Bedford County Post

It’s not too late to apply! mtsu.edu/apply AA/EEO/disability/vet Taste and Tell Page 4 Sports Page 10 Bell Buckle • Flat Creek • Normandy • Raus • Shelbyville • Unionville • Wartrace $1 Wednesday, June 5, 2024 Vol. 1 No. 43 B EDFORD C OUNTY P OST From staff reports I t was a violent week- end on Madison Street. Nicole Christine Burk, from Murfrees- boro, was being sought by the Shelbyville Police Department for criminal homicide after the stab- bing death of Ronald Wade Travis Saturday morning. The incident oc- curred in the parking lot of Gateway Church at 1250 Madison Street. O ffi cers arrived at the scene at 8:01 a.m. Sat- urday. Violent weekend on Madison Street Planning commission deals with facts BY MARK MCGEE mmcgee@bedfordcountypost. com T he late Morton Renegar made a statement that still resonates with Warren Landers. As chairman of the Shelbyville Regional Planning Commission Renegar thought the commission was not properly named. “He said, `we don’t plan squat’,” Landers recalled. “We are a reaction committee. And a lot of that is true. But since then some of that has changed. We have started planning more.” Renegar passed away in No- vember of 2012. Landers was named chairman to replace Ren- egar and has held the position since then. Landers said the planning com- mission’s mission is sometimes misunderstood. They make deci- sions or recommendations based on the details presented to them. The commission members have rules that have to be followed in making decisions. In the words of Joe Friday on the old “Dragnet” show, “just the facts” is what they want. Tennessee Code Annotated has several codes the planning com- mission must follow and dictate what can and cannot be done. “Sometimes we have to go by what we are allowed to do and what we are not allowed to do,” Landers said. “A lot of people think as the planning commission we have the authority to say we like this subdivision because it is going to be beautiful but we don’t like this one. “Or we don’t like this devel- oper, but this guy over here is a pretty good guy. It is not that way at all. We cannot pick and choose.” In addition to the TCA laws, the commission must follow the requirements set forth in the city’s comprehensive plan. “The plan can be updated at any time,” Landers said. “Every four or fi ve years, sometimes three, things change. Lately things are changing pretty rapidly in Shelbyville.” The focus of the commission has changed as the growth in the city has escalated. “For a long time it was about Main Street and Highway 231,” Landers said, “Now it is every- where. The big elephant in the room now is going out on Union 1 # Bedford County Post Best VOTE TODAY Nicole Christine Burk By ZOËWATKINS A nyone who has visited or driven through Shelbyville’s Historic Square has probably no- ticed the sca ff olding at 118 Public Square East. When owner Watson McCollis- ter noticed bricks buckling out of the front, he called in a contractor to do the work. “I feel a responsibility to this 135-year-old building that has been there for a long time and was- - and still is--a beautiful building,” McCollister told The Post. “There was an issue. Bricks were bowing out and they probably had been bowing out for decades.” Originally, Bogle Construction of Murfreesboro was hired to reno- vate the front wall and sca ff olding was supposed to be up for about one month. For reasons undis- closed at this time, Bogle did not complete the work. But there is light at the end of the tunnel for McCollister and his nine commercial tenants residing in it, which include Shelbyville sta- ple Pope’s Cafe. Dowdle Construction Group, the same company doing work at the old Kyle Bonding Building— which is set to become a Grind- stone Cowboy—has taken up where the previous contractors left o ff . “They have a lot of experience doing historic work. I am extreme- ly excited they’re coming in and very con fi dent in their ability to remedy the situation,” said McCol- lister. Preserving the building’s 135 years of history is a reason why people like McCollister take the time and money to upkeep main- tenance. “I feel con fi dent that what we’re going to be left with is a building that looks like it did before. Main- taining the architectural character of the building is really important to me. That character is one of the reasons I bought it,” McCollister said. And he expects a “very exten- sive” tie-back system to be imple- mented, so once the bricks are positioned back, they will stay for another 200 years. Delayed project on the Shelbyville Square Despite the construction work, the businesses at 118 Public Square east are open for business. –Photos by Zoë Watkins See Project, Page 11A See Facts, Page 11A See Violent, Page 11A Duksan Electera’s new Shelbyville production facility nears finish line From staff reports D uksan Electera’s new Shelbyville production facility remains on track for a 2024 opening. The project, which broke ground October 2022, will employ 126 of workers from Bedford and surrounding counties. Tennessee is an emerging leader in the production of electric vehicles and their various components. South Korea-based Duksan, a multi-faceted company with extensive experience in the manufacturing of assorted materials and chemical products, will continue that trend at its Shelbyville production facility, where it will produce electrolytes — a critical, stabilizing component in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles. Electrolytes produced by Duksan in Shelbyville will travel from Bedford County to battery production facilities in Tennessee and across the United States. “We are very excited about opening later this year,” said Jinkang Yim, Vice President/Plant Manager, who will be relocating to Shelbyville next month. “This summer will be an especially busy time, but we are con fi dent production will begin in 2024 as planned. All ambitious projects present opportunities and encounter obstacles. Duksan is proud to have successfully navigated its course.” Members of the Shelbyville Central High School Class of 1953 meet twice a year. The location may not always be the same, but the faces usually are. This year, there was a classmate and his wife from Brentwood as well as a one from Murfreesboro who had all missed the October meeting but were able to join their friends in May. There are the twin sisters. One lives in California and flies to Tennessee twice a year to visit her twin who lives in Pinson, Tenn. Another sister joins them for their drive to Shelbyville. There are a handful who live in the area and a few spouses who make every meeting. Weather and health seem to be the only deterrents to their gatherings. Vacations and surgeries are planned around the reunions. Seated, left to right, Gale Prince, Martha Gene Trolinger Cartwright, Madelyn Clanton Cato, Marilyn Clanton Smothers, Ann Crowell Canady; standing, James Brown, Lillard Brown, Jewel Russell Neely, William Cortner. –Submitted photo SCHS Class ‘53 See Duksan, Page 11A