Published: January 14, 2008 05:24 pm      

City council delays downtown planning

The Crossville City Council put off approval of a proposal for improving the downtown area from an Ohio engineering and planning firm that specializes in downtown revitalizations at least until the middle of the year and a new budget cycle.

John Grossman, president of E G & G, Inc. made a presentation to the city council of his firm's previous work including the nationally recognized work on Franklin, Tennessee's Main Street.

Grossman was introduced by Corey Legare with Downtown Crossville, Inc. (DCI) after she explained the process by which Grossman's firm was selected for recommendation to the council to do the master planning.

According to Legare, a committee made up of Downtown Crossville, Inc. representatives along with the Crossville city engineer Shelia Knight and city clerk Sally Oglesby reviewed eight proposals that were submitted in answer to a request for proposals. The group also met with representatives from the top four applicants and unanimously chose E G & G, Inc. as the firm recommended for the development of a downtown improvement master plan.

Grossman told the council, “My first impression of Crossville is that it has a lot of strengths.” He said that he appreciated the architecture of many of the downtown buildings and especially the use of the native Crab Orchard stone in many of Crossville's buildings.

Grossman continued, saying that many of Crossville's downtown buildings are currently being used for a variety of purposes and some have been renovated already. He explained that when his firm started working with McMinville, Tennessee their downtown was 40 percent vacant.

According to Grossman, his firm has been involved in some 70 success stories over the last 20 years. He added that revitalizing a Main Street comes when you recreate prime real estate locations through a comprehensive program of improvements.

“Those improvements are not just flowerpots,” said Grossman.

“Downtowns can become vibrant marketplaces, even if they are different then they were 50 years ago,” By redoing tired, old gray downtown areas, Grossman explained it makes the real estate desirable and gives a reason for people to make investments in the area.

“Think of downtown as the community living room,” said Grossman, “It creates value for the whole community, not just the downtown area, by increasing value, property tax and sales tax collections.” Grossman stressed that downtown improvements are not just for looks, but for economic development.

Grossman explained that previous communities he has worked with have used creative financing plans that tie grants, bonds, corporate donations and community support together to get the work done.

Crossville Mayor J.H. Graham commented that he had concerns about budget issues with the proposed $49,000 cost of the planning. He added that another concern he had was big trucks on Main Street and that he would like to see them elsewhere if the city was going to invest in improving the area. Graham also said that the look of a thriving community was important to visitors, especially those considering locating business or industry in the area.

Graham said he felt since the funds were not budgeted in the current year, he would like to look at putting off the decision for the new budget in the next fiscal year. Budget hearings for the 2008-2009 fiscal year will be starting soon.

Councilman Boyd Wyatt agreed adding that “We're not saying 'no,' but we want to wait a few months on the decision.”

Councilman Earl Dean was reappointed by the city council to the Crossville lake commission for another seven years. Dean has served on the commission that oversees many aspects of the Meadow Park Lake for many years.

The council also discussed recent notifications sent out by Charter Communications cable TV about price increases and complaints from constituents. Mayor Graham added that it was a problem to him that customers in Crossville could not call the local office directly because the only number listed in the local phone book is an 800 number to a national call center.