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Driver’s License Center opens

T-G STAFF REPORT
Posted 11/27/21

A grand opening was held Monday for the Shelbyville Driver’s License Center, located at 200 Dover Street, Suite 108.    

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Driver’s License Center opens

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A grand opening was held Monday for the Shelbyville Driver’s License Center, located at 200 Dover Street, Suite 108.    

House Speaker Pro Tem State Rep. Pat Marsh, along with several city and county leaders and the commissioner of safety, attended the opening.  

“We got the City, the County, and we got the State, and we’re opening this fantastic new facility for our people of Shelbyville and Bedford County to come and get their license and do their work here in our town,” said Rep. Marsh.     

“A lot of hard work has been between state and local officials to get us where we are today, and I want to thank you for your dedication and your commitment to seeing this reopening through,” said Jeff Long, Tennessee Commissioner of Safety & Homeland Security.    

The County and City each put in $10,000 for the remodeling, according to Shelbyville City Councilman Henry Feldhaus. Bedford County is also letting the State of Tennessee use a couple offices at the location for free rent.  

“Truly we had outgrown the driver’s license center that we had even prior to COVID,” said Bedford County Mayor Chad Graham. “As you know, we are over 50,000 people in Shelbyville and Bedford...Even though COVID caused us to close that facility, it really shined a light on the disparities in the areas we’re not adequate to serve the public going forward.”    

Therefore, location was a major factor in deciding where this new center was to go. Graham said the facilities at the previous center were not setup correctly (e.g. bathrooms, parking), which threatened the facility from reopening after the pandemic shutdown.    

“We had to close the one out on Railroad Avenue when coronavirus hit―parking problems and small office,” explained Rep. Pat Marsh.  

“Having a center here made sense in so many ways,” said Paula Shaw, Assistant Commissioner of the State’s Driver Services Division. “Not only does it add convenience for the Bedford County residents, but it allows us to reduce foot traffic in the centers in the surrounding counties.”  

Shaw also said driver services and appointments have been made available online for the past two years.  

“When it closed, everybody was upset in the County because they had no place to go. You had to go to Fayetteville, Tullahoma, Manchester, Murfreesboro and wait in line there. We want to wait in line in our own place!” said Marsh.  

While speaking at the grand opening, Marsh also complimented the staff of the driver’s license center—many of whom previously worked at the Fayetteville location—for their professionalism.    

The driver’s license center is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center is full-service, meaning citizens can obtain their driver’s license, identification card issuant, motor vehicle records, vision testing, knowledge and skills testing and handgun permits, according to Long