Commentary by Chris Smith, editor-in-chief of Clarksville Now.
When people look back at 2024 in Clarksville, what will they see as the pivotal points, the biggest news, the events that went on to shape this community’s future? It’s time to click through the Clarksville Now archives for the last 12 months and try to make sense of the year that was, along with my own takes on what happened.
1. Amazon ramps up hiring to 1,500
From the day Amazon announced it would build a distribution center in August 2021, local, state and company officials have talked about the facility bringing 500 jobs to Clarksville. Turns out, though, that was only the minimum. The company raised eyebrows in May when it told Clarksville Now it would be filling not 500 but 1,500 positions at the Clarksville center. The company had committed to the 500 jobs for their state and local incentive packages, but they ramped up to triple that. Surprise!
With 1,500 jobs, Amazon becomes Clarksville’s third-largest employer, offering hundreds of entry-level positions every year to balance the increasing number of higher-skill technical and white collar positions coming our way. Including the Amazon opening, Clarksville is expected to add 5,000 jobs from 2024 to 2030.
Lots of communities would sacrifice a generation of their first-born to get this kind of job growth. Meanwhile, much of Clarksville takes for granted that our economy and job creation are booming.
2. DoubleTree by Hilton opens
The newly renovated and rebranded DoubleTree by Hilton Clarksville Riverview, a 156-room full-service hotel, opened in October, filling a critical need for visitor lodging downtown instead of at one of the dozen cookie-cutter hotels at Exit 4.
The old Riverview Inn had once been Clarksville’s preeminent hotel, but it fell into disrepair, then it never reopened after the COVID shutdowns. Plans to resurrect the hotel were first announced in 2022 with a franchise agreement with Hilton as part of its Riverview Square project.
On the outside, the dated beige building was reclad in white. Inside, the new hotel features an upscale restaurant, Harvest Kitchen + Spirits; the 4,000-square-foot Cypress Ballroom with space for 250 people; a lobby bar; a 24-hour fitness facility; and a terrace overlooking the Cumberland River. The rooms have been fully remodeled, with contemporary finishes and fixtures. The first event in the new Cypress Ballroom was the Roxy Regional Theatre Gala 42 on Oct. 5.
This is the hotel we’ve long needed downtown, and it comes with an excellent restaurant and ballroom space. Hopefully that DoubleTree by Hilton stamp will ensure it keeps up to standards for decades to come.
3. Meet Rhonda the Roundabout
This shouldn’t be a major story – it really shouldn’t. But nevertheless, here we are. Starting with some advice offered by Clarksville Now on how to drive a roundabout and the availability of live traffic cameras, Clarksville’s first traffic roundabout became a sensation, even making national news sites.
In August, the city opened its first high-traffic roundabout, at Needmore and Whitfield Roads, with a live city traffic camera broadcasting every move.
The mayhem started with a few confused drivers going the wrong way, driving slowly into oncoming traffic, with their misdeeds recorded off of the traffic camera footage. Before long, the roundabout was named Rhonda, with her own Facebook page to document the traffic troubles. Drivers looking for fun and attention then began doing laps for the camera, in what came to be called the “Rhonda 500.” Some drivers reached several hundred laps before the City of Clarksville, worried about congestion and traffic hazards, had enough and turned off the camera.
City of Clarksville video of the roundabout. (Contributed)
Some of the issues with the roundabout result from its staged opening. As it was being built, drivers going north on Whitfield to take a left on Needmore were directed onto the southwest edge of the circle, effectively going what would later become the wrong way. When the roundabout fully opened, some continued trying to go left, instead of veering to the right. It didn’t help that some directional signage that was meant to help only led to more confusion.
Also, the roundabout was only a portion of the surrounding road improvements. The roundabout opened first, and the city is continuing work on widening both Whitfield and Needmore surrounding the roundabout. The city expects the widened roads to be open before the end of CMCSS winter break, with the project fully done in early spring.
Maybe when the novelty wears off, Rhonda will return to its well-deserved place in the city traffic camera spotlight.
4. Big changes at Governor’s Square Mall
As the national retail landscape continues to shift, Clarksville’s Governor’s Square Mall this year had two major announcements to keep up with the trends.
First was the February announcement that Clarksville would get its own Dave & Buster’s, a popular national arcade and entertainment chain. In November, the much-anticipated Clarksville Dave & Buster’s opened with 160 arcade games, party bays, virtual arenas, VIP rooms, and 180 employees offering food and entertainment.
Second was news in August that the old AMC movie theater in the mall was closing, but there would be a much-better theater taking its place. The mall’s 10-screen movie theater was the oldest still in operation in Clarksville and had increasingly fallen into disrepair. In October, it was announced that after a $5 million renovation, the theater will reopen in May 2025 with new owners and a new name: Phoenix. Phoenix Theatres is promising state-of-the-art Dolby ATMOS sound, 4K Christie Digital Projection, large loveseat-style heated recliners, reserved seating and even self-serve butter stations. They may come to regret that last bit when they see my recipe for popcorn soup.
5. Property values shoot up 65%, tax rates change
Postcards were sent out in May showing the new property values for taxation purposes, and a great many Montgomery County residents got some sticker shock: Property values increased almost 65% since the last valuation five years ago. By comparison, values increased only 23% during the previous reappraisal. We weren’t alone. Surrounding counties saw increases from 53% in Dickson to 73% in Cheatham.
But that doesn’t mean everyone pays 65% more in taxes. Under Tennessee state law, in response to the reappraisal, a new “certified tax rate” has to be issued, reflecting what the rate would need to be to keep the amount of tax revenue neutral year over year. In this case, the certified tax rates dropped for both the City of Clarksville and Montgomery County. The Clarksville rate dropped to $0.7488 (down from the current rate of $1.23), and the county rate dropped to $1.832 (down from $2.99).
Each government then had to either adopt the lower certified tax rate or use the opportunity to set a higher rate to help pay for the cost of growth, funding new roads, additional schools and larger facilities. In both cases, they went for a compromise.
For Montgomery County, a new rate of $2.18 had been proposed. That’s hike from the certified rate, but well below the 2023 rate. After cutting around $9.2 million in proposed spending, the County Commission lowered the proposed rate to $2.10.
As for the City of Clarksville, a new middle-ground rate of $0.88 was proposed and approved on a close vote after several failed amendments.
Some call these tax rate increases, some decreases – it all depends on your perspective. Either way you cut it, one thing is certain: Between market-value increases, inflation, property reappraisal and taxes, it got more expensive to live in Clarksville-Montgomery County this year. Luckily, it’s still far less expensive than most other quality parts of the country.
6. Mason Rudolph debate
In May, the Clarksville Parks and Recreation Department announced that the 43-acre Mason Rudolph Golf Course would be shut down at the end of the month and converted into a public park. The city says the golf course is not used often enough and is too expensive to maintain.
One week later, after a backlash from supporters of the golf course, Mayor Joe Pitts halted the plan and said the city would hear more public input before making a final decision. That decision hasn’t come, but months later there are still “Save Mason Rudolph Golf Course” signs all over the city.
Frustratingly, much of the desire to keep the course is rooted in a desire to preserve history for those who grew up playing there. But is it worthwhile to maintain a 43-acre lawn that no one uses? On the other hand, part of the reason the course isn’t used is because it hasn’t been well-maintained, and there haven’t been strong youth golf programs or other promotion of the course. If the course is ever to become anything more than an open-air museum to fond memories, it will have to have maintenance, programming and promotion.
7. TVA to take down 2 old chimneys
The southwest Montgomery County skyline is about to lose a distinctive landmark with the removal of the orange-and-white-striped, 1,000-foot-tall chimneys at the Cumberland Fossil Plant. The “steam plant” is just over the Montgomery County line in Stewart County on state Highway 149. Highly visible from 149, the two 1,000-foot-tall chimneys were built in 1970 and are two of the tallest in the world. They haven’t been in use since the emissions control scrubbers next to them were installed. Those two newer chimneys will stay, for now.
It was announced in January 2023 that the high-pollutant two-unit, coal-fired plant will be replaced with a natural gas-fueled combined cycle combustion turbine. TVA plans to decommission the two coal-fired units, one by the end of 2026 and the other by the end of 2028.
The plant has employed as many as 400 people and it produces almost 2,500 megawatts of power, making it more powerful than even some nuclear plants. But that power has come at a price in pollution. In 2016, the Cumberland Fossil Plant ranked as the No. 3 air polluter in the nation. Regardless of how you feel about coal and clean energy, we’ve been downwind of this major polluter for over 50 years. Converting to a system that doesn’t put tons of toxic pollution into our air will be good for Montgomery County and Middle Tennessee.
8. Flooding in Clarksville
Several homes across Clarksville suffered severe flooding this spring, ruining homes and property, and also raising questions: Who’s to blame for surges in stormwater, and what can be done about it? Clarksville Now published a series of articles on the matter, documenting the troubles homeowners have had with storm runoff filling their basements. In some cases, the problems have been there from the start, in others after new developments have sent stormwater toward their homes.
In response to the articles and complaints brought to the City Council, the council held a special work session in October to discuss drainage issues, clarify the city’s role, and talk about next steps. Street Department Director David Smith pointed out that Clarksville had two 100-year flood events in May, and that month we totaled 15 inches of rain. That’s 4 inches more rainfall than we had in May 2010, when floodwaters inundated businesses along Riverside Drive. That explains the severity of the flooding this spring, but it’s little consolation going forward considering that climate change is making such severe weather incidents more common.
Several of the problems date to the creation of the housing developments, with homes being built in low-elevation areas. One particular issue is with the Love and Hayes Street neighborhood, which dates to 1962 and wasn’t part of the city limits when the homes were built. It was annexed in the 1980s, with the city inheriting problems it didn’t create.
One possible solution is for FEMA to step in and declare flood plains in affected areas. The benefit is that the homes could be purchased and demolished for the homeowners. The FEMA mapping could result in nearby homeowners being required to purchase flood insurance.
It comes down to this: Too many houses have been built in stormwater runoff areas, too many homeowners are buying such houses unawares, and too many new developments are being built without regard to stormwater runoff. It may not all be the city’s fault, but the city is positioned to do something about it; the community is waiting to hear solutions.
9. Hail storm damages cars, houses
One of those severe spring storms was the one on May 8 that blasted several areas of the city with 2-inch diameter hail. For the following summer, Clarksville became hail-recovery central.
Thousands of cars were pocked with hail damage, and every repair shop in town was kept busy restoring vehicles. PDR, or “paintless dent removal,” shops popped up all over town. Many people had to become quick experts in auto insurance, as cars were either wholly or partially covered for repairs. In many cases, vehicles were totaled, with drivers getting a quick lesson in what that means when it comes to replacement value.
It was also a summer of roof replacements, and many neighborhoods had a constant din of demolition and hammering. Insurance adjusters were kept busy negotiating hundreds of claims.
Everything seems to be back to normal now. But walk through any parking lot in town and you’ll still see lingering evidence, with many cars still pocked with quarter-size dents.
10. Parking garage opens
The City of Clarksville opened its new, 587-vehicle downtown Clarksville parking garage in November. The eight-story garage is at the corner of First Street and Commerce, and a pedestrian bridge connects the garage directly to Franklin Street. Parking in the garage is $1 an hour, or $6 for all-day parking. Paid parking is enforced Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., which means parking is free after 5 p.m. daily and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Opening that garage cleared the way to close the Cumberland Plaza Parking Garage next door. It will be shuttered for about six months for some much-needed repairs.
Construction continues down the street on the 511-space parking garage being built by the Clarksville-Montgomery County Industrial Development Board next to the F&M Bank Arena. The foundation is in, and walls have started rising up. It is expected to open in June 2025.
Adding almost 1,100 parking spaces downtown will address the long-standing complaints about the lack of available parking … no, wait. People are already beginning to nitpick, ensuring that complainers will always find something to complain about, particularly on social media.
But don’t forget …
Here are 10 more key stories from 2024:
1. Council OKs plan for city to purchase Clarksville Speedway: Neighbors have been complaining about racetrack noise for years, it’s in the way of the Needmore Road widening, and the Speedway owners are looking to sell. The stars are aligned for the city to buy the land and create the new Hazelwood Recreation Complex.
2. Buc-ee’s announces plan for new location on Interstate 24: The massive 120-pump station was to go near Exit 1 in Clarksville, but after that didn’t work out, Buc-ee’s found a spot up the road at Exit 89 in Kentucky, bringing much-needed jobs and tax revenue for Oak Grove.
3. Psychology professor, APSU ‘mutually agree’ to end his employment over hate group accusations: Austin Peay State University wasn’t aware of the claims before hiring, but after it came to light and students protested at a Board of Trustees meeting, university officials moved quickly to a severance.
4. Liquor in Clarksville: Council votes to remove limit: A move to end adding any more liquor stores ended up having almost the opposite outcome, with the council removing the restriction of only two new stores per year.
5. Clarksville Today, Scoop Nashville owner dies, leaving behind $364,000 judgment: The arrest mugshot website that put people on blast for minor crimes was shuttered after the death of its owner.
6. Eclipse in Clarksville: 50/50 chance of clear sky: Some clouds ruined the view, but the 97.1% totality in April was still pretty cool.
7. Students panic over lockdown announcement error at Richview Middle: An unfortunate misreading of a script led to panic, with students fleeing into a nearby neighborhood. But we sure learned some lessons that day.
8. Timber Springs neighbors protest creation of homeowners association: In another homebuyer-beware situation, people say the HOA was an unwelcome surprise. Shouldn’t they be informed more clearly at purchase?
9. Woman who gave birth on jail cell toilet sues Montgomery County Jail medical provider: She says she was ignored and mistreated by the medical team on duty. A trial date has been set for December 2026.
10. Following push from parents, CMCSS elementaries create longer recess times: Schools had given only 15-20 minutes of outside recess time, but it’s now extended to 30 minutes, demonstrating the power of parents speaking up.
In memoriam
Here are some of the notable locals that Clarksville lost during 2024:
- John Carney Jr., district attorney for 28 years
- Sherwin Clift, ‘Voice of the Govs,’ golf coach, Realtor, Tennessee Blue Book editor
- Anne Glass, former APSU music professor, organist at Trinity Episcopal for 60 years
- Former Rep. Tommy Head, 9-term representative in Tennessee House
- David Nussbaumer, city leader, Legends Bank co-founder
- Dr. Oscar C. Page, former president of Austin Peay State University
- Bobby Powers, businessman, community leader
- David Till, poet, professor and APSU creative arts leader
Christian Brown, Jordan Renfro and Lily Russell contributed to this report.
Chris Smith is editor-in-chief of ClarksvilleNow.com. Reach him by email at csmith@clarksvillenow.com or call 931-648-7720.