Hart: Spec buildings help attract industry

By: Donna Ryder Messenger Associate Editor

By DONNA RYDER
Messenger Associate Editor
The Town of Troy has a couple of big projects on its plate for 2008.
After Würth Snider Bolt & Screw Inc. announced in April it was going to lease the town’s spec building, the town’s industrial board decided to start a new spec building. It will be the town’s third.
Mayor Jimmie Hart has repeatedly said over the past several years that if a town does not have a building, it’s not going to get the industry. It was a sentiment he repeated recently when the town’s aldermen, employees, committee members and volunteers and their spouses attended for a dinner.
Hart said industry will pass by a town if the building is not near completion because they want to be able to move in immediately and start production.
“From experience I can tell you if you don’t have a building at least 95 percent ready, you won’t get the business,” Hart said during a 2007 meeting.
Plans for the new building will be completed this winter so construction can begin in the spring. The building will be located in front of the bus garage.
Thanks to financial assistance from the state, a new entrance was built in the industrial park during 2007.
The other major project expected to be undertaken in 2008 is the installation of new street signs in the town. Hart said there are 60 streets and about 200 street signs.
The town’s insurance company, Tennessee Municipal League, has noted for a couple of years the need for some new signs to replace faded ones or those no longer posted. Hart said in December that the best price he has received is $175 per sign, with the pole.
He informed The Messenger new street signs will be placed all over town during 2008, with a “designer type” installed downtown.
The city replaced several sidewalks during 2007 and has plans to continue replacing or repairing sidewalks in the coming year.
During July, the board awarded Superior Tank a bid to paint the water tank near Obion County Central High School for $32,850. The last time it was painted was 11 years ago, Hart said. It will be lettered stating Troy is the home of Obion County Central High School.
For many years now Troy has had a successful sports program and Hart said there are plans to continue it. Troy fielded 17 girls’ teams and 13 boys’ teams during 2007. Improvements at the park included concrete pads for the bleachers; concrete around the new concession stand, which also received new awning; and concrete in the dugouts at the T-ball fields.
The town also finished the Troy Senior Citizens Center and demolished several old houses that were eyesores and were beyond repair.
The year 2007 was a big one for the Troy Fire Department. It was learned in March that the town was to receive a $95,181 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through the DHS Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to improve operations and safety. The grant was used to place a sprinkler system and a fire alarm in the fire station to protect the $1.2 million in assets housed in the building. Other items, such as personal devices which sound an alarm when a firefighter is down, were also to be purchased. When the sprinkler system was installed by Superior Fire Protection of Jackson, a new tap had to be made and a six-inch line installed with a new fire hydrant. Many aldermen expressed their opinion at the time that it was a “much needed” fire hydrant.
Also during 2007, Fire Chief Mark Watson informed the board that all of the town’s fire plugs are in working order.
It was also noted that several volunteer firefighters in the department completed training at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy in Bell Buckle and took the state’s tests to be certified as Class 1 firefighters.
City recorder Cheryl Cranford was named the town’s chief financial officer during 2007. The state required all municipalities with budgets of more than $300,000 to name a CFO. Cities were required to appoint someone and send that person to training sessions.
Associate Editor Donna Ryder can be contacted by e-mail at dryder@ucmessenger.com.
Published in The Messenger 1.10.08

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