Commentary by Chris Smith, editor-in-chief of Clarksville Now.
Hospitals and flooding dominated the news in Clarksville in 2025, but the year was also punctuated by major job announcements, new retail plans and some political upheavals. Here are the top Clarksville news stories of the year:
1. Hospital crisis flips to promised healthcare hub
After seven decades of struggle as a one-hospital city, with no local competition for major medical care, in only one year Clarksville flipped the script. We are now looking to a future as a health care hub, with two new hospitals under construction and Tennova being taken over by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
It started May 15, when Ascension Saint Thomas (AST), a Nashville faith-based, nonprofit hospital system, announced plans for a 44-bed hospital, expandable to 132 beds, on a site northeast of Exit 11, the current site of Boyd’s Pumpkin Patch. The $148.5 million investment will create approximately 250 healthcare jobs.
Two weeks later, on May 30, TriStar Health, part of Brentwood-based HCA Healthcare, revealed plans to bring an even bigger 68-bed hospital, expandable to 224 beds, to a site on the south side of Tiny Town Road, about 1.5 miles west of Exit 1 of Interstate 24. The $286 million investment will create more than 200 healthcare jobs and serve both Montgomery and Stewart counties.
But in the world of Tennessee health care, you can’t just buy some land and start digging. To open a new hospital, you need approval from the state Health Facilities Commission. And Tennova Healthcare-Clarksville, our 270-bed hospital on Dunlop Lane, tried to stop both plans, saying the competition wasn’t needed. On July 23 in Nashville, after hearing from over 50 often-emotional public speakers in support of AST and TriStar, in a hearing room packed with over 300 people, the Health Facilities Commission approved both new hospital proposals.
| MORE: How we got to Tennova: Clarksville’s hospital ownership history | ANALYSIS
The bad news for Tennova kept coming. In 2021, Tennova had been granted state approval to build an additional 12-bed satellite hospital with a 14-bay ER on Trenton Road. That hospital was never built. On June 4 this year, Tennova announced it was asking to move its plans to build instead at Exit 11, on a 10-acre site next to its existing Sango ER. That site also happens to be next to the planned AST campus. On Aug. 14, the state said no.
Facing local competition for the first time, Tennova’s for-profit owner Community Health Systems shifted gears. The nonprofit Vanderbilt University Medical Center already owned 20% of Tennova, as the circuitous result of the 2005 sale of Gateway Health System into private ownership. In October, CHS agreed to sell VUMC the remaining 80% for $600 million, fully turning over Clarksville’s primary hospital to Vanderbilt, in a deal that should take effect in early 2026.
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Meanwhile, plans for the AST campus keep growing. Joining the hospital in separate buildings on the 96-acre campus will be Tennessee Oncology and Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance along with a Montgomery County EMS station, and, most recently, Lifepoint Rehabilitation hospital.
Local leaders have said the packed year of decisions has ended with not just patching Clarksville’s medical care deficiencies but creating the potential to transform Clarksville into a health care hub for northwest Middle Tennessee, serving neighbors from surrounding counties and across the state line.
2. Historic rains expose flooding problems
In mid-February and mid-April this year, Clarksville saw two historic rain events. While record-breaking in nature, they exposed – or reminded us of – stormwater weaknesses in three key areas of Montgomery County, and solutions have been slow in coming.
Montgomery County received 6.28 inches of rainfall between Feb. 15 and 16, then another 10.1 inches of rain from April 2-6. Those two storms contributed to almost 30 inches of rain by April 8, which was 245% of what’s normal at that point in the year.
Both storms caused a 33-acre flood basin on International Boulevard to spill over its banks. In the Feb. 15 event, stormwater spilled across International Boulevard and flooded the Atlas BX plant across the street. In the April 10 flood, water flowed over the basin and into the flooding Dunlop basin, which then spilled into the Farmington neighborhood.
In the February storm, the flood-plagued Woodstock subdivision filled with water, then iced over. It flooded again in April. Water also inundated flood-prone areas of northwest Clarksville, particularly Elberta Drive and Love Street.
| MORE: Woodstock flooding: How this all started and why big solution was never implemented
City and county governments have undertaken or planned a variety of solutions:
- Woodstock: The City of Clarksville plans to dig out the flood basin and install an overflow pipe to help direct water away from the neighborhood. Long term, the city plans to install a pump that will divert future stormwater out of the neighborhood eastward to a tributary that flows into Spring Creek.
- Farmington: Montgomery County Government plans to spend over $4 million on stormwater improvements in the Dunlop Lane and Farmington subdivisions. In addition to that, to stop flooding upstream from the area, the Industrial Development Board has installed two new injection wells at sinkholes in the South Park Hankook Basin, bringing the total to four. They are also excavating that basin to add about 50% more capacity.
- Elberta Drive: Not all of the flooding can be avoided. Since these properties have been known to flood for years, the city has stepped in with a drastic solution, identifying six homes to purchase and demolish, with plans to turn the land into greenspace or parks.
The city has also discussed creating a new stormwater utility, moving responsibility for stormwater planning from the Street Department to Gas & Water, and revising building standards. It’s a plan that makes sense. As Clarksville grows, and as climate change brings more severe weather, these problems are likely to continue or worsen. Proper planning – with better stormwater basins and dedicated greenspace in flood-prone areas – is going to be critical in the decades ahead.
3. 2,600 new jobs coming to Clarksville
Not unlike the rush of hospital news, with back-to-back announcements we saw a surge of business news in December.
On Dec. 10, auto parts manufacturer T.RAD North America announced it will build a plant in Clarksville bringing 928 jobs in a $90.2 million investment. And these jobs will pay well, too. About 825 of the positions will have a starting wage over $21 an hour. The median wage for production associates will be over $23. That’s significantly higher then the current average starting wage in Montgomery County for production associates of $16.56. T.RAD will build its plant across International Boulevard from FedEx.
Just five days later, on Dec. 15, Korea Zinc announced it will purchase Nyrstar Zinc in Clarksville and build a new $6.6 billion smelter on the site. The newly named U.S. Smelter is a partnership with the U.S. Department of War and the U.S. Department of Commerce and is largest single private corporate investment in state history. The facility will process approximately 1.1 million tons of raw materials annually and produce a total of 540,000 tons of finished products – materials essential for chip-making, defense and aerospace. U.S. Smelter will create about 420 new jobs with salaries ranging from $83,000 to $196,000 annually. Construction will begin in 2026, followed by phased commercial operations beginning in 2029.
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It adds up to over 1,300 jobs announced in just one week. With another 500-some healthcare jobs coming through the two new hospitals and over 800 retail positions expected from Freedom Farms, that’s over 2,600 new jobs announced in 2025.
4. Freedom Farms coming with mystery anchor
What’s Freedom Farms you say? That’s the name for the 200-acre development coming to the farmland behind Governors Square Mall all the way to Interstate 24. A major anchor tenant alone will bring 800 jobs, with other tenants including restaurants, a health club, a rehab hospital and dozens of retail shops, plus over 600 apartments and condominiums.
As the project moved through rezoning approvals this fall, speculation was rampant about the identity of the promised discount, big-box anchor tenant, but the public announcement if who it is and what comes next has been delayed.
The City of Clarksville will get a double bonus out of all this: In addition to the new sales tax revenue the project will generate, the developer plans to pay for much of Phase 3 of Spring Creek Parkway, which will go through their property to connect with Ted Crozier Sr. Boulevard.
5. Shifting seats in government after resignations, tragedy
In the world of local politics, we had a series falling dominoes resulting from both resignations and tragedy. They led to vacancies in four of our government bodies.
Green to Van Epps to McLaughlin: On June 9, Congressman Mark Green announced he was resigning, just seven months after his reluctant re-election. He said at the time that he was resigning after being “offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up.” He later told Clarksville Now he’s planning to start his own company, called Prosimos, an initiative designed to help America compete against China.
Green stayed on long enough to vote for President Trump’s budget bill, then the District 7 seat was vacant until a special election could be held. The primary winner was the candidate endorsed by Green, Trump and Gov. Bill Lee: Matt Van Epps of Nashville, a former 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment soldier. Van Epps then defeated state House Rep. Aftyn Behn in the Dec. 2 special election. Democrats found it notable that Van Epps won by only 8 percentage points in a district that Trump carried by 22 in 2024. Republicans found it notable that even with a large slice of Nashville in the mix, the 14-county district remained in their hands. Van Epps will have to run for re-election in 2026, with the primary in August and general election in November.
Van Epps appointed City Councilperson Deanna McLaughlin as his deputy district director. That creates a vacancy in McLaughlin’s Council Ward 2, which will have to be filled in January by a council vote.
Burkhart to Lankford: On Nov. 14, state Rep. Jeff Burkhart died at home at age 63. Burkhart, a Republican, had represented state House District 75 since 2023 and was a longtime Clarksville government leader and businessman. While his loss was felt deeply across state and county government, the steps to replace him had to come quickly, with the Tennessee General Assembly’s next session coming up in January. In a tied vote broken by County Mayor Wes Golden, the Montgomery County Commission appointed fellow Commissioner Michael Lankford to the seat. That appointment leaves Lankford’s commission District 6 vacant, and nominations are being collected ahead of a Jan. 12 commission vote.
Nelson to Crosslin to Crosslin again: On Aug. 26, Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board member Herbert Nelson announced his resignation for health reasons. On Nov. 10, the County Commission appointed Teresa Crosslin to replace him in the District 3 seat over three other applicants. But on Nov. 17, the day she was sworn in, she resigned. It had come to light that she appeared in a 2014 episode of the Showtime show Gigolos, prompting talk of yet another vacancy. But once that became public, Crosslin changed her mind and withdrew her resignation. She attended her first meeting as a board member on Dec. 2.
6. Dunlop House sparks historic preservation debate
Despite how often our downtown is touted as “historic,” comparatively little has been done to preserve that history. Every year, another 100-some-year-old building or home is torn down, often with little notice. But that changed when plans were announced to tear down the Dunlop House at 517 Madison St., built in 1916 on a large lot in what is now downtown.
Over the last few decades, the house has fallen into disrepair. The owner, George Terrell, sold the property to Gracey General Partnership, managed by Jennifer Willoughby. Willoughby owns several nearby properties, including apartments directly across the street.
GGP initially proposed demolishing the Dunlop House. However, after a series of meetings and legal actions, GGP agreed to build around it. In February, they announced plans to create The Joseph, a 92-unit apartment complex and retail center. But historic preservation advocates cried foul and tried to stop those plans as well. After some modifications, the plans were approved in April, clearing the way for construction to begin.
During those discussions, GGP said it would apply to have the Dunlop House added to the National Register of Historic Places. That application moved forward through the state, and it is under review by the U.S. Department of the Interior. That process was delayed by this fall’s government shutdown, and a decision is still pending.
The debate exposed a core problem in Clarksville: We have a few loud voices in support of historic preservation, but to date, those voices have not been backed up by any mechanism to protect historic buildings or to pay the often-mindboggling cost of restoration or renovation. In short, we can’t demand that private property owners preserve history without finding a way to help cover the costs.
7. National DEI, gender politics hit home
In Clarksville, home of Fort Campbell, we’re accustomed to military wars hitting home. But this year a few of the culture wars hit home as well, in part because of Fort Campbell. And in most cases, these pushes to make local hay out of national issues have ended up being reversed.
On Feb. 6, in response to directives from President Trump, DoDEA sent out a letter “to ensure compliance with executive orders and recent DoD guidance” regarding race and gender. In response, Fort Campbell Schools told teachers had to remove all bulletin boards that reference Black History Month and Black leaders. School librarians had to remove all books that mention slavery, the civil rights movement or the treatment of Native Americans. At one elementary school, that amounted to hundreds of books in several stacks, filling rolling carts. Some Fort Campbell families responded with a lawsuit. On Oct. 20, a federal judge found that the government’s “partisan interest” violated students’ First Amendment rights. The judge ordered Fort Campbell to halt its “book quarantines” and restore access to previously removed materials.
In response to a similar set of federal orders, in April, Austin Peay State University proposed several changes to its Equal Opportunity, Harassment and Nondiscrimination Policy to remove protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity; to remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) language; and to remove references to affirmative action. The final document approved in July, however, did preserve protection from sexual harassment on the basis of “sexual orientation, and/or gender identity.”
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APSU ended up at the center of things again on Sept. 12, when Darren Michael, a tenured professor of theatre, was terminated for resharing a post on social media following the Charlie Kirk shooting. The firing led the APSU Faculty Senate to take up a vote of no-confidence in the university president, but that was voted down. The firing was later changed to suspension when the administration realized they hadn’t followed the correct process to dismiss a tenured professor. On Dec. 30, citing the same reason, APSU reinstated Michael.
Another Clarksville resident, Monica Meeks, was fired from the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance in September following a social media comment about Charlie Kirk. On Dec. 11, the national nonprofit the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression filed a federal lawsuit seeking her reinstatement and damages.
8. Coach leads prayer rally, faith chants from sidelines
During a Sept. 5 football game, Northwest High School assistant football coach and MCSO School Resource Officer Trey Campbell was looking to make a difference in the lives of students. But how he went about that – and whether he crossed the line – set off a controversy in Clarksville.
Campbell repeatedly read Scripture from the sidelines, waved his Bible and led students in faith-based chants, according to the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. He was asked to stop behavior that witnesses described as “extreme,” “defiant” and “unreasonable.” Instead of stopping, he left the game, CMCSS said. But Campbell told Clarksville Now he was given an ultimatum that he refused.
Amid the investigation and a review of video footage, as a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office SRO, Campbell was put on paid administrative leave; as a volunteer coach, he was not allowed to return to the sidelines. Eventually, he was removed from his coach role, and he shifted to the MCSO patrol unit as a deputy, leaving his job as an SRO.
9. Government shutdown hits 8,500 local families
On Oct. 1, thanks to partisan political nonsense between Democrats and Republicans in Congress, the U.S. government shut down. In many parts of the country, it may not seem to matter. But in Clarksville, it’s a life-changing event. While Congress worked to limit the impact on active-duty military families – with 30,100 of them at Fort Campbell – federal workers weren’t so lucky. People tend to forget that there are 8,500 civilian employees at Fort Campbell, most of whom live in Clarksville, and their paychecks stopped.
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Those federal employees include critical workers who had to stay on the job, such as Fort Campbell Schools teachers and Blanchfield Army Community Hospital nurses. After nearly a month and a half without a paycheck, some of those nurses were desperate for help with groceries. Adding insult to injury, some were turned away from food drives at Fort Campbell because they aren’t military. Even after the shutdown ended, its impact continued across the community, as it depleted the shelves of Clarksville’s nonprofit food banks, just ahead of the holiday season.
10. Firefighters rise up to demand better pay
Every year is a battle year when it comes to budgets at the Montgomery County Commission and the Clarksville City Council. But this year, one group of employees made their skirmish quite public. Clarksville firefighters, their families and supporters organized a grass-roots push for better pay, citing that Murfreesboro firefighters, for example, are paid over 25% more.
For this year’s budget, Mayor Joe Pitts initially proposed a 15-cent property tax increase, raising the rate of 88 cents per $100 of assessed value to $1.03. That budget included a 2.5% wage increase for all city employees. After objections from the City Council, the mayor’s office cut funding for the Frosty Morn project, eliminated all new hires and made several other cuts to bring the tax increase down to 4 cents. The budget maintained the 2.5% raise for all employees.
The council continued conversations about firefighter pay, but they narrowly voted against a pay study for both firefighters and police officers. During the debate, Councilman Brian Zacharias made a salient point about pay comparisons that have been made between Clarksville, Murfreesboro and Chattanooga – both cities that pay firefighters considerably more: Chattanooga’s budget is $345 million, and they spend $1,905 per citizen. Murfreesboro’s budget is $283 million, and they spend $1,854 per citizen. Clarksville’s budget is $170 million, and we spend only $897 per citizen.
It’s nice to have low taxes, but that comes at a price, and that price is being paid in part by the families of our firefighters and police officers.
But don’t forget …
Here are 10 more key stories from 2025:
1. North Branch Library, new Animal Services shelter welcome first visitors | PHOTOS
3. City finalizes deal to purchase Clarksville Speedway for $7 million
4. County clearing trail for greenway, hoping to connect Clarksville, Ashland City
5. ‘Cellphone blackout’ approved for CMCSS schools starting this fall
6. City decides to not rebuild New Providence Indoor Pool, use insurance proceeds for Swan Lake park
7. Performing Arts Center plan updated to demolish Roxy building, re-create ‘yellow box’ front
8. Millan Public Parking Garage opens downtown with over 500 spaces | PHOTOS
9. CTS details planned new downtown location for bus Transit Center | PHOTOS
10. Gary the Guardrail lives on in final resting place at O’Connor’s Pub | PHOTOS
In memoriam
Here are some of the notable locals that Clarksville lost during 2025:
- State Rep. Jeff Burkhart, longtime government leader, dies at 63
- Ralph Payne, founder of Queen City College in Clarksville, dies at 87
- Ann Ross, longtime APSU bookstore manager, philanthropist, dies at 94
- Sheila Runyon, real estate, community leader, dies at 85
- Dr. Harold Vann, former chief at Gateway hospital, businessman, dies at 95
Christian Brown and Jordan Renfro contributed to this report.
| PREVIOUS YEARS IN REVIEW:
- 2024: Amazon, DoubleTree by Hilton, Rhonda the Roundabout
- 2023: F&M Bank Arena, north Clarksville tornado, Haven Madison
- 2022: Housing prices, sidewalks at schools, LG Chem
- 2021: Winter storm, mask debates, Justin Sawyer search
- 2020: COVID shutdowns, BLM protests, trailer park evictions
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