Depot Street will revert to two-lane

Shelbyville Public Works director Mark Clanton began measuring Depot Street on Friday morning in preparation to change the two blocks off the public square back to a two-way street.
(T-G Photo by Brian Mosely)

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Public Works director Mark Clanton said Friday that work will begin early Tuesday morning to convert the street back to its original condition.

The work will take most of the day, he said. As a result, Depot Street will go back to parallel parking.

Clanton also stated that the street will need to be repaved in about three to four weeks due to the confusing nature of the black and white striping that indicates parking spots.

Councilman Thomas Landers made the motion to change the street back to two-way due to "the overwhelming majority of the citizens of Bedford County and the city."

Landers listed two reasons -- the safety issues raised by Shelbyville police if the road was made one way toward the square and that having the road going one way outbound was not pleasing to many people.

"Let's just have it go both ways," Landers said to some applause. "That way, everybody will be happy."

Council member Kay Rose said several merchants "begged" her to leave the street one way, but many other citizens have told her they want the street back the way it was.

One Depot Street merchant said that 75 percent of the people can't do parallel parking and that more parking spaces were available in the street's current configuration.

Councilman Al Stephenson said he understood that, but that the council had been receiving phone calls from "a broad segment of the community."

"The majority of calls I got say to turn it back to two way ..." he said.

All council members voted to change Depot Street back to two way except for Jo Ann Holland, who voted no. Councilman Lee Roy Cunningham was not present for Thursday's meeting.

In other council business:

* A motion was passed to accept the report of the Depot Street demolition costs and to make those costs a personal obligation of the property owner.

The city is suing Alice Albrecht for costs associated with last year's razing and restoration of the site on East Depot, totalling $222,280.84, where two buildings once stood near the public square.

The building at 113 E. Depot was damaged last year during the demolition of Albrecht's property at 109 E. Depot, which was considered a dangerous structure.

Contractors and engineers said at the time it would cost over $200,000 to repair it and bring up to code, so the council voted to tear it down as well.

* The council also approved on third and final reading of a proposed expansion of the Belmont Avenue Historic District. Homes at 502, 511, 513, 517, 602, 607, 708 and 709 Belmont Ave. will be added to the historic district at the request of the residents. The Shelbyville Historic Zoning Commission recommended and approved the request in April.

A similar ordinance was passed on first reading, asking that 419 and 503 Belmont Ave. be added to the Historic District and that 516 Deery St. be expanded into the Frierson-Eakin Historic District.

* Passed on second reading was a rezoning request for two parcels in Sanders Estate Subdivision from R-1 (low density residential) to R-2 (low density residential).

* Also passed on first reading was an ordinance to amend the city zoning ordinance to re-enact creation of an I-3 zone concerning Special Impact Industrial District identified as an I-3 zone.

* An ordinance passed on first reading that requires any building on a commercial or industrial zone to be site-built and designed for permanent connection to the city's water and sewer systems. The building would also have to be on "a permanently enclosed concrete or masonry foundation."

* A motion was passed that authorized the city manager and the planning and codes director to negotiate the purchase of properties under the Neighborhood Stabilization Housing Grant and to approve the mayor and city recorder to execute the documents to acquire the properties.

With the grant, the city can purchase blighted properties around Shelbyville within specific guidelines, demolish them, and prepare the lots for other homes to be built.

* Also passed was a motion to authorize the mayor to execute contracts with NuVox Photo for a one-year extension to increase Internet bandwidth at the Shelbyville Police Department.

* A motion was approved to execute an airport maintenance contract with the Tennessee Department of Transportation for fiscal year 2009-10 in the amount of $13,000.

* Approval was given to take bids to relocate electric service for Central Memorial Gym and also to take bids to seal (waterproof) the Recreation Center building.

* The council also appointed Tom Taylor and Wanda Woodlee to fill two vacancies on the city's Beer Board.