Hello all this wonderful Independence Day week. How the heck are you?

Well let's get down to business. The Smyrna town government will be shut down for Friday the 4th. Meeting wise it will be rather fun...for me.

Sister City Committee: July 1, 2008 -6:00 PM
Beautification Committee: July 1, 2008 - 6:30 PM
Planning Commission: July 1, 2008 - 7:00 PM
Storm Water Advisory Committee: July 3, 2008 - 6:00 PM

The July 3rd Storm Water Advisory Committee will be our last meeting un televised. Seems with our new storm water ordinances the need for the way the meetings are carried out to be changed. That means my ugly mug will be up on the stand.

Around town or in the near distance(the distance I list has been shortened due to gas prices. Ouch!)

Celebration Under the Stars
July 04, 2008
Held on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University(intramural field) Festivities will kick off at 5 p.m., Free admission. From 5 to 8 p.m., there will be games and activities for the kids, including face painting, games, and arts ‘n’ crafts projects. Rep. John Hood, program emcee, will extend a formal welcome at 7:50 p.m., followed by remarks from local dignitaries and sponsor representatives. At 8:00 p.m., following the presentation of colors by the Murfreesboro Fire Department’s Color Guard and singing of the national anthem by MTSU Associate Professor H. Stephen Smith, the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra will present a program of traditional patriotic tunes, rousing Sousa marches, and inspirational classics. Dr. Raphael Bundage, professor in the MTSU School of Music, will conduct. The fireworks display will light up the sky at 9:00 p.m. Contact: Marlane Sewell, Parks and Rec, 615-893-2141

Stones River National Battlefield is busy with two activities this coming weekend you might want to plan for.

Reminiscing in Blue and Gray Tours
July 05, 2008
Held at the Stones River National Battlefield, 3501 Old Nashville Highway, Murfreesboro. Visitors will be able to tour the battlefield and share the stories of Union and Confederate soldiers. Contact: Stones River National Battlefield, (615) 893-9501

Hallowed Ground: A Lantern Light Tour of the Stones River National Cemetery
July 05, 2008
Held at the Stones River National Battlefield, 3501 Old Nashville Highway, Murfreesboro. Hallowed Ground is an hour long tour through the Stones River National Cemetery. Visitors will learn to look beyond the stones and into the stories of the men and women who felt the impact of war. Reservations are required and must be made by phone starting at 9:00 a.m. the Monday preceding the program. Contact: Stones River National Battlefield, (615) 893-9501

For kids who like big fuzzy things, the Smyrna public library has something for you.

Tuesday July 1st.
Snowbird to visit Toddler Time at Smyrna Public Library: 10 a.m., for children ages 2 and 3. 400 Enon Springs Road W., Smyrna. 615-459-4884.
Wednesday July 2rd
Scott Tripp, magic and balloons to visit Smyrna Public Library: 10 a.m. Library located at 400 Enon Springs Road W., Smyrna. 615-459-4884.

The month is almost over and car emission testing sites are full, but since they ALL will be closed on the 4th, please prepare for even longer lines then normal.

Well that's the basic roundup for this week in Smyrna. If you have an event you would like mentioned please do not hesitate to email me at the contact link at the top right of this web page.

Smyrna Gun Show

Just returned from the Smyrna Gun Show and spent to much of mine, and my brothers money.

I purchased a few hundred 12 gauge 00 shells in two ammo cans for my shotgun, and my brother purchased a Ruger P345 .45ACP semi-automatic, a rigid holster, and 100 rounds of Winchester White box for it. I am very proud to have helped him select his first handgun. That's what big brothers do.

The filled to capacity parking lot at first worried me that things would be crowded I wheelchair for long trips and the large numbers of tables made it very comfortable there. A bit humid and warm due to the weather, but nice. Nice people, nice firearms, and a realization that I did not have enough money for all the stuff I wanted to purchase.

Tazers, swords, flick knifes, guns, rifles, shotguns, big .50 calibre rifles, and ammo galore. The show has everything your gun loving heart could desire, and more.

The gun show runs through tomorrow night and costs 10 dollars to get in. Go know. I saw one .380 Hi-Point for $110 dollars. While not the best, a good first time firearm.

Today and tomorrow

event over

A new bar in Smyrna

Smyrna has a new bar I would like to introduce you too.

Chameleons Lounge Smyrna TN Alternative bar!!!!!!!
HI, We finally have a alternative bar in Smyrna, TN. Who woulda thunk it!!!!!! Here is a short video of the bar. Please note all people in this video gave me permission to take a video of them. Don't worry, if you stop on in I will not throw a video camera in your face LOL!!!! Enjoy the video.

Great. A comfortable and friendly looking business. We could use more of them.

DIRECT VIDEO LINK

Careful what you ask for.

Whenever people talk about the future of this county and its growth, one dream keeps getting mentioned. Fast Rail! They always bring up the glory that is the fast rail for Lebanon.

Sadly the 'glory' that is fast rail is falling short of any projected number, and may cost the area a lot of money during these troubled economic times.

The Music City Star's money problems can be traced to its first year of operation, when passenger ticket sales came in $800,000 below projections and unanticipated costs, including high insurance premiums, drained its budget.

Now, as its parent agency scrambles to fill a $1.7 million hole in next year's budget, the U.S. government is watching intently.

The Federal Transit Administration, which invested more than $30 million in the 2006 startup of the Lebanon-to-Nashville commuter line, would demand its money back from the Regional Transportation Authority and the return of all assets if the Music City Star were to stop running, it wrote in a letter to local authorities this week.

What the federal government gives, it can also take away so very easily, leaving the tax payers on the hook for a good dream, but a fiscally impractical approach.

Take a moment next time the areas future is discussed and remember Lebanon. The light rail of Lebanon does make it seem cheaper to travel on it then by car, because your expenses are paid for by our tax money through a myriad number of agencies.

Going, going...?

The town of Smyrna is auctioning off a piece of property in the downtown area. On it sits the Smyrna Rescue Squad and another structure.

Being sold through ebid the land currently has one bid for $187,255.00 placed by the Smyrna Church of Christ. I'm not sure of what will happen to the rescue squad as the church has voiced its desire for the land to use as parking.

There was an initial attempt to do a land swap but that fell through for many reasons.

While the Smyrna Church of Christ is not anywhere near the size of some Mega-Churches, I have always wondered how big churches can function as a community over a certain size.

Alert!

From the WGNS website.

THE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION HAS ISSUED A CODE ORANGE HEALTH ADVISORY FOR AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR RUTHERFORD COUNTY ON TUESDAY. THE CODE ORANGE HEALTH ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ELEVATED LEVELS OF OZONE. POLLUTANTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE UNHEALTHY RANGE FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS.
THE TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION RECOMMENDS THAT ACTIVE CHILDREN AND ADULTS, AND PEOPLE WITH LUNG DISEASE SUCH AS ASTHMA, LIMIT PROLONGED OUTDOOR EXERTION.

fight, fight...maybe

My brother told me that someone in Smyrna is passing around a petition to get a referendum on this years ballot to allow liquor stores in Smyrna. While I hope they gets the required number of signatures to put the issue on the ballot, the strong views of the voters in Smyrna likely will vote it down as they did in the package liquor sales vote of two years ago.

I say use the economy to their advantage/ It would save people money on gas as they would not have to drive to City Limit Liquors to purchase their booze, and increase the chance of road accidents. Sounds like a winner to me.

This week in Smyrna is a slow one with few meetings and no real big activities that I can find.

The town government has planned the following.

Next Town Council Workshop is: June 26, 2008 - 7:00 PM
Historic Zoning Commission: July 28, 2008 - 5:00 PM

No agenda posted for the town workshop, but when they post it, so will I.

The town has posted the date and times for the July 4th celebration. It will be July 5th. I'll post more closer to the date.

This coming weekend Smyrna will be host to the RK Gun Show at the expo center. June 27-29th and I sure hope to be there.

Other then that the week is light on big activities. If you have something you would like posted please do not hesitate to email me and bring it to my attention.

Is Smyrna ready for...?

The truth is that we live in perilous times. There is no getting around this fact. Environmental, foreign, and economic issues bring worry and fear into our lives and sometimes the government seems to be stirring the pot.

While people are loosing faith in the federal government, local efforts to prepare us for problems are happening regularly. Smyrna will soon take part in one of these efforts and you might want to volunteer.

The Office of Homeland Security, Tennessee Department of Health and General Physics Corporation will hold the 2008 Cities Readiness Initiative at Smyrna High next month to educate you on what to do in the event of an emergency.

A total of 1,000 volunteers are needed to help test the community's ability to dispense medicines in the event of a large-scale public emergency. Each volunteer will receive a T-shirt and lunch.

Mark your calendar for July 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A reader of this blog sent this to me and I have never found a good place to put it until now. Seems people other then the government have thought hard on what could happen and how to prepare.

Uncle Sam says "Spam your family, friends, and colleagues..."

"And you might want to stock up on some for your cupboard, as well!"

Okay, maybe they didn't say it so many words, but they have released a sample "chain" e-mail for you to use to spread the word about Pandemic Influenza Preparedness. It looks like the federal government is planning to fight a potential global viral illness with a viral marketing scheme. Hmm... This "chain" e-mail is one of the documents from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Pandemic Flu toolkit, recently released in the "Take the Lead" campaign at pandemicflu.gov. Innovative? Or ill-considered? Is there a more effective way to get this job done? Viral marketing is being used to promote all kinds of causes these days and often with good results. How do you feel about such an important message from your government being delivered via e-mail by proxy?

Here's the sample e-mail(pdf).

XIII. Sample "Chain" E-mail
The threat of a flu pandemic is real. It is not a question of IF it will occur, but of WHEN it will occur. You need to be ready to take care of yourself and your family during a flu pandemic.
Preparing now will make it easier for you and your family during a pandemic. Here are a few quick tips:
Stock up on food, medicines, and supplies. You should have enough for 2 weeks!
Improve your health habits. Sneeze and cough into a tissue or your sleeve and wash your hands with soap and water frequently.

Have a plan. Know what you plan to do if schools are dismissed, if you can't go to work, or if a member of your family becomes sick and needs care.
Now that you're preparing, do you know if your friends and family are?
Help spread the word about flu pandemic preparation! Send this message to your friends and family.

For more information on how to get prepared, visit
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/individual/checklist.html

Thanks to R.L. Smith for this email.

You don't need to have camoflauge and guns to do a little basic preparing for yourself and family.

This smyrna drill might be an educational experience for all.

Summer Solstice.

Today is officially the first day of summer. To me the heat implies that it has been here for a while already.

Job openings in Smyrna

The government has created some job openings in Smyrna the old fashion way. They arrested the old employees.

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided at least three businesses owned by restaurant entrepreneur Stanley Wang on Tuesday, including The New Famous Chinese Restaurant in Nashville, Chef Wang's in Murfreesboro and the Famous Chinese Restaurant in Smyrna.

About 50 suspected illegal immigrants were identified and detained during the sweep, Nashville-based Assistant United States Attorney Lee Deneke said in a statement issued Wednesday. Those detained were citizens of Mexico, the People's Republic of China, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The discussion on the article and this one is lively.

Smyrna Police. Do not read this

In the last town hall meeting the subject of gas usage by the police department was discussed. Seems a lot of the electronics in a police car require the engine to be running for them to.

I hope no officers read this and suggest this to Chief Arnold.

The surging price of gasoline has come to this: a "fuel surcharge" on your next speeding ticket.

Drivers caught speeding in this north Atlanta suburb soon will have to pay an extra $12 — to cover $4-a-gallon gas costs for the police officers who stop them.

The City Council passed the fee hike, effective July 1, to offset fuel prices that have eaten up nearly 60% of the police department's 2008 fuel budget, Police Chief Ken Ball says.

He expects the fee increase, which applies to all moving violations and can be rescinded if gas prices fall below $3 a gallon, to generate $19,500 to $26,000 a year for the town of 7,700.

I know that I have cut back on travel due to the price of gas. I have not gone to M'boro in a few weeks due to the beast's(my 79 Suburban 3/4 ton truck) consumption of fuel.

What are they?

My brother is in basic training in the military and each of his letters have requested us to mail him. A bit lonely I guess. Instead of full letters I was going to get him with a high number of postcards.

We went to(name withheld to protect store)and when my wife asked the teller where the postcards were the lady replied "What are they?" It seems she had never heard of postcards as my wife had to explain them to her.

Am I dang old and postcards are a thing of the pre-email past? grumble.

Front Street Historical District

The results for the May 27th public workshop on possible expansion of the historical district lead the town government and historical committee to decide not to move forward with plans on expanding.

The workshop was the first of its kind I have been to and it was rather informative. Small groups were asked the following two questions. "What do you like about your neighborhood and what could be improved" was one with the standard answers heard throughout history.

The second question was "In your opinion, what are some pros and cons to expanding the district". A good question

Pros.
Possible voluntary local landmark designation
Possible voluntary deed research group
Possible Financial incentives
Potential resource center at library for materials, websites etc.
May keep developers from rezoning to commercial
Protect property with new guidelines

Cons
Affordability (high cost of making changes)
Doesn't allow for individual choice
Need permission for changes to personal property
What is local government's primary goal?
Limited possible buyers
Hurt resale value
Like homeowners association without any benefits
Restrictions too tight
No exceptions for emergency repairs
Deter redevelopment
Higher property taxes
Doesn't allow for individuality

Several of these "cons" makes my little "small government" heart go all aflutter. People even in all ranges of social and economic levels can see easily the spread of government into too many realms.

The last page of the workshop report stated

"The Front Street historic district expansion public workshop concluded with a show of hands (called for by a participant) of those present who opposed expansion of the historic district. Nearly every present was opposed. A few supported expansion as long as the guidelines were changed"

I had left by then, but a round of applause to the one who called for the show of hands.

Our town government is having two meetings this week.

Parks Advisory Board: June 17, 2008 - 6:00 PM
Board of Zoning Appeals: June 19, 2008 - 5:00 PM

No agendas posted but will keep an eye out.

The town also sent out a letter announcing that the historical district expansion has been voted down. I'll post more on this isssue in another post.

In local cultural events there are two nice activities this coming weekend you might want to plan for.

International Folkfest 2008
June 21, 2008
Held around at Cannonsburgh Village, 312 South Front Street, Murfreesboro, 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Free admission, Fun and exciting all day celebration with dance and music groups from all over the world, including our very own Rutherford County Cripple Creek Cloggers. Contact: Steve Cates, (615) 896-3559

Hallowed Ground: A Lantern Tour of Stones River National Cemetery
June 21, 2008
Held at the Stones River National Battlefield, 3501 Old Nashville Highway, Murfreesboro.Hallowed Ground is an hour long tour through the Stones River National Cemetery. Visitors will learn to look beyond the stones and into the stories of the men and women who felt the impact of war. Reservations are required and must be made by phone starting at 9:00 a.m. the Monday preceding the program. Contact: Stones River National Battlefield, (615) 893-9501

In local events the town announced that there will be some roads closed and moved.

Enon Springs Road at Richland Avenue will have lane shifts beginning Monday, June 16, 2008. Richland Avenue will be closed between Enon Springs Road and Highland Avenue for a minimum of 7 days (except for local traffic and emergency vehicles.) Traffic to and from Richland to Enon Springs will not be permitted. Please use Highland Ave. or Mason Tucker Dr. as alternate routes and allow extra time to your destination.

Two other lane shifts are on Enon Springs Road near Mason Tucker Drive and east of Ross Drive to allow for the start of milling and paving on the project.

Have a good hot week.

MTB&P Meet-Up is this Saturday!!!!!!!!

Yes, I know it’s late notice and I know that gas prices are sky-high. But if you’re in or around the Smyrna area Saturday and want to hang out with some of MIddle Tennessee’s bloggers and podcasters, we’d love to see you.

The meeting will take place this Saturday, June 14th at 2 p.m. CST at Espresso Joe’s.

Driving by Espresso Joe’s the other day, I saw it is under new management. So, hopefully it will be around as a place to meet for years to come.

Here’s some more detailed info on where Joe’s is…

901 Rock Springs Road
Map This Location
(615) 220-2870

Less then 30 seconds

That is all it took to verify something to my liking. I posted on the issue that the Smyrna Town Government had not put online the budget that they will be voting on. I wanted to check something out.

In less then 30 seconds I typed into Google "Nashville metro gov", went to the Metro main page, saw the word "citizen's budget", and saw as the first listing under "documents and resources" on the citizens page the line that said "budget pdf format" where all the budgets since 2002and the proposed budget for the 2008-2009 years are ALL listed.

Smyrna should not vote on ANYTHING until it is easily available for everyone to read at their leisure without having to "pay to play".

It is time that Smyrna enters the electronic era where information wants to be free...not purchased.

One, Two, Three. What are they voting for? Don't ask me I...simply don't know

In the meetings of the town of Smyrna the Tuesday town council meeting will have the second and FINAL vote for the town budget. As the title of this post implies I find again the total lack of an online presence of information on what should be considered very important. Important enough to go out of your way to make getting this information as easy as possible.

The Town Council for the Town of Smyrna will hold a public hearing on June 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at Smyrna Town Hall, 315 South Lowry Street, in order to receive public opinion prior to considering on second and final reading an ordinance adopting the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008 and ending June 30, 2009.

I openly stated on this blog about being impressed with the online nature of the new storm water ordinances and how the town government handled it. I can't say that this time.

Here we have the budget for the whole town that will affect taxes, and future development for each and every one of you, and the only way to get it...I guess, would to go to the town hall and purchase a copy on CD. I feel the need to repeat myself about the ease of posting pdf's and such, but the town government knows this because of the Storm Water ordinance page.

The availability to easily get information is a failing that the electronic age generation notices. Even if tomorrow a town employee fixes this 'failing' it would only give the citizens of Smyrna a bit over 24 hours to review the budget for the next year.

This week the town council only has a couple of meetings of record.

Next Town Council Meeting is: June 10, 2008 - 7:00 PM
The Town Council for the Town of Smyrna will consider on first reading an ordinance relative to the storm water user fee on June 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at Smyrna Town Hall, 315 South Lowry Street.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The Town Council for the Town of Smyrna will hold a public hearing on June 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at Smyrna Town Hall, 315 South Lowry Street, in order to receive public opinion prior to considering on second and final reading an ordinance adopting the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008 and ending June 30, 2009.

I'll post the agenda below.

The second meeting is the project assistance.

Project Assistance: June 10, 2008 -5:30PM

On the non-government side this week we will be getting a bit more chubbier as BBQ is in town.

5th Annual Tennessee Heritage BBQ Festival
Held at the Sam Davis Home and Museum, 1399 Sam Davis Road, Smyrna. Event includes professional and amateur barbeque cooks vying for cash prizes along with entertainment, crafts, good food, living history demonstrations and lots of family fun. Contact: Sam Davis Home and Museum, (615) 459-2341
www.tennesseeheritagebarbecuefestival.com

more

I loved the one last year but have to admit my BBQ heart is stuck in the giant Owensboro BBQ festival. Forgive me Smyrna.

This week it came to my attention by way of one of the DNJ's new blogs by Taylor Loyal that the Lamplighter's Theatre is going to be putting on a play that deals with a small and mostly unknown piece of American history.

Next weekend (June 12 - 15), there's going to be a great play in Lamplighter's Black Box Theatre -- a smaller room upstairs that features more personal productions.

The play is called The Andersonville Trials. It's a historical courtroom drama about the only soldier in the Civil War to be tried of war crimes, convicted and hanged.

The director, Mike Parker, is a veteran. He told me the play is designed to be entertaining, but also to raise some ethical questions.

More can be read on Andersonville here.

Well that is a basic roundup of what is happening in Smyrna this week.

2008-06 10TCA - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: 2008-06 10TCA

Request for recommendation

Local reader needs some work done, and would like your suggestion on who to go to for the work.

Hi! I've seen the call for recommendations for auto repair on the blog, would you be able to do the same thing for general contractors/home repair? I'd like to support a local business, but would prefer recommendations. I've got some termite damage and need a few studs, subfloor and drywall replaced.

Thanks!

Lisa

Well people? I'm stumped because the one contractor I could recommend quit the business.

A small service.

We received this week a request that we are happy to perform.

The first is from a traveller in our state who needs help.

My name is Robin Edmunds, and I am witting you from Huntington, WV. My family along with our wonderful dog name Jaeger (yeager) was in Mt Juliet over the weekend visiting relatives. Jaeger was accidentally let out of the house on Saturday night, May 31, 2008. We have been searching for him since. My husband and I had to return to WV Monday and reluctantly left our two kids and their friend there in Mt Juliet searching for our big brown dog. I was hoping that there would be some way to get his story out in the area, He is so far from home, and without the right help, I fear we will never find him. We are all heart broken.
I am enclosing a picture of him, along with a few details about him as well. Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to offer. Even just forwarding this email to folks that live in and around your community would be a great help. We are offering a $500.00 reward for his safe return! Our phone numbers are 304-634-6552 304-634-6558 and 304-733-6552 If you'd prefer, I could give you a list of names and numbers of folks down in Mt Juliet that are looking for us in our absence.

Sincerely,
Robin Edmunds

Details

My name is Jaeger. pronounced Yeager. I am a neutered, 4 year old male Lab/mix dog with a black tongue and gold eyes. I am wearing a green collar with the word MARSHALL written in white on it. I am about 75 pounds I am very friendly and smart. I was lost on Stewarts Ferry Pike, on Saturday May 31, 2008 at aprox. 9 30 pm. I have been spotted several times, but my owners are always a few hours behind me. I am from West Virginia and I need help to find my way home

Dogs travel and this family could really use your help.

I saw lots of police at Wal-Greens today

I was sitting at the light on Old Nashville Hwy and Sam Ridley today when about 5 police cars and under cover cars raced by and went into the Wal-Greens drugstore's parking lot. I sat there and watched several officers laying back by the front doors with guns drawn. This one lady walked out and the cops must have said something to her for she ran really fast towards her car. Then the suspect came out and the police chased him down and tackled him on the ground. I called Mealand at the DNJ and asked her if she knew what was going on and she stated she hadn't heard but would find out. Later on when I got back home I found out this guy robbed the Pharmacy and the police arrested him. The employees did a great job while this was going on with the store full of customers. I want to say great job for the Smyrna Police dept as well. If you want to read the story and see who did this Jump over to the D.N.J and read more