By MARK MCGEE
mmcgee@bedfordcountypost.com
‘Plans for the future’ were the centerpiece of a short Shelbyville City Council regular meeting.
City Mayor Randy Carroll read an announcement to the council that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has approved a grant for up to $200,000 for a study of Highway 231, Highway 41-A, and State Route 437
“It is good news that the funding has been approved by TDOT,” said Waleed Albakry, Shelbyville’s Director of Planning and Community Development. “What this will allow us to do is study our main corridors and come up with ways to make them function well to determine the easiest ways to get in and out of our community.
“Do we need service lanes? Do we need more access points? This grant, if approved, will help us determine any possible problems. We want to be proactive.”
The last study was completed in 2022. With the increase in request in both business and residential development, an updated version is already needed.
Albakry said TDOT will hire an outside consultant for the study.
New columbarium
Council members also approved fees for the newly completed Columbarium located at Willow Mount Cemetery. It will provide 242 slots for the placement of urns for cremated remains. The cost of the project was close to $100,000.
The fee for a slot is $500. There will be a fee of $75 for opening and closing a slot for placement of an urn Monday through Friday during regular business hours. On weekends and holidays, the fee will be $150. The fees were approved unanimously by a 5-0 vote. Council member Stephanie Isaacs was absent.
“We wanted to set the price for the opening and closing fees,” Sexton Ben Chapman said. “We want it to allow us to be the only ones to place those remains in the columbarium and open and close it.”
Chapman said the city has sold quite a few of the slots.
“There has been a lot of interest,” Chapman said. “It is kind of a big thing.”
Construction on the columbarium began in June. There is 47,000 pounds of granite in the four columns.
Chapman thanked Mike Alsup from Shelbyville Parks and Recreation and his crew, the public works department for providing equipment, and assistant sexton Albert Jakubuc for his assistance.
Other items
In other unanimous voting the council approved the following:
*Authorized the Shelbyville Police Department to declare as surplus for sale a fiberglass canoe and a truck toolbox. Both are abandoned properties.
*Authorized the Shelbyville Fire Department to declare are surplus for sale 14 air packs, 19 extra bottles of oxygen and six extra face masks.
*The police department was approved for the lease of three new body-worn camera systems.
Three tourism grants were also approved unanimously with $5,000 for the Southern Saddlebred Spring Fling Horse Show event April 17-20, $5,000 for the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association event April 5-13 and $7,500 for the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association event Sept. 6-14. Funding will be from the Hotel/Motel Fund.
*City offices will be closed March 29 for Good Friday.
