Sylvis Street, which will free up that money to be used for other projects, such as Henslee Park.

The splash pad and playground features are being purchased from Recreational Concepts through Sourcewell, a cooperative purchasing agreement originated in Minnesota. The playground turf is being purchased from Recreational Concepts through HGACBuy, a purchasing cooperative created by the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the largest council of governments in Texas. The purchasing cooperatives solicit bids for goods and services and local governments who join by contract are allowed by state statute to accept the prices offered through the cooperatives, similar to how municipalities can make purchases through contracts negotiated by the state of Tennessee. Dickson is a member of both Sourcewell and HGACBuy and can make purchases of equipment and services that already have been competitively bid by the purchasing cooperatives.

In October 2020, representatives of Kimley-Horn, the engineering consultant hired to design the facility, said the Henslee Park splash pad and playground will be one of the largest recreational areas of its type in the state of Tennessee.

“This is a huge, huge park,” Kimley-Horn’s Alisha Eley told the council last year, comparing the 29,000 total square feet to 23,000 square feet at the Discovery Park of America playground and splash pad in Union City. She also listed other facilities in Hendersonville (15,000), Murfreesboro (11,000), Lenoir City (6,000) and Crossville (4,000) as comparisons.

Eley called the proposed playground and splash pad “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” that will bring people to Dickson from all over Middle Tennessee and beyond.

“We want people to come from everywhere and we want them to walk up and see this thing and go back to their hometowns and tell people about it. And they’re going to,” said Parker Chipman, a sales consultant at Recreational Concepts, which helped design the park.

Eley and Chipman described the facility as “multi-generational,” saying it is designed for parent and child interaction, and “inclusive” for children with all levels of disabilities on the playground and splash pad features as well as the ADA-compliant restrooms.

Including the fenced greenspace, Eley said there will be room for 1,200 children and amenities include seating with shade, a pavilion, musical features and playground equipment not found anywhere else in the United States.

Eley said the park will attract people to spend several hours or the entire day in Dickson, meaning they will generate tourism tax dollars by buying gas, food and other items during their stay.

Wesson said many of the features selected for the park came from the development partnership the city created with the High Noon and Good Morning Rotary clubs in Dickson. Rotary Club members created an online survey as well as conducted surveys in schools and at the 2019 Dickson County Fair to determine the type of features residents want in a playground.

In April 2018, the City of Dickson purchased the 126 acres formerly home to the Dickson Country Club and Pine Hills Golf Club for $1.35 million and named it Henslee Park in honor of the family that formerly owned the property and contributed to the city’s early years.

The former cart paths were converted into walking trails.

The city has received a 2021 Boyd Foundation Dog Park Dash grant for $25,000 to purchase equipment and on Oct. 18 approved a bid of $33,485 from Westenn Fence Company for a dog park in the area of the driving range at the former golf course. The dog park will be approximately 350 feet long and 70-100 feet wide with sections for small and large breeds.

In addition to the splash pad and playground, the city is preparing to expand the parking area and demolish the former clubhouse as part of the continuing development of its newest park.

The Dickson Parks and Recreation Department also is finalizing design documents for the first phase of renovations to J. Dan Buckner Park, to include the construction of tennis courts, basketball courts, a playground and open-air pavilion on the east edge of the park along Weaver Drive.

The city has applied for a $1 million grant from the Local Parks and Recreation Fund of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

In an update to the council Nov. 15, Travis said the city hopes to hear about the grant next spring. He said if the city gets the grant, he will ask the council for the 50 percent local match required and if the city doesn’t get the grant, he’ll ask the council to fund the full project in the 2022-2023 budget.

The Dickson Parks and Recreation Department operates parks and recreational facilities that include J. Dan Buckner Park, Henslee Park, Lakeview Park, City Lake, Luther Lake, Tom Waychoff Memorial Park, Holland Park, the Lester D. Speyer Community Complex and the Dickson Housing Authority gymnasium.

For more information about the City of Dickson’s parks and recreational facilities, call 615-446-1721 or visit cityofdickson.com.

To allow food trucks to operate in the City of Dickson or to limit them to special events. That is the question presented to the Dickson City Council with a pair of draft ordinances during the Nov. 15 Finance and Management Committee meeting.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. said city staff has struggled with questions regarding food trucks by trying to apply the city’s ordinance regulating peddlers, solicitors and transient vendors, which does not specifically address mobile food vendors.

“What we’re hoping to do here is provide some guidance to the staff on what this council wants to do about food trucks,” Weiss said. “The staff has spent several months reviewing what other cities do and has presented to you two ordinances.”

Administrative Assistant Chris Norman reviewed the two draft ordinances for the council members during the Finance and Management Committee meeting.

One ordinance would amend the peddler ordinance by adding an amendment that restricts food trucks, referred to as mobile food vendors, to operate in the City of Dickson only under a special event permit at events such as Old Timers Day, Christmas on Main Street, the Main Street Festival or others.

The other ordinance adds a chapter allowing mobile food vendors to operate in the City of Dickson under certain restrictions.

Those restrictions include:

• A $2,400 annual permit for mobile food vendors who do not have a physical location regularly engaged in the sale of food inside the City of Dickson;

• A $100 annual permit for mobile food vendors who do have a physical location regularly engaged in the sale of food inside the City of Dickson;

• A license to conduct business in the State of Tennessee;

• Compliance with all regulations and inspections required by the State of Tennessee;

• Compliance with all safety regulations of the National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Department of Transportation;

• Not operating on any public street, alley, parking lot, sidewalk or other right-of-way or property owned or controlled by the City of Dickson;

• Operating only on privately owned property zoned for commercial or industrial use with permission of the owner;

• Operating only in a location that provides reasonable access to potable water, adequate fire protection and public or private restroom facilities for employees and customers;

• Operating with at least 10 feet of clearance from buildings, structures, vehicles and any combustible materials;

• May not interfere or impede any pedestrian or vehicular access to a public street, alley, parking lot, sidewalk or other right-of-way or access to any private residence, building or other structure open to the public;

• May not create any violation of any building code or ordinance such a minimum requirement for parking spaces or obstructing fire lanes;

• Vendors must be responsible for providing, emptying and removing waste receptacles;

• Vendors are not permitted to sell beer or alcohol; and

• Vendors must comply with all health regulations of the city and state.

Norman explained that the $2,400 annual permit fee was determined by averaging the personal and real property taxes paid by 11 locally owned restaurants in the downtown area as well as other costs of doing business. Additionally, it would compensate for the loss of local option sales taxes that would go to the mobile food vendor’s home city or county.

“The goal is to make an equal ground between the mobile food vendors and the brick-and-mortar businesses that have invested in the community through taxes, permits and other costs of conducting business,” Norman said.

The 11 restaurants surveyed paid an average of $2,219 in county and city taxes in 2020-2021, on addition to the cost of business permits, utilities and other operating expenses. Weiss said the businesses that operate in the City of Dickson already pay those taxes and expenses, so the annual fee for a food truck operated by those businesses is proposed to be $100.

The ordinance also provides allowances for traveling food vendors, such as ice cream trucks, to operate under the same requirements but on city streets while not creating traffic hazards.

The ordinance includes an allowance that “the City of Dickson may designate specific times, days and locations in which mobile food vendors may operate in compliance with all requirements of this chapter under an annual or one-day mobile food vendor permit.” There also are exemptions for vendors that operate at the Dickson County Fair and Spring Festival.

Mobile food vendors would also be permitted to operate under a special event permit for a $75 one-day permit fee.

Weiss said both ordinances will be placed on the agenda for the council’s Dec. 6 meeting in the hope the council will choose one to clarify the city’s regulations. Norman said if an ordinance is approved at the December meeting, it would require a second vote at the council’s Jan. 3, 2022, meeting and could take effect the following day.

Under the proposed ordinance, the annual permit would be valid Jan. 1-Dec. 31 of each year and would cost $2,400 regardless of the day it is issued, as the permit fee would not be prorated.

The ordinance also enacts a system for violations of the mobile food vendor regulations that is similar to violations of the city’s beer ordinance, in which the city council would conduct a hearing on violations and determine a penalty that could include suspension or revocation of a mobile food vendor permit and/or a civil penalty.

The draft ordinance also provides that the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board can create rules that would allow mobile food vendors to operate in city parks.

Weiss asked the council members to review the draft ordinances and be prepared to make a recommendation for adoption and any amendments at the Dec. 6 council meeting.

The City of Dickson Public Works Department launched its seasonal loose-leaf pickup service Monday, Nov. 1. The service runs through Friday, April 15, 2022.

As a service to residents of the city, crews will circulate through every street in the city multiple times during the season to vacuum leaves that have been raked or blown to the side of the street. Loose leaves are not picked up by calls or appointments.

“We’ve determined that it is more efficient to send our leaf-vacuum crews around the city on a street-by-street schedule instead of running around the city responding to calls,” said Public Works Director David Travis. “Crews will continue their routes through the city until April 15 and will make multiple passes on every street during this time.”

Residents inside the city limits of Dickson can rake or blow loose leaves to the street right-of-way for pickup. Leaves should be no more than five feet from the shoulder of the road or curb and no more than two feet deep, but should not block drainage ditches or storm drains, obstruct sidewalks or create a traffic hazard.

Leaves should not be within three feet of any mailbox, sign post, utility pole or other structure. They also should be free of any debris, branches or other materials that could damage the vacuums.

“As we enter the season for leaf-pickup, I want to assure all city residents that we will get your leaves picked up. There is no need to call to report that your leaves are ready to be picked up,” Travis said. “Even if a crew passes your house before you have your leaves ready, don’t worry because we will be back several times before the season ends.”

In addition to loose-leaf pickup Nov. 1-April 15, the Public Works Department picks up bagged leaves year-‘round. Leaves in biodegradable bags should be free of household garbage, branches and other debris and placed at the side of the road. Bagged leaves are picked up on a per-call basis at 615-441-9508 or by email to Jeanneé Porter at jporter@cityofdickson.com throughout the calendar year.

Residents who hire a business or service to gather leaves must also include leaf removal in that service. The city will not pick up leaves gathered or moved to the roadside by a commercial company or service.

The Public Works Department offers pickup service for brush and one tree cut less than six feet in length and 12 inches in diameter at no charge. A bulk pickup pre-paid fee of $150 per load is required for the removal of more than one tree or one tree that exceeds the restrictions on length and diameter.

The department will not pick up brush and limbs cut by a commercial landscaping or tree-trimming company.

The City of Dickson’s leaf- and brush-removal policies can be viewed on the city’s website at cityofdickson.com under the Public Works Department or call the department at 615-441-9508 for more information.

Four members of the Dickson City Council took the oath of office to begin their new terms at the council’s Oct. 18 adjourned session.

The Dickson County Election Commission certified the results of the Sept. 30 Municipal Election during a meeting Oct. 10 without changing any of the preliminary results announced on election day.

City Attorney Jerry V. Smith administered the oaths to the four council members to begin their four-year terms.

Councilman Jason Epley won a second term representing the First Ward with 62 votes in an uncontested race.

Dickson attorney Kyle Sanders came out on top of a three-candidate race in the Second Ward to fill the seat left open when Councilman Joey Turbeville decided not to seek a third term. Under the certified results, Sanders received 160 votes to 131 for former Dickson County Commissioner Shane Chandler and 34 for former Dickson Mayor J. Dan Buckner.

Stacey Shepard Levine won a term in the Third Ward by unseating three-term incumbent Jon “Bird” Armstrong 199-115.

Michael J. Outlaw won a fourth term representing the Fourth Ward by beating former Dickson Police Department officer Justin Walton 111-49.

There were 863 votes cast, including two ballots left blank, out of 9,119 registered voters in the City of Dickson for a turnout of 9.46 percent.

The terms of Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr., Councilwoman Betty Lou Alsobrooks (First Ward), Vice Mayor Robby Harmon (Second Ward), Councilman Horace Perkins III (Third Ward) and Councilman Dwight Haynes (Fourth Ward) expire in two years and will be on the ballot Sept. 28, 2023.

Also during the Oct. 18 adjourned session, Mayor Weiss made some of his mayoral appointments with the unanimous approval of the council.

Re-appointed to administration positions for two-year terms at the meeting were:

• Vice Mayor Robby Harmon;

• City Attorney Jerry Smith;

• City Judge Stan Reynolds;

• City Administrator Rydell Wesson;

• City Recorder Kimberly Givens;

• City Treasurer Tammy Dotson;

• City Tax Collector Angie Brown;

• Public Works Director David Travis;

• Planning and Zoning Director Jason Pilkinton;

• Police Chief Jeff Lewis;

• Fire Chief Richard Greer;

• Emergency Communications Director Rosalind Sowell;

• Municipal Court Clerk Missy Sullivan; and

• Senior Center Director Joan Rial.

Mike Petty and C.K. Pruett were re-appointed to three-year terms on the Dickson Planning Commission and Brett Reynolds was appointed to complete the term of Kyle Sanders on the planning commission, which expires in October 2022.

David Brown was re-appointed to a four-year term on the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Gayle Mitchell and Joann Anderson were re-appointed to three-year terms on the Tree Management and Beautification Committee.

Tammy Dotson and Richard Greer were re-appointed to two-year terms on the city’s Sick Leave Bank Committee.

Mayor Weiss said he plans to make the rest of his appointments at the council’s next session and asked the council members currently serving on city committees and boards to continue in those positions until that time.

The Dickson City Council’s next scheduled meeting is 7:00 pm Monday, Nov. 1, in the Council Chambers of Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. All meetings are open to the public.

Two members of the Dickson City Council ended their terms Monday night with a combined 21 years of public service.

Joey Turbeville and Jon “Bird” Armstrong saw their terms come to an end on the first Monday in October following last month’s municipal election of four council members, as established in the city’s charter.

Turbeville chose not to seek a third term on the council due to travel obligations of his job. Armstrong was unsuccessful in his campaign for a fourth four-year term.

At the council’s Oct. 4 council meeting, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. thanked both councilmen for their service and presented them with proclamations. Plaques honoring Turbeville and Armstrong will be presented at a later date.

The proclamations thanked both men for their “leadership and service to the community” and recognized them for having “honorably served the citizens” of the City of Dickson.

Turbeville was first appointed to the council Jan. 3, 2012, in the Second Ward to complete the term of Richard Arnold following his resignation. He won four-year terms in 2013 and 2017, running unopposed both times.

During his tenure, Turbeville served on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and was the council representative on the Board of Directors for the Greater Dickson Gas Authority, among other committees and boards.

Armstrong unseated incumbent Marvin Corlew for his first term from the Third Ward in 2009, won an unopposed race in 2013 and held off Pam Edmond and former Councilman Mike Legg for his third term in 2017. He lost his bid for a fourth term last month to Stacey Levine, the daughter of the late former Councilman, Vice Mayor, State Representative and County Commissioner David Shepard.

During his tenure, Armstrong served as the council representative on the Board of Directors for the Water Authority of Dickson County and the Cemetery Committee, among other committees and boards.

Weiss praised both men for their dedication and service to the City of Dickson.

After the Dickson County Election Commission certifies the results of the Sept. 30 election, Kyle Sanders will be sworn in as the new council member for the Second Ward on Oct. 18. A local attorney and former county commissioner, Sanders topped former County Commissioner Shane Chandler and former Dickson Mayor J. Dan Buckner in the race for the open seat.

An architect and program director for Tennessee State Parks, Levine will be sworn in Oct. 18 to represent the Third Ward after topping Armstrong in a two-way race.

First Ward Councilman Jason Epley won his second term on the council in an uncontested race and Michael Outlaw won a fourth term from the Fourth Ward by beating former police officer Justin Walton. Epley and Outlaw also will be sworn in at the start of the adjourned session Oct. 18 to begin their new terms.

The terms of Mayor Weiss, Councilwoman Betty Lou Alsobrooks (First Ward), Vice Mayor Robby Harmon (Second Ward), Councilman Horace Perkins III (Third Ward) and Councilman Dwight Haynes (Fourth Ward) expire in two years and will be on the ballot Sept. 28, 2023.

Two new members were elected in the four races for the Dickson City Council in the Sept. 30 Municipal Election.

Stacey Shepard Levine, the daughter of former Councilman and Vice Mayor David Shepard, unseated three-term incumbent Jon “Bird” Armstrong in the Third Ward race for the four-year term on the Dickson City Council.

Dickson attorney B. Kyle Sanders topped a three-candidate field in the open Second Ward race after nine-year incumbent Joey Turbeville decided not to seek re-election.

Incumbent Jason Epley won a second term in an unopposed race in the First Ward and three-term incumbent Michael Outlaw held off a challenge by former police officer Justin Walton in the Fourth Ward.

Turnout for the election of four council members to four-year terms was less than 10 percent with 60 percent of the votes cast during the early voting period and only 352 votes cast on election day, according to the unofficial vote totals. The Dickson County Election Commission is scheduled to certify the election results Oct. 12 and the winners will be sworn in and take their seats Oct. 18.

An architect and director of the Healthy Parks Healthy Person program for Tennessee State Parks, Levine received 199 votes (63.38%) to 115 for Armstrong, a realtor, auctioneer and employee of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Armstrong unseated incumbent Marvin Corlew in winning his first term in 2009 and was re-elected in 2013 and 2017.

Appointed to complete an unexpired term in 2012 and elected in 2013 and 2017, Turbeville said travel commitments for his job led to his decision not to seek re-election.

A former Dickson County commissioner representing the 8th District, Sanders received 160 votes (49.23%) in the three-way race for the open seat in the Second Ward. Former 3rd District Dickson County Commissioner Shane Chandler received 131 votes (40.31%) and J. Dan Buckner got 34 (10.46%). Buckner served four two-year terms as mayor of the City of Dickson 1975-83 and formerly owned Dickson Funeral Home.

After unseating incumbent Jimmy Jennings for his first term in the Fourth Ward in 2009, Outlaw won re-election in 2013 and in an unopposed race in 2017. He received 111 votes (69.38%) to 49 for Walton (30.62%). A former Dickson Police Department officer now working as a deputy and school resource officer for the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office, Walton unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2019.

Epley won his second term with 62 votes in an unopposed race in the First Ward. A banker, Epley won his first term in a four-way race in 2017 for an open seat following the resignation of Mike Legg, who moved out of the ward.

Because the Dickson County Election Commission is scheduled to certify the election results Oct. 12, the winners of the election will be sworn in and begin their terms at an adjourned session of the City Council on Oct. 18 following the Finance and Management Committee meeting scheduled for 6:00 pm in the Council Chambers of Dickson City Hall.

The terms of Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and council members Betty Lou Alsobrooks (FirstWard), Robby Harmon (Second Ward), Horace Perkins III (Third Ward) and Dwight Haynes (Fourth Ward) expire in two years and will be on the ballot Sept. 28, 2023. Prior to that election, the council will redraw its ward boundaries based on data from the 2020 Census.

In addition to the opportunity to get up close and hands on with planes, trucks and automobiles, the annual Touch A Truck/Fly-In also presents an opportunity to help young neighbors who were victims of last month’s devastating floods.

The Dickson Parks and Recreation Department presents its 16th Touch A Truck and the Dickson County Municipal Airport hosts its 8th Fly-In 10 am-2 pm Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Dickson County Municipal Airport-Pack Field, 2372 Sylvia Road. The event is free and concessions will be available.

Children of all ages will get the chance to experience emergency and working vehicles of all kinds as part of Touch A Truck. The Fly-In will bring a variety of small aircraft to the experience as well.

The event also will be hosting a Toy Drive to benefit victims of the Aug. 21 flooding that devastated Waverly, killing 20 people and leaving many residents displaced from their homes. Participants can bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate. Tennsco Corp. is providing a trailer for the donation collection and the Parks and Recreation Department will be accepting donations through Dec. 1. The donated toys will be distributed to children in the Waverly area in time for Christmas.

From fire trucks, police cars, motorcycles and ambulances to dump trucks, construction equipment and tractors, Touch A Truck provides a chance for children to experience these vehicles up close.

In 2018, the Parks and Recreation Department moved Touch A Truck from J. Dan Buckner Park to the Dickson County Municipal Airport-Pack Field to join forces with its annual Fly-In to expand into the field of aviation. The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are ready to bring the fun and excitement of Touch A Truck back for the children,” said Tabitha Jennette, programs coordinator for the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department. “For 15 years this has been one of our most popular events for children and adults. Now the Toy Drive gives us a chance to help our neighbors who have gone through unbelievable tragedy.”

Touch A Truck will include a Kidzone with an inflatable slide, face painting and a balloon artist.

Dickson County Airport Manager Mike Gallagher said a few of the pilots who will be attending the Fly-In have agreed to provide a limited number of airplane rides. Tickets for the airplane rides will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis for $20 per person until all the available ride slots have been filled.

Because there is limited parking at the airport, those attending Touch A Truck and the Fly-In will park near the south end of the runway in a field near the Airport Market at 2306 Sylvia Road. Jennette said there will be signs directing people to the parking area and three buses will shuttle people to and from the airport throughout the event.

The Dickson County Municipal Airport-Pack Field created the Fly-In as part of an annual 2nd Century of Flight celebration in 2012. During the annual celebrations, the airport dedicated its Aviation Wall of Fame.

In 2019, the late Buford L. “Booty” Reed was added to the wall. A long-time Dickson County commissioner, Reed served on the Dickson Airport Authority and helped guide its growth and operation. Reed joined Garland Pack, Bruce Peery, Larry Horn and Lt. Col. Glenn Hicks as pioneers and contributors to aviation. The airfield at Dickson County Municipal Airport was dedicated as Pack Field in 1999, honoring the Dickson native who built a biplane in downtown Dickson to become a barnstormer, then flew supply missions through the Himalayas in World War II and was a pioneer in glider technology. Peery was a WWII bomber pilot; Horn flew a B-23 Liberator in WWII; and Hicks flew a P24 fighter jet in WWII. Gallagher said there will not be an inductee to the Wall of Fame in 2021.

For more information on the 16th annual Touch A Truck, contact the Dickson Parks and Recreation Department at 615-446-1721. For more information on the 8th annual Fly-In, contact the Dickson Municipal Airport at 615-446-6611.

Capt. Todd Christian of the Dickson Police Department has been selected to serve as network coordinator in a partnership with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office.

Christian will be one of 21 officers from 18 Law Enforcement Networks across the state who work with the Law Enforcement Liaisons to promote, coordinate and implement THSO’s initiatives and programs.

“The Tennessee Highway Safety Office’s goal is to reduce injuries, fatalities and economic losses on Tennessee’s roadways,” said Chris Gilmore, THSO’s law enforcement liaison for Middle Tennessee. “A very important factor in the success of statewide highway safety programs is the involvement of law enforcement agencies on the local level and their enthusiasm and interest in the programs.”

In order to strengthen state safety initiatives on the local level and to achieve community support for them, the Law Enforcement Liaisons (LELs) in Tennessee have set up 18 Law Enforcement Networks across the state comprised of 21 law enforcement officers from agencies in groups of adjacent counties who hold regular meetings to discuss safety initiatives in their areas.

A 21-year veteran of the Dickson Police Department, Christian will serve as network coordinator for law enforcement agencies in Dickson, Humphreys, Houston, Stewart, Cheatham and Montgomery counties and the municipalities within them in addition to his ongoing duties with DPD.

Christian is captain of the department’s Training Division, which oversees training, equipment and the department’s fleet. He has been teaching THSO classes for law enforcement officers for 11 years.

“As network coordinator, it will be my role to strengthen relationships with other agencies by facilitating training, grants and other responses with THSO and the Dickson Police Department,” Christian said. “I will be able to give back to the community by bringing more knowledge and training not only to the Dickson Police Department but other law enforcement agencies within the network.”

By Christian being selected as a network coordinator, the Dickson Police Department will receive additional funding from THSO to be used for equipment and will host training and educational programs for agencies within the network.

“It is an honor and privilege for the Dickson Police Department to have an officer selected as network coordinator by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office,” said Dickson Police Department Chief Jeff Lewis. “I consider it to be testimony to Capt. Christian’s dedication to continuing to improve the department’s service to our citizens and providing that opportunity for other departments.”

Christian is a Dickson County native who has lived in Dickson and White Bluff. He and his wife have two daughters. Prior to joining the Dickson Police Department, Christian was a volunteer with the Dickson County Rescue Squad and Burns Fire Department.

“By bolstering, strengthening and encouraging the Law Enforcement Networks currently in place, the Network Program will significantly encourage and strengthen response to the THSO’s safety programs,” Gilmore said. “Network meetings are an important tool in training area law enforcement officials to implement the safety programs. In addition, the increased cooperation and communication among neighboring communities will enormously benefit the counties, the networks and the state.”

According to the THSO, the network coordinator’s duties and responsibilities include:

• Providing assistance to the regional LEL;

• Participating in the national/state campaigns of the THSO;

• Soliciting network agencies to participate in campaigns;

• Conducting monthly/quarterly network meetings;

• Participating in THSO-sponsored press events;

• Participating in THSO training events and to be available as an instructor if qualified;

• Personally contacting each chief of police and sheriff or agency representative in the network to promote THSO campaigns and solicit participation;

• Serving as data collectors for law enforcement statistics for each THSO campaign; and

• Attending THSO meetings and regional LEL meetings during the grant period.

Among the campaigns of the THSO are grants to law enforcement agencies for impaired driver enforcement and training in bicycle and pedestrian safety, child passenger safety, distracted driver detection, motorcycle safety, older driver safety, teen driver safety, seat belt safety and speeding prevention.

For more information on the Tennessee Highway Safety Office, visit tntrafficsafety.org.

The Dickson City Council will hold a two-part meeting in October in order to begin the new terms of the four council members elected in next week’s municipal election.

At the council’s Sept. 20 meeting, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. announced the council will meet for its regular session at 7:00 pm Monday, Oct. 4, and will recess that meeting to an adjourned session on Monday, Oct. 18, following the Finance and Management Committee meeting scheduled for 6:00 pm.

At the regular session Oct. 4, the council will conduct the “Old Business” portion of its agenda with the current eight-member council. At the Oct. 18 adjourned session, the council will conduct the “New Business” portion of its agenda with the council members elected on Sept. 30.

“Old Business” consists of items that previously have been discussed, considered or voted on by the council. “New Business” is items being presented for the first time.

The city’s charter specifies that the terms of the mayor and council members begin on the first Monday in October after the election on the last Thursday in September in odd years. However, the winners of the election may not be sworn in until the Dickson County Election Commission certifies the results of the election. That meeting is scheduled Oct. 12.

With one new council member to be elected in the open 2nd Ward race and incumbents facing challengers in the 3rd and 4th wards, there could be as many as three new members on the council beginning with the new terms. Only 1st Ward incumbent Jason Epley is unopposed in his bid for re-election.

Under the rules of procedure, the existing council handles the “Old Business,” then the newly elected members are sworn in and take their seats to conduct “New Business.” Since the election results will not be certified until after the scheduled meeting, Weiss announced the council will recess its meeting until Oct. 18 after the election commission meeting.

The charter sets the regular council meeting on the first Monday of each month and only allows it to be rescheduled at the mayor’s discretion due to holidays. The charter allows the mayor or four council members to call for adjourned or special sessions.

The city’s Finance and Management Committee is scheduled to meet at 6:00 pm Monday, Oct. 18, and the adjourned session of the city council will resume immediately following that meeting with City Attorney Jerry Smith administering the oath of office to the winners of the election, who will then take their seats to conduct the rest of the meeting.

Because the two nights are considered to be parts of the same meeting, the agenda for both meetings must be finalized according to the schedule for the first meeting. All items for the council’s consideration must be submitted in writing to City Recorder Kimberly Givens by noon Tuesday, Sept. 28.

Second Ward Councilman Joey Turbeville, who decided not to seek re-election, will conclude his nine years on the council at the Oct. 4 meeting.

Early voting for the municipal election of four council members to four-year terms ends Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Dickson County Public Library.

Polls will be open 7 am-7 pm Thursday, Sept. 30, at:

• First Ward: Dickson County Public Library;

• Second Ward: Restoration Church;

• Third Ward: Dickson Senior Center; and

• Fourth Ward: Pomona Baptist Church.

Seeking election in the open 2nd Ward race are J. Dan Buckner, Shane Chandler and B. Kyle Sanders.

In the 3rd Ward, three-term incumbent Jon “Bird” Armstrong is challenged by Stacey Shepard Levine.

In the 4th Ward, three-term incumbent Michael Outlaw is challenged by Justin Walton.

The terms of Mayor Weiss and council members Betty Lou Alsobrooks (1st Ward), Robby Harmon (2nd Ward), Horace Perkins III (3rd Ward) and Dwight Haynes (4th Ward) expire in two years and will be on the ballot Sept. 28, 2023. Prior to that election, the council will redraw its ward boundaries based on data from the 2020 Census.

Dickson Police Department Chief Jeff Lewis recently announced the promotions of four officers.

At recent pinning ceremonies, Lewis promoted:

• Lt. David Cole to the rank of captain;

• Corp. Michael Carter to the rank of sergeant; 

• Sgt. Jessica Blackwell to the rank of lieutenant; and

• Officer Sierra Reprogal to the rank of corporal.

Cole was promoted to captain over the department’s Special Services Division in a pinning ceremony Aug. 26.

Cole has been a law enforcement officer with the Dickson Police Department for 26 years. He has served as a patrolman, arrest and security team leader on the department’s Special Response Team, tactical marksman, crime prevention officer and most recently has been a lieutenant with the Special Operations Division. He is the founder and director of the department’s Citizens Police Academy, which strives to educate the public on the role of law enforcement and strengthen the department’s relationship with the community.

As captain, Cole will oversee the operations of the department’s Special Services Division, which includes community relations, school resource officers, grants and animal control.

“Capt. Cole has an outstanding record of service with the Dickson Police Department and is an integral part of the department’s relationship with the people we serve and protect,” Lewis said. “He is passionate about service to God, family and community and is a shining example of what a police officer should be.”

Cole is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and has earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Police Administration from Nashville State Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Freed Hardeman University.

A resident of Dickson County, Cole and his wife, Margaret, have been married for 31 years and have one daughter, Brooke, and her husband, Daniel.

“I am proud to recognize Capt. Cole’s achievements as a law enforcement officer and member of the community,” Lewis said. “I believe he will continue to be a leader and excel in his new role.”

Carter was promoted to the rank of sergeant in a pinning ceremony Aug. 31.

Born in Fort Carson, Colo., and raised in Dickson, Carter is a 2008 graduate of Dickson County High School.

After graduation, he joined the United States Army and served as a Military Occupational Specialty 31B Military Police, with duty assignments at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, Camp Walker in Daegu, South Korea, and Fort Campbell, Ky.

Carter joined the Dickson Police Department in 2014 and has been a patrol officer and field training officer. He served on the Special Response Team and is an Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement-certified officer.

“Sgt. Carter has exhibited excellent leadership qualities during his time with the department and I am confident he will continue to uphold the honor and integrity of the badge in his new rank,” Lewis said.

Carter and his wife have three daughters, ages 12, eight and three.

Blackwell was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Special Services Division during a pinning ceremony Aug. 31. She had previously served as sergeant of the school resource officers.

As a 15-year-old Dickson County High School student, Blackwell joined the Dickson Law Enforcement Explorer Post and was heavily involved in its day-to-day activities.

“Overseeing the Law Enforcement Explorer Post allowed me to see first-hand Jessica’s dedication and provide her with guidance and a mentorship that I am proud to continue today as chief,” Lewis said.

During her senior year, Blackwell was enrolled in a youth apprenticeship program and worked with the Dickson Police Department, strengthening her desire for a career in law enforcement.

When she turned 18, then-Chief Rick Chandler hired her as a part-time Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System clerk and after graduation as a full-time records clerk.

Blackwell transferred to her dream job as a police officer when she was 19 and graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in 2002.

She has received specialized training as a Pressure Point Control Tactics instructor, Drug Abuse Resistance Education instructor, hostage negotiator and school resource officer.

Blackwell became the department’s second full-time SRO in 2011 and has served in several of the county’s schools located within the city. In July 2019, she was promoted to sergeant over the School Resource Officers division. With her promotion, Blackwell is the first woman to achieve the rank of lieutenant in the history of the Dickson Police Department.

“Since her high school days in the Explorer Post, Lt. Blackwell has been an outstanding leader and is an important reason why we have what I believe is one of the best SRO programs in the state,” Lewis said. “I am confident she will bring that same level of excellence into her new position.”

Blackwell and her husband of 18 years, J.D., have two children: Bella and Weston.

In the Special Services Division, Blackwell will work with community relations, school resource officers, grants and animal control.

Reprogal was promoted to the rank of corporal during a pinning ceremony Sept. 16.

A long-time resident of Humphreys County, Reprogal attended Waverly Central High School.

She worked three years for the Tennessee Department of Correction, where she became a field training officer. Reprogal was hired by the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office as a correctional officer in the Dickson County Jail.

Reprogal joined the Dickson Police Department as a patrol officer Sept. 28, 2017, and graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in January 2018.

In November 2018, Reprogal made headlines when she assisted a Perry County woman in delivering her baby in a van on Highway 46 and the grateful parents added Sierra to their daughter’s name.

After two years as a patrol officer, she was promoted to field training officer. In her new position as corporal, Reprogal will be assigned to the Patrol Division.

“Corporal Reprogal has exhibited an exceptional aptitude for law enforcement work in just a short time behind the badge,” Lewis said. “I expect she will continue to advance her career and take on more leadership responsibilities.”

Early voting begins Friday, Sept. 10, for the Sept. 30 municipal election of four members of the Dickson City Council.

Voters will choose a council member from each of the city’s four wards to serve a four-year term. The mayor’s office and four remaining council seats will be on the ballot in 2023.

Three incumbents are seeking re-election while the 2nd Ward is an open race after Councilman Joey Turbeville decided his job responsibilities will bring his service to an end after nine years on the council.

The Dickson County Election Commission will conduct early voting at the Dickson County Library and Lifelong Learning Center, 303 Henslee Drive, through Sept. 25.

Early voting hours will be 8:00 am to 3:30 pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Late voting hours of 10:00 am to 6:00 pm will be offered on Thursdays. Voting will be 8:00 am to 11:00 am on Saturdays during the two-week period. Any registered voter may vote in early voting.

Qualified voters who wish to vote by mail-in absentee ballot must submit a written request no later than Sept. 23.

Polls will be open at four locations 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on Thursday, Sept. 30:

• 1st Ward: Dickson County Public Library, 303 Henslee Drive;

• 2nd Ward: Restoration Church, 503 Henslee Drive;

• 3rd Ward: Dickson Senior Center, 206 West Walnut Street; and

• 4th Ward: Pomona Baptist Church, 974 Pomona Road.

First Ward

First Ward incumbent Jason Epley is unopposed in seeking a second four-year term on the council. A Dickson County native and banker, Epley was first elected to the council in 2017.

Second Ward

With Turbeville not seeking re-election, there are three candidates seeking the council seat in the 2nd Ward: J. Dan Buckner, Shane Chandler and B. Kyle Sanders.

Buckner served four two-year terms as mayor of the City of Dickson 1975-83.  He formerly owned Dickson Funeral Home and worked in the insurance industry.

Chandler was elected to represent the Third District on the Dickson County Commission in 2010 and 2014, resigning in 2017 to accept an appointment as a judicial commissioner. He is a member of the Dickson County Planning Commission and works for the Greater Dickson Gas Authority.

Attorney Sanders represented the Eighth District on the Dickson County Commission 2010-18 and is a member of the Dickson Planning Commission.

Third Ward

Third Ward incumbent Jon “Bird” Armstrong is challenged by Stacey Shepard Levine.

A realtor, auctioneer and employee of the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Armstrong is seeking his fourth term on the City Council, having been elected in 2009, 2013 and 2017.

The daughter of the late former City Councilman, Vice Mayor, State Representative and County Commissioner David Shepard, Levine is an architect who now serves as director of the Healthy Parks Healthy Person program for the Tennessee State Parks system and is a member of the Dickson Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Fourth Ward

Fourth Ward incumbent Michael J. Outlaw is challenged by Justin Walton.

Outlaw is seeking his fourth term on the City Council, having been elected in 2009, 2013 and 2017. He is a deacon at New Hope Baptist Church and a member of the Rising Sun Masonic Lodge and the Dickson County Branch of the NAACP.

A former Dickson Police Department officer, Walton is a school resource officer and deputy with the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office who ran for mayor in 2019.

The Dickson County Election Commission is scheduled to certify the results of the election on Oct. 12 and the four council members elected will begin their new terms at an adjourned session of the council on Oct. 18.

For more information on early voting or the Sept. 30 Dickson Municipal Election, contact the Dickson County Election Commission at 615-671-1146 or visit dicksoncountyelection.com.

In the coming weeks the City of Dickson will continue a storm drain replacement project that will affect traffic on a block of Sylvis Street until it is completed.

In June, the City Council accepted a bid from Jones Brothers Contractors for the replacement of the storm drain from East College Street to East Rickert Avenue. For several years the area has suffered from flooding that is believed to be the result of a failing storm drain system that is located within the city’s right-of-way.

The project was initiated during the construction of the new parking lot on the corner of East College and Church streets when the storm drain system was replaced from East Railroad Street to East College Street. The second phase will replace the system to where it ends in the area behind Sisters Restaurant.

At the June 7 council meeting, Public Works Director David Travis recommended the Jones Brothers bid of $953,076. The council allocated $450,000 in the 2020-2021 budget and another $550,000 for the project in the 2021-2022 budget that took effect July 1.

Travis reports the contractor is planning to begin the project Monday, Aug. 9, and it is anticipated it will continue into December. The project is along Sylvis Street from Dickson Funeral Home to Sisters Restaurant.

“For the duration of the project, Sylvis Street will be restricted to one lane of one-way traffic northbound from East College Street to East Rickert Avenue,” Travis states in a letter to property owners in the affected area. “The open lane might change during different phases of the project and there might be brief periods that the street will be closed.”

At some points, the project also temporarily will affect traffic at the intersections of Sylvis Street with East College Street and East Rickert Avenue.

The city also is asking that businesses and residents on the affected block of Sylvis Street refrain from on-street parking. The contractors will attempt to identify and locate the owners of vehicles that need to be moved for the project, but Travis says vehicles that cannot be moved could be towed to allow the work to continue.

“We ask for your patience during this period and believe when the project is completed there should be a noticeable improvement in the drainage issues that have been affecting the area,” Travis says in the letter.

Motorists are advised to avoid the block of Sylvis Street between East College Street and East Rickert Avenue over the next four months and to be aware of construction workers who might be in the project area.

For more information on the project, contact the Public Works Department at 615-441-9508.

With the approval of a new agreement, the Dickson City Council agreed to continue to provide nine school resource officers to cover the seven county schools located inside the city limits.

The council unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dickson County School System for the 2021-2022 school year at its meeting Monday, July 19. The Dickson County School Board unanimously approved the MOU at its meeting Thursday, July 22.

Under the MOU, the Dickson Police Department will provide eight officers to serve as SROs and a ninth officer to be an SRO detective who floats among the schools and leads any investigations. There will be two SROs at Dickson County High School and one each at Dickson Middle School, Dickson Elementary School, Centennial Elementary School, Oakmont Elementary School, Sullivan Central Elementary School and The Discovery School.

The MOU states that the City of Dickson will fund the salaries and benefits of all nine SROs with the school system reimbursing the city for salaries and benefits for 180 days of school and five days of training for five of the officers, which amounts to $232,258.25 for 2021-2022.

Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., in February 2018, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. asked the city council to fully fund an additional two SROs for a period of three years. At the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year, those two officers were to be negotiated with the school system for possible reimbursement.

But at the July meeting, Weiss asked the council to continue the full funding of those two SROs for another three-year period through 2024.

At the request of Dickson Police Department Chief Jeff Lewis, the council voted in 2020 to add the SRO detective position, which remains fully funded by the city under the new MOU.

“This has proven to be a tremendously successful and important program for the city and the school system,” Weiss said. “Chief Lewis and I ask that you continue to support this program and it is included in the 2021-2022 budget.”

Using a grant, the Dickson Police Department placed its first SRO at Dickson Elementary School in a pilot program in 1998 until the grant expired.

In 2008, the Dickson City Council agreed to place an officer at Dickson County High School as a full-time SRO funded by the city.

In 2011, the city and school board approved an MOU to add an SRO at Dickson Middle School with the school system reimbursing the city for 185 days of the officer’s salary and benefits.

The mayor’s request in 2018 added two more officers funded by the city with one to be posted at DCHS and the other to float among the five remaining schools.

In July 2018, the Dickson County Commission approved a schools budget that included SROs at all 15 campuses in the county. The Dickson Police Department added four more officers to be reimbursed by the school system to cover all seven schools in the city by the end of Christmas break in January 2019, bringing the department’s total to eight.

The SRO detective position was added in 2020 for nine Dickson Police Department officers working full-time inside seven schools, four fully funded by the City of Dickson with reimbursement for five from the school system.

“We are committed to continuing the SRO program,” Lewis said. “Not only does it provide a law enforcement presence within the schools, but it also helps build a relationship and rapport between the students and officers that has proven to be exceptionally successful in diffusing several potentially dangerous situations.”

The Dickson City Council unanimously approved the MOU for 2021-2022 and with the approval of the school board the officers will be in place when the new school year starts Aug. 2.

“We do appreciate the city working with us,” said school board Chairman Kirk Vandivort. “It’s only grown over the last several years and I think it’s absolutely necessary. It’s appreciated very much.”

According to the assignments tentatively announced by Lewis, the SROs for 2021-2022 will be Sgt. Jessica Blackwell serving as SRO detective with officers Otis Gerron, J.D. Sumerour, Charlie Mullins, Daniel Lewis, Jamie Patterson, Larson Petty, Curtis Robertson and Thornton Vaughn.

Some SROs also serve as instructors for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program in their schools. When school is not in session, SROs return to assignments with the police department.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. administered the peace officer’s oath to two new officers with the Dickson Police Department.

Weiss swore in Officer Kendell Lyles and Officer Scott Clark during the Dickson City Council meeting Monday, July 19.

A Dickson County native, Lyles is a 2018 graduate of Creek Wood High School where he played football and baseball for the Red Hawks.

He began working for the City of Dickson as a seasonal employee at age 17. Following graduation he became a full-time employee of the Public Works Department.

After turning 21, Lyles transferred to the Dickson Police Department. He completed 12 weeks of Field Training and graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy June 25.

Clark is a Dickson County native and graduated from DCHS in 2016.

He earned an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Nashville State Community College.

Clark completed 12 weeks of Field Training and graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy June 25.

Both officers are assigned to the Patrol Division.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. administered the peace officer’s oath to new Dickson Police Department Officer Brianna Hogan at the June 21 Finance and Management Committee meeting.

An Anchorage, Alaska, native, Hogan was raised in Humphreys County and graduated in the top 10 of her class from Hickman County High School in 2017.

Hogan says a ride-along with a police officer in her senior year of high school as part of a job-shadowing requirement for Tennessee Promise changed the course of her life and inspired her to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“I want something that challenges me on a daily basis, so I thought that it would be a good field to go into because you don’t know what’s going to happen in a day, it could quickly change,” Hogan said in her graduate profile at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin.

Hogan graduated from Volunteer State Community College in 2019 with Associate’s degrees in Criminal Justice and Science while also studying Spanish and Chinese. She served as a President’s Ambassador at VSCC.

She is currently attending Austin Peay State University to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Homeland Security in 2021.

Hogan is completing 12 weeks with a Field Training Officer and will attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in July.

The City of Dickson is one of 15 Tennessee municipalities to receive a grant to build a dog park from the Boyd Foundation.

Co-founders Randy and Jenny Boyd announced the 2021 winners of a Dog Park Dash grant on Friday, June 18. Fourteen communities were awarded $25,000 grants and Johnson City was named the grand prize winner of $100,000.

A former candidate for governor and the president of the University of Tennessee, Boyd is founder of Radio Systems Corp. and PetSafe, which sell more than 4,000 pet-related products. In 2018, the Boyds announced plans to give away $3 million in grants to build or enhance dog parks to make Tennessee the “most pet-friendly state in America.”

“Dozens of communities worked all year long to organize residents, coordinate with local officials, mobilize on social media, and host pet-friendly events to compete to win a $25,000 grant to build or improve an existing dog park in their community,” the Boyd Foundation said Friday in announcing the recipients.

“Jenny and I love to see the enthusiasm for our pets from so many Tennessee communities who competed for these grants,” said Randy Boyd. “We are honored to support them in their work. We have been impressed with the dozens of parks built from Dog Park Dash grants over the last three years and cannot wait to see how these new winners make their communities a better place for people and pets.”

The City of Dickson’s 2021-22 budget includes $30,000 to purchase and install fencing for a dog park in Henslee Park. In seeking approval to apply for the grant, Parks Superintendent Cherie Wilson said the $25,000 would be used to purchase amenities and features to go into the park.

The city budget also includes $3.3 million to build a splash pad and inclusive playground in Henslee Park, which is the site of the former Dickson Country Club that was purchased by the city in 2018.

“A dog park is one of the things mentioned most often when citizens are asked about amenities they want to see added to our superb park system,” said Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. “We are extremely grateful to the Boyd Foundation for choosing Dickson for the grant and excited to add this feature.”

The Boyd Foundation awarded 38 Dog Park Dash grants in 2018 and 30 in 2019, including one to the Humane Society of Dickson County for June’s Pet Haven and Bark Park, the society’s home built on property donated by the Tennsco Corp. and the Speyer family. In 2020, the Boyd Foundation awarded 10 $50,000 grants for dog parks in their home community of Knox County. Since its formation, the Boyd Foundation has award $2.8 million in Dog Park Dash grants

With the passing of the qualifying deadline, this fall’s Dickson Municipal Election features one open race, two opposed incumbents and one incumbent unopposed for the Dickson City Council.

Dickson voters will elect one council member from each of the city’s four wards for four-year terms on Sept. 30. The deadline for candidates to file qualifying petitions for the ballot was noon Thursday, June 17.

According to the Dickson County Election Office, eight candidates filed qualifying petitions before the deadline.

In the First Ward, incumbent Jason Epley is unopposed in seeking his second term on the council.

The Second Ward will feature an open seat as two-term incumbent Joey Turbeville chose not to seek re-election. Filing petitions to run for the seat are former four-term Mayor J. Dan Buckner, former 3rd District County Commissioner Shane Chandler and former 8th District County Commissioner Kyle Sanders.

In the Third Ward, three-term incumbent Jon “Bird” Armstrong is challenged by Stacey Shepard Levine, daughter of late three-term Councilman and Vice Mayor David Shepard.

In the Fourth Ward, three-term incumbent Michael Outlaw is challenged by Justin Walton, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2019.

Candidates have until noon Thursday, June 24, to withdraw from the ballot.

Anyone wishing to run as a write-in candidate must file a certification of candidacy by noon Aug. 11.

The deadline for eligible city residents to register to vote is Aug. 31.

Early voting will be Sept. 10-25 at the Dickson County Library on Henslee Drive with a schedule to be determined by the Dickson County Election Commission.

Polls will be open 7 am-7 pm on election day Thursday, Sept. 30. Polling places will be the Dickson County Library for the First Ward, Restoration Church for the Second Ward, Dickson Senior Center for the Third Ward and Pomona Baptist Church for the Fourth Ward.

The winners of the election will begin their terms after the results of the election are certified by the Dickson County Election Commission on Oct. 12.

The office of mayor and the four remaining positions on the city council will be on the ballot Sept. 28, 2023.

To be eligible to vote, residents must have lived inside the city limits for at least 30 consecutive days prior to the election, reside in the ward in which they are voting and be eligible to vote under state statutes.

For more information on the Dickson Municipal Election or voter registration, contact the Dickson County Election Office at 615-671-1146 or visit dicksoncountyelection.com.

The architects designing the City of Dickson’s new fire station presented the draft drawings and renderings to the Dickson City Council at its meeting June 7.

The city is planning to build Dickson Fire Department Station #3 on a 2.8-acre site at the corner of Highway 70 East and Ridgecrest Drive. A committee reviewed proposals and chose TMPartners of Brentwood to design the new fire hall.

City and fire department administrators have hosted a series of meetings with residents in the immediate area of the future fire hall in order to address concerns they might have about the new structure. Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. assured residents the city will take every step possible to blend the fire hall with the residential nature of the neighborhood while also taking steps to protect the homes closest to the building from any noise or other intrusions.

“We want the new station and the men and women who will work in it to become a part of the neighborhood,” Weiss said. “The ultimate goal is to reduce response times to fire, medical and other emergency calls on the east side of the city in order to save lives and reduce the loss of property.”

Jeff Earwood and Lori Smith of TMPartners presented drawings and exterior renderings of the 10,000-square-foot station in a slide show at the city council meeting.

The station includes two bays that will house a pumper/tanker and a medical response vehicle, sleeping areas for four firefighters and a lieutenant, a kitchen, office, training room, decontamination area, storage, mechanical and other rooms. The exterior consists of a dark red brick with white accents, dark grey metal roof and red bifold doors on the bays.

Weiss told the council that the emergency vehicles will depart and return to the station from Highway 70 and will not be on Ridgecrest Drive. The drive on Ridgecrest Drive will be for employee vehicle traffic and will have a gate to control access. The rear of the property will include an earthen berm and natural screen of a tree line to separate the station from the nearest residence.

Also at the June 7 meeting, the council approved a 10-year lease/purchase agreement for a new pumper/tanker to be stationed at the new hall with a pricetag of $698,743.

The fire department obtained grant funds that were used to hire and train additional personnel to staff the new station. Three shifts of four firefighters each will staff the station with the final six positions to be filled in the 2021-2022 budget.

Under the original timeline proposed for the project, the new fire station is planned to open in July 2022.

Dickson Fire Department Station #1 on Church Street opened in 1964 and has undergone multiple renovations and expansions. Dickson Fire Department Station #2 opened on Pringle Drive in the Pomona area in 1991 to better serve the southern portion of the city and the area of Interstate 40.

A firefighter since 1990, Richard Greer was named chief of the fire department in 2009. Assistant Chief Kane Sesler joined the department in 1995. The department includes 40 certified firefighters.

The Dickson City Council received the draft of a $36 million budget that includes $14 million in projects but does not require an increase in the city’s property tax rate.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and City Administrator Rydell Wesson presented the draft of the largest budget in the city’s history during the council’s Finance and Management Committee meeting Monday, May 17.

Under the proposed budget, the city’s property tax rate for 2021-2022 will remain 77.35 cents per $100 of assessed property value.

The city council will cast its first vote on the budget for fiscal year 2021-2022 at its June 7 meeting and hold a public hearing and cast the second and final vote during a special session June 21. The new budget takes effect July 1.

The budget projects base operating revenues of $21 million, an increase of $1.6 million over 2020-21.

While revenues show only 8.3 percent growth, the overall budget expenditures increase $11 million (43.96%) to $36.6 million due to more than $14.7 million in capital projects. Wesson said the budget draft proposes using $6.955 million from the city’s anticipated $19 million fund balance.

Based on projections for the current budget year and if revenues and expenses remain even next year, Wesson said the city expects to finish with a fund balance of $14.3 million on June 30, 2022. The State Comptroller’s Office recommends municipalities maintain a fund balance of at least 25 percent of annual operating expenses. Wesson said that means Dickson would need to maintain a fund balance of just under $5.3 million.

He said the city anticipates receiving just over $2 million this year from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 signed by Pres. Biden that can be used for certain expenses outlined in the legislation, which would allow the city to spend $7 million of its projected $19.3 million reserve and still have almost three times the recommended fund balance.

The highlights of the 2021-2022 draft budget outlined by Weiss and Wesson include:

• A three percent cost-of-living adjustment for all employees;

• Two new police officers;

• Six new firefighters;

• Construction of Dickson Fire Department Station #3;

• The extension of Alexander Drive to Gum Branch Road;

• Construction of a skate park in the lot behind Dickson Fire Department Station #1;

• Completion of Phase I design for renovations to J. Dan Buckner Park and a system-wide parks master plan as part of an application for a $1 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Local Parks and Recreation Fund;

• Renovations to the new Dickson Senior Activity Center;

• Construction of an inclusive splash pad/playground at Henslee Park;

• Extending the senior center’s grocery box program started with funds from the Greater Nashville Regional Council;

• Five new vehicles for the police department;

• Paving the parking lots at Dickson City Hall;

• Construction of Phase V of the Downtown Dickson Revitalization project, which consists of the area of West Railroad/North Mulberry streets from Main Street to West College Street and includes a $600,000 Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation;

• Engineering/design on Phase VI of the Downtown Dickson Revitalization project, which consists of Church Street from East College Street to East Rickert Avenue with a TAP grant application pending;

• Engineering/design work on a sidewalk project on West College Street from North Mulberry Street to Walker Street with a TDOT Multimodal grant application pending;

• Construction of Phase I of an Intelligent Transportation System project to install traffic signals at Crestview Drive and Highway 46, the Dickson County High School entrance on Henslee Drive and new signals at the intersection of Highway 70 East and Hummingbird Lane with a $760,000 grant already approved;

• Construction of a dog park at Henslee Park with an application for a $25,000 Dog Park Dash grant from the Boyd Foundation pending;

• A joint project with Dickson County to tear down the former Dickson General Hospital/Jackson Academy building on Church Street and construct a new home for the Dickson County Farmers’ Market;

• Upgrades to security systems at city facilities;

• Upgrades to the city’s telephone system;

• The city’s portion of a countywide comprehensive traffic study;

• Replacing the storm drain system along Sylvis Street from East College Street to East Rickert Avenue;

• Equipment purchases for the Public Works Department, including a sanitation truck, pickup, three mowers and a trailer;

• Remodeling at the Municipal Building;

• A pool table, furniture and décor for the new Senior Activity Center in the former Dickson Athletic Center; and

• $1 million allocated for paving city streets for the fifth consecutive year. Public Works Director David Travis said the allocation should be able to be reduced in the next budget year to fund continuing maintenance of city streets.

Weiss said several of the projects are included in the 2020-21 budget but could not be completed and are being carried over into the new budget.

Wesson said despite a slower growth rate for revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the way sales taxes on online purchases are distributed, the city still will be able to add to its fund balance in the current fiscal year due to conservative budgeting and the diligence of city staff in keeping expenditures under budget year after year.

Weiss said that fund balance allows the city to consider projects that benefit the city and citizens without increasing the burden on taxpayers or increasing the city’s long-term debt by having to borrow more money.

In the presentation to the council, Wesson showed the city currently has long-term debt of just over $5.1 million and annual debt payments of about $1 million, or under five percent of the operating budget, which Weiss said is very low for a city the size of Dickson.

Wesson showed that the percentage of the city’s revenue from sales taxes grows from 41 percent in the current budget to 48 percent in the 2021-22 draft. Property taxes account for 21 percent of annual revenues while beer and liquor taxes make up five percent, payments in lieu of taxes from utilities and the Dickson Housing Authority comprise seven percent and the remaining 19 percent comes from various sources, including building permits, hotel/motel tax, state funds, bonds, business taxes, court fines and costs and a variety of grants. New revenue streams for 2021-22 include a projected $7,500 from the state sports betting tax and $4,236 from the state local occupancy tax on short-term rentals.

In addition to the budget presentation, the Finance and Management Committee:

• Unanimously approved the minutes of the April 19, 2021, Finance and Management Committee meeting and the April 2021 check register with all eight members present; and
• Reviewed amendments for the 2020-2021 budget. The council will vote on the amendments on first reading June 7 and hold a public hearing and second vote at a special session June 21.

In a special session following the committee meeting, the city council unanimously approved a design review contract with CSX railroad for Phase V of the Downtown Revitalization Project.

The Dickson City Council’s next scheduled meeting is 7:00 pm Monday, June 7, in the council chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East College St.

The 2021 Dickson Municipal Election features four seats on the Dickson City Council to be filled for four-year terms.

Candidate Qualifying Begins: April 19

Qualifying Petition Deadline: June 17

Voter Registration Deadline: Aug. 31

Early Voting: Sept. 10-25

Election Day: Sept. 30

Qualifying petitions may be picked up at the Dickson County Election Office, 110A Academy St., Charlotte, TN 37036.

Voter registration forms may be obtained at the Dickson County Election Office in Charlotte, the Dickson County Clerk’s Office or Dickson County Public Library on Henslee Drive in Dickson and Ragan’s Friendly Neighbor Store on Main Street in Dickson or you can register online at https://ovr.govote.tn.gov/.

For more information, contact the Dickson County Election Office at 615-671-1146.

Council Seats on the Ballot Currently Held by:

First Ward

Jason Epley

Second Ward

Joey Turbeville

Third Ward

Bird Armstrong

Fourth Ward

Michael Outlaw

The City of Dickson’s Public Works Department will end its loose-leaf pickup season on Thursday, April 15. After that date, the city will pick up only leaves in biodegradable bags until the next loose-leaf season starts Nov. 1, 2021.

All city residents wanting loose leaves picked up should have them to the curb by Thursday, April 1. The city’s vacuum truck crews will make one final pass through the city on a street-by-street rotation April 1-15 before the season closes. Crews will not return to a street after their final route so leaves that are not at the curb when the crews serve that street will not be picked up.

For maximum efficiency, loose leaves are picked up on a street-by-street rotation and not in response to calls, according to Public Works Director David Travis.

“To make the most effective use of our leaf season, the crews pass through the city street by street multiple times during the season,” Travis said. “It is not efficient to have the crews running around to different parts of the city in response to calls, so we ask everyone to be ready by April 1 for the final route of the season as it takes about two weeks to serve the entire city.”

According to the Public Works Department policy, loose leaves are picked up Nov. 1-April 15. Leaves should be free of brush, limbs or other debris that could damage the vacuum. 

Leaves must be placed at the curb or roadside without creating a traffic hazard, blocking sidewalks or closing culverts or drains. Leaves should be at least four feet from any mailbox, signpost, utility pole or other structures.

The Public Works Department will pick up leaves in biodegradable bags throughout the year. Leaves in bags should be free of brush, limbs and other debris. To schedule pickup of bagged leaves, notify the Public Works Department at 615-441-9508 or jporter@cityofdickson.com.

For more information on the City of Dickson’s leaf removal, brush removal or sanitation services, call 615-441-9508 or visit the Public Works Department page on the city’s website at cityofdickson.com.

The independent auditor who examined the City of Dickson’s financial report for fiscal year 2019-20 called the city “healthy” and “far and away” in the best condition he sees.

Matt Wood of Jackson-based Alexander Thompson Arnold PLLC presented the findings of the audit of the most-recently finished fiscal year to the Dickson City Council at its meeting Monday, Feb. 1. Without comment or questions, the council voted unanimously to accept the audit at its Monday, March 1, meeting with council members Robby Harmon and Bird Armstrong absent.

As he has in years past, Wood praised the city’s ability to maintain an unrestricted fund balance far in excess of what is recommended. Wood said that a fund balance equal to 25 percent of a municipality’s annual operating expenses is considered healthy. Wood reported Dickson’s fund balance is 74.61 percent of its annual expenses.

Wood also said the city’s pension assets are healthy and the city doesn’t have a lot of long-term debt.

“Dickson is far and away the best I have in a year that I audit,” Wood said of the city’s financial condition.

With nine offices in Tennessee, ATA is the largest auditor of county and municipal finances in the state.

Wood reported last year that Dickson ended 2018-19 with a fund balance of 60.65 percent of expenses and 2017-18 with a fund balance of 70 percent, both of which he called “outstanding.”

Last year the city council voted to use some of its fund balance to pay for construction of a playground/splash pad at Henslee Park estimated at $3.1 million and $1.75 million to purchase the former Dickson Athletic Club to become the new home of the Dickson Senior Center.

Wood said the 2019-20 audit does contain one finding in an internal control area where the city exceeded budgeted expenses in its $599,000 State Street Aid fund by $10,000, which Wood said was not a significant overage.

Council members were given copies of the audit to review at the Feb. 1 meeting and voted without discussion to accept the audit at the March 1 meeting.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still a threat to the health of citizens, the Old Timers Day Committee has rescheduled the 2021 celebration of Dickson County’s biggest festival to Sept. 25. The 62nd annual Old Timers Day scheduled for May 2020 was canceled due to the virus and the committee hopes the measures being taken and the vaccinations being offered will make it safe enough to resume the annual tradition this fall.

“It was heart-breaking to have to call off last year’s celebration, ending the 61-year tradition of Old Timers Day celebrated the first Saturday in May since 1958,” said committee Chairman Joan Rial. “By moving the festival to the fall, we hope that conditions will be improved enough for the community to celebrate again.”

With the new date set, the organizing committee is already putting together plans for a bigger and better celebration to welcome people back to Old Timers Day.

As is traditional, the committee is booking musical groups for multiple stages to present a variety of performance styles throughout the day. The festival grounds centered around the War Memorial Building feature several stages and venues that will host musical acts.

The committee is also in the preliminary planning stages with the Downtown Dickson Association to present a fireworks show as part of the festival schedule.

The traditional parts of Old Timers Day will remain, including the parade through downtown. The grand marshals for 2021 will be the Dickson County Chamber and Stewart Lumber Company, both of which are celebrating their 100th anniversary of being in business this year.

“We are planning a festival that will be exciting and a celebration of bringing Old Timers Day back,” Rial said. “It will feature everything we’ve always loved about it plus some new things, so mark your calendars for Sept. 25 and get ready to bring back the biggest annual celebration in Dickson County.”

Old Timers Day is organized by a joint committee appointed by Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. and Dickson County Chamber President Corey Albert. The committee’s members are Rial, Councilman Horace Perkins III, Dan Smith, Dr. Lori Weiss, Brandon Cardwell, Elizabeth Kuhns, Andi Arms and Pam Edmond.

The City of Dickson will hold a municipal election to fill four seats on the eight-member city council this fall.

At its Feb. 1 meeting, the Dickson City Council unanimously passed a resolution requesting the Dickson County Election Commission to “call and conduct a municipal election on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.”

One seat from each of the city’s four wards will be filled for four-year terms. The seats to be filled on the 2021 ballot are currently held by Jason Epley in the First Ward, Joey Turbeville in the Second Ward, Jon “Bird” Armstrong in the Third Ward and Michael Outlaw in the Fourth Ward.

Re-elected to his seventh four-year term in 2019, Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr.’s term does not expire until 2023 along with the other four members of the council: Betty Lou Alsobrooks in the First Ward; Robby Harmon in the Second Ward; Horace Perkins III in the Third Ward; and Dwight Haynes in the Fourth Ward.

There currently are no other referenda or initiatives scheduled to be included on the ballot.

Candidate qualifying petitions will be issued by the Dickson County Election Commission starting April 19. The deadline to turn in a petition to get on the ballot will be noon June 17.

The voter registration deadline for qualified residents of the city is Aug. 31.

Early voting will be conducted Sept. 10-25 on a schedule to be set by the election commission and polls will be open 7 am-7 pm Thursday, Sept. 30.

The city’s charter calls for elections to be held on the last Thursday of September in odd-numbered years. Since the mayor’s term was extended from two to four years in 1987, every other election only contains council races on the ballot.

The city’s charter establishes that candidates for city council must have lived within the ward in which they are running for at least 30 consecutive days prior to the election and must be qualified to vote according to state laws. To get on the ballot, candidates must obtain the signatures of 25 voters registered in their ward on a petition obtained from the election commission.

In 2010, the Tennessee General Assembly authorized municipalities to move their elections by ordinance to coincide with county, state and federal elections in August or November of even years to boost voter turnout and reduce costs.

In Dickson County, White Bluff, Burns, Vanleer and Slayden moved their elections to November and Charlotte moved its election to August along with county-wide elections. Dickson is the only municipality in the county still holding stand-alone elections in odd-numbered years.

A 2018 bill in the Tennessee General Assembly proposed to require the 65 Tennessee municipalities still holding stand-alone elections to move them to August or November. 

In March 2018, the Dickson City Council passed a resolution opposing the legislation and asking to keep local control on scheduling elections.

The Tennessee House of Representatives referred the bill to the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) for study. At a hearing on the proposal, TACIR heard testimony from elected officials and election coordinators, most of whom advocated for local control of elections.

In its report, TACIR recommends cities continue to be authorized to move their elections by ordinance but not be required, stating in its report, “Local government representatives say they understand their communities’ issues and needs, and if they are willing to pay for their elections, they should be allowed to decide when to hold them.”

As one of the examples in its conclusion, the TACIR report cites the potential for confusion if city of Dickson races are on the same ballot as Dickson County races.

“Because the City of Dickson is located in Dickson County, combining city and county races on one ballot would add to existing voter confusion about the difference between the local governments and the distinction between city and county races and initiatives on the ballot. Therefore, it is better for the City of Dickson to hold its election at a different time than the county election,” the report states.

Cities, counties and states are scheduled to redraw ward and district boundaries following the 2020 census, but delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to postpone the release of data needed to make those changes until after 2021 elections.

The Dickson Senior Center will participate in a Greater Nashville Regional Council program to provide monthly boxes of groceries to qualified low-income senior citizens.

At its meeting Monday, Feb. 1, the Dickson City Council approved Director Joan Rial’s request to participate in the grant program that will reimburse the center for the grocery, personal and household items purchased for the boxes plus expenses for operating the program.

Rial told the council that GNRC has made federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds available for centers to participate in a Grocery Delivery Program through the month of September. Rial said GNRC will reimburse the center up to $17,500 to purchase items from a recommended list plus expenses.

Boxes containing at least $100 of food and personal/household items will be delivered monthly by center staff and volunteers to participants who qualify under the federal guidelines. Participants must be age 60 or older and must have household income of less than $1,566 per month for individuals and $2,350 per month for couples.

Rial said the center plans to distribute 18 boxes per month through September and has already identified qualified recipients through the center’s Participation Registration Forms and other programs.

The city council voted unanimously to participate in the GNRC program and Vice Mayor Robby Harmon asked if the program is something the city could consider continuing beyond the grant period. Rial said there is definitely a greater need for assistance and the center would entertain the possibility if funding is made available.

Through an emergency ordinance, the city council recently re-allocated over $211,000 remaining from $400,000 approved March 23 for assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. That emergency allocation remains in effect through April 4.

The Dickson City Council has selected an architectural firm to design the Dickson Fire Department’s third station.

At its meeting Monday, Feb. 1, the council unanimously approved a contract with TMPartners PLLC of Brentwood to design the new station to be built on the northwest corner of Highway 70 East and Ridgecrest Drive.

As established in city policy, a request for qualifications (RFQ) was issued and advertised with a committee of city staff appointed to review the candidates.

City Administrator Rydell Wesson said a committee consisting of Fire Chief Richard Greer, Assistant Fire Chief Kane Sesler, Senior Project Coordinator Chris Hooper and Planning and Zoning Director Jason Pilkinton reviewed architectural and engineering RFQs from seven companies. The firms made 60-90-minute presentations to the committee in November and December.

The committee members ranked the seven companies based on their RFQs and presentations, with TMPartners evaluated at the top of the list and invited to present a scope of work.

Under the contract approved by the council, the city will pay TMPartners a base fee of $263,850 to design and prepare construction and engineering documents for the new fire hall. The preliminary estimated cost for construction of the station is $3.3 million and the city obtained a loan of up to $4 million from the Tennessee Municipal Bond Fund to pay for the construction and renovations to the former Dickson Athletic Club to become the new home of the Dickson Senior Center.

In 2019, the city purchased 2.8 acres on Highway 70 East at Ridgecrest Drive from William and Faye Anderson for $87,500 to be the site of Fire Station #3. Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. said the new station will reduce response times to fire and other emergency calls on the east side of the city. The Dickson Fire Department currently has stations on Church Street in downtown and Pringle Drive in Pomona.

The city plans to equip the station with a pumper/tanker truck and an emergency response truck with a staff of 12 firefighters on three shifts. The tentative timeline has the new station opening in July 2022.

In other business at the Feb. 1 meeting, the city council:

• Unanimously approved the minutes of the Jan. 4 council meeting with all eight members present;

• Heard a presentation of the 2019-20 financial audit from Matt Wood of Alexander Thompson Arnold PLLC;

• Unanimously approved a resolution to create a new 10-year agreement for the contribution from the city’s share of local option sales taxes to Dickson County to help fund education;

• Heard the presentation of the Dickson Electric System’s annual report from General Manager Darrell Gillespie and unanimously approved a resolution accepting the report with a $1,046,775.37 payment in lieu of taxes to the City of Dickson for 2019-20;

• Unanimously approved a resolution asking the Dickson County Election Commission to conduct a municipal election Thursday, Sept. 30, to fill four seats on the city council for four-year terms;

• Unanimously approved a request from Senior Center Director Joan Rial to participate in a Greater Nashville Regional Council program to provide grocery boxes for qualified low-income senior citizens through September;

• Appointed Steve Scherer to a three-year term on the Dickson Planning Commission to replace John Reynolds, who retired;

• Announced the next council meeting will be 7:00 pm Monday, March 1, in the Council Chambers;

• Canceled the Finance and Management Committee meeting scheduled for 6:00 pm Monday, Feb. 15;

• Scheduled a public hearing for 7:00 pm March 1 on a request to rezone approximately 3.6 acres on Highway 48 South and Eno Road from R-1 (low-density residential) to R-2 (medium-density residential) by JDF Properties LLC;

• Unanimously approved a purchase order for $75,035.62 to Underground Pipe and Construction for the final payment on the construction of the parking lot on the corner of East College and Church streets as well as replacement of a storm drain from East Railroad Street to East College Street, including two bores under the railroad, and;

• Approved on first reading on a 7-0-1 vote a request from Bill Hostettler and Darrell James to rezone a portion of one parcel from R-1 (low-density residential) and B-3 (highway commercial) to R-3 (high-density residential) and a portion of another parcel from B-3 to R-3 behind the Tristar Natchez Imaging Center on Highway 46 South and Nails Creek Road. The request had failed to pass on first reading on a 2-2-1 vote with three members absent at the Jan. 4 council meeting. City Attorney Jerry Smith said because the action of the original motion to approve the request had not been completed, it could be brought back for another vote at the following meeting. Vice Mayor Robby Harmon renewed his motion to approve the request with a second from Councilwoman Betty Lou Alsobrooks. After voting against the request last month, Alsobrooks and Councilman Bird Armstrong voted for approval while Councilman Dwight Haynes abstained on both votes. The three council members who were absent last month – Horace Perkins, Joey Turbeville and Michael Outlaw – voted in favor of passage. The ordinance faces a second and final vote at the March 1 council meeting.

In an update to the council on Dickson Electric’s broadband project, Gillespie said the system is “making good progress” on obtaining the regulatory approvals required before construction can begin, which he called an “arduous process.” In November, Gillespie told the council the $80 million project to provide broadband internet service to all DES customers will take 4-5 years to complete.

With there being no further business, Mayor Weiss adjourned the council meeting at 7:55 pm.

The next regular session of the city council will be at 7:00 pm Monday, March 1, 2021, in the council chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. All meetings are open to the public subject to current health and social distancing guidelines. Dickson City Council meetings are broadcast on Local Cable Access Channel 19 on Comcast at 8:00 pm Thursdays and Saturdays.

Former Dickson City Councilman David Shepard passed away Thursday, February 4, 2021, after a battle with cancer.

A native of Hickman County, Shepard moved to Dickson County when his father, M.O. Shepard, was named UT Extension Agent for Dickson County.

Shepard served 12 years on the Dickson City Council (1977-89), 16 years in the Tennessee House of Representatives (2000-16) and was elected to the Dickson County Commission in 2018.

“I have known David and the Shepard family my entire life,” said Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. “I had the privilege of serving with David my first two years on the Dickson City Council. I will always cherish my time working with David on city projects, but most of all will miss his friendship and spending many hours on the golf course together. He will be remembered as a great community leader, but most of all as the perfect example of a son, brother, husband, father and grandfather.”

A decorated Vietnam veteran, pharmacist and co-owner of Dickson Apothecary, Shepard began his career in public service when he was elected to represent the Second Ward on the Dickson City Council in 1977. He was named vice mayor under Mayor J. Dan Buckner in 1979 and remained in that position for 10 years, the last six under Mayor Tom Waychoff. Shepard left the council in 1989 after three terms and 12 years.

When Rep. Doug Jackson of Dickson decided to seek the 25th District seat in the Tennessee Senate vacated by the death of Pete Springer, Shepard won the open 69th District Democratic Primary in a four-way race that included Waychoff and current 50th District Rep. Bo Mitchell. Shepard won the general election with 63 percent of the vote. The 69th District included Dickson and Hickman counties at that time.

He would win re-election to seven more terms, winning by 16 votes over Republican Michael Curcio in 2014 in a redrawn 69th District that included half of Dickson County, all of Hickman County and a portion of Maury County. Shepard decided to retire from the General Assembly in 2016. Curcio won the seat and has held it since.

Two years later Shepard returned to public service when he defeated incumbent Tony Adams for a four-year term in the 9th District seat on the Dickson County Commission.

The Shepard family will hold a private family service with a celebration of life to be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Taylor Funeral Home.

The City of Dickson is replacing a 52-year-old agreement based on sales tax collections with a new plan to contribute more than $11 million to Dickson County to assist with funding education over the next 10 years.

At its meeting Monday, Feb. 1, the Dickson City Council unanimously approved a resolution to terminate a 1969 agreement to contribute a percentage of its monthly local option sales tax collections to the county for school system funding. The resolution replaces the agreement with a schedule of annual contributions over the next 10 years. Under the resolution, the City of Dickson will voluntarily contribute $11,150,000 to the county for education through the 2030-31 fiscal year.

According to the resolution, at the end of 10 years the new agreement can be extended, terminated or renegotiated.

The contributions established under the new 10-year agreement are in addition to the 50 percent of local option sales tax collections the city is required by state statute to give to the county for education funding.

Under state law, all municipalities that don’t operate their own school systems are required to give half of their local option sales tax collections to the county “to be expended and distributed in the same manner as the county property tax for school purposes is expended and distributed.”

As the Dickson County School Board was planning in 1969 to build a consolidated high school, the six municipalities in Dickson County signed an agreement to donate 33.33 percent of their halves of the local option sales tax to the county for education funding in addition to the 50 percent already going to the county, essentially giving the county 66.66 percent of all local option sales taxes collected inside the municipalities.

The town of Charlotte withdrew from the agreement in the 1990s. White Bluff terminated it in 2007. The Burns Board of Commissioners voted to drop out of the agreement in 2020. 

Vanleer and Slayden continue to donate one-third of their halves of local option sales tax to the county at a total of about $28,000 in 2019-20.

In 2005, the City of Dickson amended its agreement to donate one-third of its share of local option sales tax based on the 1.5 percent rate that was in effect when the agreement was signed in 1969. That contribution was about $1.7 million in 2019-20.

Under the new resolution, the City of Dickson commits to contributing to Dickson County:

• $1.5 million in 2021-2022;

• $1.35 million in 2022-23;

• $1.2 million in 2023-24;

• $1.1 million in 2024-25;

• $1 million in 2025-26; and

• $1 million annually through 2030-31;

• For a total of $11,150,000 over a 10-year period.

The resolution says the payment schedule can be amended with 90 days’ notice prior to the July 1 start of any subsequent fiscal year.

The State of Tennessee assesses a 7 percent sales tax, 4.6 percent of which is distributed to counties and municipalities in a formula based on population.

Counties and municipalities are authorized to collect a local option sales tax of up to 2.75 percent in addition to the state sales tax. Dickson County has been at the maximum 9.75 percent since 2000.

The local option sales tax is distributed to the jurisdiction in which it is collected. The Tennessee Department of Revenue charges a 1.125 percent fee to distribute the money to counties. The counties then charge a 1 percent fee to distribute their shares to municipalities.

At the Jan. 21 Finance and Management Committee meeting, City Administrator Rydell Wesson said a 2019 Department of Revenue change in the distribution of local option sales taxes collected for online sales has resulted in a slower growth rate for the City of Dickson while revenues for Dickson County have increased.

Prior to October 2019, sales taxes on online sales delivered to a “Dickson” address were divided between the county and city. The new reporting guidelines require a more specific delivery address that informs the Department of Revenue whether the delivery location is inside or outside the city limits and distributes the local option sales tax to that jurisdiction.

Wesson said the new guidelines contributed to a decline in the City of Dickson’s sales tax growth rate from 6.76 percent annually for the nine years prior to the change to 1.69 percent in 2019-20, during which the new guidelines were in effect for eight months.

Wesson said the slower growth rate will result in less revenue for the city to use to cover increases in the cost of operation due to inflation, growth and new projects, which could force the city council to consider property tax increases in future budgets.

By striking a new agreement for the voluntary contributions to the county, Wesson said the city should see some additional revenue in sales tax collections that could offset all or part of future property tax increases.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. said the city remains committed to helping fund the Dickson County School System, but also is responsible for providing for the needs of the residents of the city.

“We are not abandoning our pledge to help fund education in Dickson County, but want to put in place a new agreement that establishes a schedule of contributions that will be easier in budgeting for both sides instead of having to estimate what sales tax collections will be each year,” Weiss said. “The resolution also helps the city of Dickson overcome the loss of online sales tax collections due to new reporting guidelines.”

In the presentation to the Finance and Management Committee, Wesson showed that local option sales taxes distributed the 12 months before the Department of Revenue reporting guidelines change and the year following showed a 6.8 percent increase for Dickson County, 30.5 percent for Burns, 22 percent for Charlotte, 11.2 percent for White Bluff, 8.8 percent for Vanleer and only a 2.1 percent increase for the City of Dickson.

Wesson said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has prompted increases in internet purchases and as the Dickson Electric System broadband project progresses and high-speed internet becomes more readily available he expects online sales to continue growing.

With sales taxes accounting for 41 percent of the City of Dickson’s budgeted revenue, Wesson said anything that slows growth or diverts dollars to other jurisdictions could force the city to look elsewhere for revenue.

The resolution approved by the council Feb. 1 says the sales tax contribution to Dickson County will be calculated under the amended 1969 agreement for the remainder of the 2020-21 fiscal year with the new schedule taking effect July 1.

Local health officials urge Dickson County residents to continue wearing masks and taking other protective measures while waiting for the arrival of the new COVID-19 vaccines.

At a meeting of the Mayor’s COVID-19 Advisory Committee Thursday, Dec. 17, the directors of the Dickson County Health Department and Tristar Horizon Medical Center said the first batches of coronavirus vaccines are arriving in the coming days to launch a multi-phase distribution plan developed by state health officials. The plan initially provides vaccinations for front-line medical personnel.

Dickson County Health Department Director Sherrie Booker said it is not yet known when the department will receive vaccines for subsequent phases.

The vaccine allocation plan developed by the Tennessee Department of Health is:

• Phase 1a1: Inpatient and other high-exposure healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, first responders, home care staff, student health providers and staff at COVID-19 testing sites, estimated at 450,000 people;

• Phase 1a2: Other healthcare workers with direct patient exposure, including primary care providers and staff, outpatient providers and staff, pharmacists and staff, urgent visit center providers and staff, oral health providers and behavioral health providers, among others, estimated at 100,000 people;

• Phase 1b: Adults with two or more underlying, high-risk conditions such as cancer, renal disease, respiratory diseases, organ transplant, obesity, heart disease, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, dementia, liver disease, compromised immune systems and other comorbidities, estimated at 1.2 million people;

• Phase 2: K-12 teachers, school staff, child care workers, critical infrastructure workers, all ages with one underlying condition, remaining individuals over 65 years old, corrections residents and staff and congregate care residents and staff, estimated at 2.55 million people;

• Phase 3: Young adults, children and workers in industries with a high risk of exposure, estimated at 2 million people; and

• Phase 4: Anyone not already vaccinated, estimated at 500,000 people.

Horizon CEO Jason Boyd told the committee the Tristar HCA system was to receive its first shipment of 3,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 17 with distribution to front-line staff to begin that day at the corporate offices in Nashville.

Boyd said he hopes the healthcare provider will receive its first batch of the Moderna vaccine the following week with the next tier of distribution to include hospital staffs. Boyd said he expects 60-70 percent of the staff of Horizon and 95 percent of physicians to elect to receive the vaccinations.

Booker said the Dickson County Health Department anticipates receiving its initial batch of 300 doses the week of Dec. 21 and hopes to start distribution targeting first responders on Dec. 23.

Booker said she does not know when the department will receive vaccines for the subsequent phases. She said the health department will develop points of distribution for the general public to receive the free vaccinations when it is available for those phases.

The Tennessee Department of Health announced that it will modify its schedule to perform COVID-19 testing at its facilities on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to be dedicated to vaccinating the population in the initial phases. Booker said the department will offer free self-testing kits to be used on the premises on the vaccination days, continuing to make COVID-19 testing available five days a week.

Committee member Dr. Jeff Gordon said both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines consist of the initial inoculation and a follow-up injection 21-28 days later. The retired pediatrician said availability to the general population will depend on the ability of the supply chain to produce enough vaccines to meet demand. In the meantime, he urged residents to continue following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines by wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and washing hands frequently as well as other hygiene recommendations.

Boyd and Booker also stressed that it is critical to continue using masks to help slow the spread of the virus.

Boyd said Horizon Medical Center hit its high mark with 40 COVID-19 patients on Dec. 16. He said four patients were on ventilators and several others required high-flow oxygen.

In addition to the “pretty sick individuals in the hospital,” Boyd said the facility saw a spike in infection among staff following Thanksgiving with more than 30 employees testing positive, about half of them being nurses. He said the Tristar HCA system of hospitals in the region set a high mark of 589 COVID-19 patients on Dec. 16.

Boyd said Horizon began with a 10-bed COVID unit and has expanded it incrementally 5-6 beds at a time as the demand has risen. 

“We’re very busy but we have the resources we need and space to treat patients,” Boyd said. “Your hospital is very prepared.”

As of Dec. 17, the Tennessee Department of Health reported 3,937 confirmed cases in Dickson County since the pandemic began in March with 502 currently active and 50 deaths. Boyd said the state’s report of 74 persons hospitalized would include all Dickson County residents who are hospitalized anywhere in Tennessee and the patients in Horizon include residents of surrounding counties.

“We are seeing many admissions from other counties that don’t have the medical resources we are lucky to have here in Dickson,” Boyd said.

Despite the traditional flu season being under way, Boyd said Horizon has not seen as many cases as usual so far. He speculated the “really soft” flu season start is likely the result of the preventive measures recommended for fighting the spread of coronavirus holding down other viruses.

Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. informed the committee he has closed the Dickson Senior Center until Dec. 28 after increases in local cases and the confirmation of positive cases within the center staff.

Weiss said his authority as mayor is limited to control of city buildings and facilities and in addition to closing the senior center he has instituted a mask requirement for visitors to City Hall.

The Tennessee Department of Health reported 131 new cases in Dickson County on Dec. 14 and 100 cases Dec. 16. As of Wednesday’s report, Dickson County had seen 835 new cases in a 14-day period, a 61 percent increase over the previous two-week period. The county had an average of 282.6 tests administered per day over the previous week with a positivity rate of 21.1 percent, averaging 58.6 new cases a day over the last two weeks, up from 37.1 the previous 14 days.

Weiss created the Mayor’s COVID-19 Advisory Committee in March to help guide the city’s response to the pandemic. In addition to Weiss, the committee consists of Gordon, Boyd, Booker, Vice Mayor Robby Harmon, City Administrator Rydell Wesson, Police Chief Jeff Lewis, Fire Chief Richard Greer, Communications Director Rosalind Sowell, Public Works Director David Travis, Planning and Zoning Director Jason Pilkinton, City Attorney Jerry Smith and local businessman Dan Smith.

The Dickson City Council has approved changes to the city’s sanitation policy that will impact residents who want more than one garbage can, apartment complexes and commercial customers.

Public Works Director David Travis presented the proposed policy changes to the Finance and Management Committee last month and the city council unanimously approved a resolution adopting the new policy at its Dec. 7 meeting.

Single-Family Residences

For single-family residences in the city, Travis said the biggest change is for residents who want more than one trash can.

A Single-Family Residence is defined as a single dwelling on a piece of property assessed at the 25 percent residential rate by the Dickson County Assessor of Property.

Currently, each residence receives one city-issued, 96-gallon trash container that is emptied weekly. This service is funded through the city’s tax revenues. Residents who want a second can have had to purchase the container at the city’s current cost. Residents who want a third container have paid a $10 monthly fee to have it emptied.

Under the new policy, the city will no longer sell garbage containers. Each single-family residence will continue to receive one city-issued can that is serviced weekly. Residents who want a second and/or third container will pay an annual rental fee of $100 for each additional container. There is a limit of three containers per single-family residence.

As the department transitions to the new policy, trash container sales have been suspended immediately

Travis told the committee that the city has experienced issues with selling the containers when residents move and take the containers with them, which has forced the city to replace those containers each year.

Under the new policy, all containers will remain the property of the city and will be assigned to the address for which they are issued. Residents who move will return the extra container(s) to the Public Works Department.

In addition to the switch to renting extra containers, the department will be offering single-family residences with extra containers the option to pay the rental fee annually or semi-annually with a service charge.

• Residents choosing to pay the $100 fee semi-annually will be billed $50 on Jan. 1 and July 1 plus a $5 service charge with payments due by the 20th of the month.

• Residents choosing to pay the $100 fee annually will be billed for the full amount without a service charge on Jan. 1 with payment due by Jan. 20.

Anyone starting service on a date other than Jan. 1 or July 1 will pay $8.50 per partial and full months until the next payment date, including the $5 service charge on semi-annual plans, with payment in full due when the service is established.

There will be no refunds for termination of an additional can rental that has been paid in advance.

Service will be terminated and containers removed on accounts that are 60 days past due. There will be a $10 service fee per container in addition to the full past-due amount to be paid to reinstate service that has been terminated for non-payment.

Residents who have purchased a second container will continue to have it serviced at no additional cost. If the container is lost, stolen or damaged to the point of having to be replaced, it will be subject to the new rental policy. 

Residents who currently have a third container will switch from $10 a month to $100 a year to have it emptied.

Multi-Family Residences

For multi-family residences such as duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes or apartments that are assessed by Dickson County at the 40 percent commercial rate, one container will be issued to the property and serviced weekly. There will be limits of three containers per dwelling and 12 containers per property. Each container after the first one issued to the property will be subject to the $100 annual rental fee.

For multi-family residences, there are four payment options: monthly, quarterly, semi-annually and annually.

• Monthly payments are billed on the first business day of each month and due by the 20th;

• Quarterly payments are billed on the first business day of January, April, July and October and due by the 20th of each month;

• Semi-annual payments are billed on the first business day of January and July and due by the 20th of each month; and

• Annual payments are billed on the first business day of January and due by the 20th.

There is no refund for termination of service that has been paid in advance.

Service will be terminated and containers removed on accounts that are 60 days past due. There will be a $10 service fee per container in addition to the full past-due amount to be paid to reinstate service that has been terminated for non-payment.

Commercial Businesses

For commercial businesses, the service structure remains unchanged but the monthly fees are increased under the new policy.

Commercial businesses are limited to three containers:

• Servicing one container once a week will cost $30 per month and twice a week will be $60 per month;

• Servicing two containers once a week will cost $55 per month and twice a week will be $110 per month; and

• Servicing three containers once a week will cost $80 per month and twice a week will be $160 per month.

For commercial business customers, there are four payment options: monthly, quarterly, semi-annually and annually.

• Monthly payments are billed on the first business day of each month and due by the 20th;

• Quarterly payments are billed on the first business day of January, April, July and October and due by the 20th of each month;

• Semi-annual payments are billed on the first business day of January and July and due by the 20th of each month; and

• Annual payments are billed on the first business day of January and due by the 20th.

There is no refund for termination of service that has been paid in advance.

Service will be terminated and containers removed on accounts that are 60 days past due. There will be a $10 service fee per container in addition to the full past-due amount to be paid to reinstate service that has been terminated for non-payment.

The Public Works Department does not offer dumpster services.

Residential Back Door Service

The Public Works Department will continue to offer a Residential Back Door Service. 

Residential customers who want their container serviced from a location other than the roadside can get back door service for $30 per month per container. The new policy allows for payment for back door service semi-annually or annually following the same guidelines as for single-family residential service.

Residents requesting back door service due to a medical necessity will be exempt from the monthly fee for one container after annually submitting the back door service request form and physician’s statement provided by the Public Works Department. Additional containers will be subject to the fee schedule.

General Guidelines

For all city sanitation services, only bagged, household refuse placed inside a container will be picked up. Trash cannot be placed on or around the containers.

Containers shall be placed at least four feet from any pole, vehicle, mailbox or other such structure that could impede the ability to service the container. Containers that are not at least four feet from any pole, vehicle, mailbox or other such structure will not be collected until the next designated service day for that residence or business.

The Public Works Department reserves the right to limit or decline service to any multi-family residence or commercial business based on access or other factors that adversely impact the department’s ability to safely service the property. The department may designate a specific area for containers to be placed for service.

All containers must be at the roadside or in the designated space by 6:30 am on the scheduled day of service. All containers must be removed from the roadside within 24 hours of being serviced. Containers that are not in place when the truck comes by will not be emptied until the next scheduled service day for that residence or business.

If a service day falls on a holiday, refuse will be collected on the next service day.

The Public Works Department may alter service schedules or routes based on hazardous weather or road conditions. Changes to routes or service schedules will be posted as early as possible on the City of Dickson Public Works Department’s Facebook page.

Travis said the new policy should make the service easier for residents to utilize and streamline the billing process for the Public Works Department.

The new policy was presented to the Finance and Management Committee for review Nov. 16 and a resolution adopting the changes was approved by the City Council Dec. 7. The new policy will take effect Jan. 1.

The City of Dickson funds its sanitation service through tax revenues and service fees, serving only residences and businesses within the corporate limits. The city does not receive any money from the $10 monthly sanitation fee assessed by Dickson County. The City of Dickson budgets approximately $15,000 annually for tipping fees to dispose of waste at the Dickson County Landfill’s transfer station.

With the number of cases and deaths connected to coronavirus continuing to rise in the community, the City of Dickson has decided to close the Dickson Senior Center again to protect one of the most vulnerable populations.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. made the decision Thursday to close the center effective immediately with a tentative proposed re-opening date of Dec. 28.

“Despite our best efforts to promote social distancing and wearing masks, Dickson County along with the rest of the country continues to see the devastating effects of COVID-19,” Weiss said. “To protect our senior population as well as our staff, I have made the difficult decision to close the center for the second time since the pandemic began in March.”

On the advice of a special advisory committee consisting of senior administration staff and local healthcare experts, Weiss closed the senior center March 16 and it remained closed until Oct. 7 when Gov. Bill Lee lifted some of the restrictions of his executive orders.

In the 14 days Nov. 20-Dec. 3, Dickson County averaged 37.29 new confirmed cases per day, had an average of 392 active cases and recorded 11 deaths related to COVID-19. The Tennessee Department of Health reported Thursday that Dickson County has recorded 16,097.9 positive cases per 100,000 population age 61 and older.

Dr. Jeff Gordon, a retired pediatrician who serves on the Mayor’s COVID-19 Advisory Committee, said the spike in infections is straining capacity at hospitals, including Horizon Medical Center.

“Currently 84.7 percent of all deaths are in the over 61 year olds,” Gordon said. “The death rate for those under 61 years is 2.4 per 1,000 infections.”

With the Christmas holidays approaching, Weiss said he hopes the 24-day closure will help keep the season safe for the older population by limiting exposure.

Weiss said the plan for right now is to re-open the senior center under continuing restrictions on Dec. 28. However, if the statistics warrant, the closure could be extended.

An Open Letter to All Tennesseans

November 24, 2020

We write today with an appeal to all Tennesseans.

The deadly COVID-19 pandemic is surging once again in our state. Daily new cases, transmission rates and hospitalizations have surpassed the July levels, making this second wave bigger and more deadly than the first. 

Medical experts and elected officials across our nation are sounding a warning about the rising numbers, and we –the state hospital leaders –share their deep concerns, especially with Thanksgiving and the holiday season beginning this week.

This is why we have come together to urge all Tennesseans in the strongest terms to fight community spread and flatten the curve of this virus. We will accomplish this by limiting the size of formal and informal gatherings and by wearing masks. These are science-based and proven measures that will slow the spread of the virus.

Today, there are more than 700 patients in Middle Tennessee hospitals with the coronavirus, the most since the pandemic began in March. This is a 72% increase since November 1. Models are forecasting an additional 10% increase in COVID-19 patients by the end of next week. This weekly growth pattern is expected to continue until there is a slowdown in cases.

If this trend continues, our hospital systems could soon be overwhelmed, and that would compromise the ability to serve all patients, not just those with COVID-19. Currently hospitals are experiencing staff shortages due to both the rising volumes of patients needing care and to the absence of medical professionals who have contracted the virus or are in quarantine because of a COVID-19 exposure. The cause of most of these exposures are coming from outside the hospital -from the rampant community spread of the virus in our state.

We know that this has been a long and challenging year. All of us would love nothing more than gather and celebrate the holidays with family and friends. However, we must stay the course. Now is the time to take heed, keep socially distant and wear masks, even indoors. 

Consider having a virtual Thanksgiving dinner, and if you are gathering with people who live outside of your household, limit the dinner to eight.

We must act, and act now to protect hospital capacity and to support those who have been on the front lines of this fight for months -our medical personnel, first responders and essential workers. We are Tennesseans. In the most challenging times, we have always answered the call to act. And once again, by working together, we will get through this for our neighbors, friends, and family.

Sincerely,

Tim P. Adams, FACHE

President/CEO, Ascension Saint Thomas & Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Tennessee

Randy Davis, FACHE, MBA  

CEO/President, NorthCrest Health

James E.K. Hildreth, Ph.D., M.D.

President and CEO, Meharry Medical College

Susan Peach, RN, BSN, MBA

Market President, HighPoint Health System

Wright Pinson, MD, MBA 

Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Heather Rohan, FACHE 

Division President, TriStar Health

H. Alan Watson, FACHE

CEO, Maury Regional Health

Don Webb

CEO, Williamson Medical Center

Joseph Webb, D.Sc., FACHE

CEO, Nashville General Hospital

Jason E. Boyd  |  Chief Executive Officer

TriStar Horizon Medical Center  

111 Highway 70 East |  Dickson, TN 37055 

As Dickson County sees rising numbers of positive COVID-19 cases and increasing hospitalizations and deaths, I continue to urge Dickson residents and visitors to follow all recommended health guidelines.

With the upcoming holidays and events, I strongly urge everyone to take the precautions of wearing a mask and following social distancing guidelines when in public.

Since the onset of this pandemic in March, the City of Dickson has taken extraordinary measures to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus and to protect its citizens. We have closed facilities, canceled activities, instituted special cleaning procedures and allocated $400,000 to assist the community, among other steps.

With the advice of a special committee of administration and local leaders, we have consistently spread a message of following all guidelines recommended by federal, state and local health officials. Social distancing and the use of masks have been at the top of that list.

As Mayor, I continue to strongly urge and recommend that all citizens of the City of Dickson and everyone who visits the City of Dickson to work, shop, eat or any other activity take personal responsibility for the protection of themselves, their families and their community by wearing masks or face-coverings, practicing social distancing and following all health guidelines. Consideration should go beyond your own health and well-being to include those around you and with whom you might come in contact.

By following these recommendations, we hope we will be able to reverse the infection trend and stop the spread without having to resort to the more drastic measures we experienced this summer.

I urge all citizens to do what is in the best interest of themselves and their families by wearing masks, practicing social distancing and following all health guidelines in public.

For the latest health guidelines and recommendations, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov or the Tennessee Department of Health website at tn.gov/health.

Dickson Electric System (DES) General Manager Darrell Gillespie told the Dickson City Council’s Finance and Management Committee that a broadband service for its customers could be completed in four to five years.

Gillespie updated the committee on DES’s plan to create a broadband service for all of its customers during its regular meeting Monday, Nov. 16.

Gillespie said the responses to a public survey conducted by DES were “overwhelmingly positive” with over 99% percent of the more than 5,000 responses completed in favor of DES adding internet to its services. DES provides electricity to more than 37,000 customers in five counties with about 22% of them being residents of the City of Dickson, Gillespie said.

The project will cost approximately $80 million and will require DES to hire 18 new employees for a separate department that will operate from a new building to be constructed on the DES campus on Cowan Road.

After the five-member Board of Public Utilities voted in October to move forward on the project, Gillespie said it still requires several regulatory approvals, including the Tennessee Valley Authority and Tennessee Comptroller’s office. He is hoping that resolutions of support from the governing bodies of the municipalities served by DES will help that process.

“As part of these required approvals from state and federal regulatory authorities, local governments are a crucial partner in assisting DES as we seek financing and, ultimately, getting approvals from TVA regulators and the State of Tennessee Office of the Comptroller,” Gillespie says in a summary presented to the council members. “Once all approvals are secured, in early 2021, DES will go to the bond market to secure $80,000,000 in funding.”

Gillespie said recent actions by the power board will result in DES being debt-free in December, which opens the door for going to the bond market to borrow the $80 million for the project while simultaneously pursuing state and federal grants. He said the broadband business will have to pay for itself, and a feasibility report for DES indicates the utility will be able to offer 250 megabyte service for around $50 per month or a gigabyte at $80 per month.

He said the service being offered by DES likely will inspire other private internet providers to expand or improve their services in order to be competitive.

“The community wins,” Gillespie told the committee.

Initially, Gillespie told the committee, DES will ask the Dickson City Council for a resolution publicly supporting the broadband project. Because DES is a subdivision of the City of Dickson, borrowing money also will go through the city council.

Gillespie said he anticipates asking the cities and counties in the service area to assist in the startup of the project by approving a five-year waiver of payments in lieu of taxes on the new facilities followed by five years of incremental implementation of the payments.

After the initial five-year waiver period, DES would make in lieu of tax payments based on 20 percent of the value of the new facilities, increasing by that amount each year until reaching 100 percent after five years.

“This type of tax diversion is very common in supporting new companies or expansions of companies,” Gillespie’s summary states. “The end results in no decreased payments to counties and cities as they will continue to see an increase annually in tax revenues that support their operating budgets.”

In the City of Dickson’s 2020-21 budget, DES’s in lieu of tax payments to the city exceeded $1 million for the first time. Gillespie said DES payments in lieu of taxes are increasing about 1-1.5 percent annually. The request to postpone additional in lieu of tax payments will in no way affect the payments that are regularly paid to the cities and counties served by the public power utility, which may be accounted for in upcoming budgeting plans; it simply delays the additional increase to those payments related to the broadband infrastructure expansion.

Once the project begins, Gillespie said he anticipates it will take four to five years to install the fiber-optic lines to provide the service to every DES customer. He said DES currently has more than 3,000 miles of electric distribution lines in its service area, and the fiber-optic lines will be installed separately along the existing infrastructure. He said DES will devise a plan to install the service in urban and rural areas simultaneously through various phases of the project.

“This project is a long-term investment in the communities DES serves and will bring economic growth and opportunities to the area that would otherwise not come due to a lack of affordable broadband,” the summary states. “No one knows what the future holds, but having a world-class broadband infrastructure will support future opportunities that will undoubtedly benefit the City of Dickson for decades to come.”

The Dickson City Council is expected to vote on a resolution supporting the broadband project at its Dec. 7 meeting. Similar resolutions are being presented to the municipal and county governing bodies in Dickson County as well as those within the parts of Hickman and Cheatham Counties served by DES.

For updates on the Dickson Electric System’s broadband project, visit dicksonelectric.com/fiber20/ or follow them on Facebook or Twitter at @dicksonelectric for community news and DES information.

The Dickson City Council approved the purchase of the Dickson Athletic Club to become the new location of the Dickson Senior Center.

In a pair of 6-2 votes at its meeting Monday, Nov. 2, the council amended the purchase price to $1.75 million and approved on second and final reading an ordinance authorizing Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. to execute the documents required to purchase the facility on Payne Springs Road. Councilmen Dwight Haynes and Michael Outlaw voted against both measures.

At a special session Oct. 19, the council amended the purchasing ordinance to reduce the price from $1.9 million to $1.6 million and asked Weiss and City Administrator Rydell Wesson to continue negotiations with Dickson Athletic Club owners Dan and Sharon Smith.

At Monday night’s meeting, Wesson said the Smiths had agreed to a purchase price of $1.75 million. Wesson said he and Senior Center Director Joan Rial met with the Smiths to revise the list of equipment that will be included with the purchase.

Wesson also presented an itemized list of estimates for renovations to the building showing a cost range of $291,740-$320,740, with the biggest expense being an estimated $75,000-$100,000 for a commercial kitchen.

In proposing the purchase in September, Wesson recommended the city use some of its $18 million fund balance to pay for buying the building. The money for the renovations will come from a loan up to $4 million that will include the construction of a third fire station at an estimated $3.3 million.

Wesson said the city hopes to open the Senior Center at its new location in July. He said an option of building a new 20,000-25,000-square-foot facility at an estimated cost of $3.6 million-$4.5 million would take at least two years to be ready to open.

Rial told the council reaction to the proposed purchase has been overwhelmingly positive with many participants excited to have access to DAC’s outdoor and enclosed swimming pools for low-impact exercise programs.

Chief Jeff Lewis has said the Dickson Police Department is interested in using the current 11,446-square-foot Senior Center building on West Walnut Street for offices and a training facility.

Following the council’s approval, a contract for the purchase will be signed by the mayor and the Smiths, with a closing to be held before Jan. 1, 2021, according to the ordinance.

In other business at Monday night’s meeting, the Dickson City Council:

• Approved the minutes of the Oct. 5 regular session and Oct. 19 special session after amending the Oct. 5 minutes to reflect that Councilman Haynes abstained on a vote to approve an off-premises beer permit for Country Cupboard, 499 Highway 46, and Councilwoman Betty Lou Alsobrooks voted in favor of approving the Sept. 1 council meeting minutes. Both indicated they accidentally hit the wrong buttons on the council’s electronic voting system;

• Unanimously approved on second and final reading a resolution to annex 16.52 acres off Highway 48 North belonging to the Garrett Family Trust;

• Unanimously approved on second and final reading an ordinance to zone the newly annexed property R-1 (low-density residential);

• Unanimously approved a recommendation to change the city’s health insurance for employees from Cigna to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee effective Jan. 1;

• Deferred a proposal to prohibit on-street parking on Church Street from College Street to the railroad tracks. Vice Mayor Robby Harmon said the proposal intends to make it easier for fire department vehicles to get through the often-congested area. Stephen Mark, co-owner of Make Your Mark Framing Co. at 100B Church St., said the restriction would limit his business’ deliveries because it does not have access to the alley between Church and Main streets. Harmon suggested the proposal be deferred to allow more time to look at other solutions;

• Unanimously approved the installation of a streetlight on an existing pole at the entrance to the TVA substation at 305 Pond Road;

• Unanimously approved the installation of up to five streetlights on existing poles on Old Pond Lane from Pond Road to Kimberly Drive;

• Unanimously approved the installation of a streetlight on an existing pole at 118 Brookside Drive;

• Set the next city council meeting for 7:00 pm Monday, Dec. 7, in the council chambers at Dickson City Hall;

• Scheduled the Finance and Management Committee meeting for 6:00 pm Monday, Nov. 16, in the council chambers at Dickson City Hall; and

• Approved an amendment to the design agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates to assist with the city’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan for the Henslee Park project for $4,500.

Public Works Director David Travis informed the council that the stormwater drain replacement project from East Railroad Street to East College Street experienced a problem when the bore under the railroad tracks encountered a buried concrete box culvert that apparently had been abandoned years ago. Travis said the bore is being relocated, which he anticipates will add $50,000-$70,000 to the project cost that was approved at up to $250,000 in a change order approved in March.

The Finance and Management Committee will meet at 6:00 pm Monday, Nov. 16, at Dickson City Hall. The city council will meet at 7:00 pm Monday, Dec. 7, in the council chambers at Dickson City Hall, 600 East Walnut St. All meetings are open to the public subject to current health and social distancing guidelines. Dickson City Council meetings are broadcast on Local Cable Access Channel 19 on Comcast at 8:00 pm Thursdays and Saturdays.

Dickson Mayor Don L. Weiss Jr. administered the peace officer’s oath to a new Dickson Police Department officer during the Dickson City Council’s Finance and Management Committee meeting Monday, Nov. 16.

Weiss welcomed Dylan Pirtle to the police department.

Born in Nashville but raised primarily in Dickson, Pirtle is a 2015 graduate of Dickson County High School.

Pirtle served in the U.S. Marine Corps, attaining the rank of corporal. During his service, he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Calif.

In 2019, Pirtle returned to Dickson to pursue his life-long dream of working in law enforcement.

After completing his field training, Pirtle will attend the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in January. He is assigned to the department’s Patrol Division.