Lee Erwin Reporting
lerwin@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – At their regular session Thursday, February 6 the Clarksville City Council heard from residents living in the Meadows of Hearthstone who are upset about a plan to build a nightclub on Kennedy Lane. A group of homeowners met recently with Mayor Kim McMillan and the Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission to try and stop plans the proposed club.
One resident, Charles Moreland, spoke to the City Council before the meeting and said he was worried about the increased traffic in the area. “We already have a severe and perilous and congested traffic problem at the intersection of Kennedy Lane and Westfield. The nightclub is seen as a setback for the residents and businesses in the general area,” said Moreland.
Moreland added that the intersection is the only way in and the only way out of the housing area and McMillan said the issue had been addressed with the Clarksville Street Department and the city is going to carry out a traffic flow study in the area.
On the new restaurant proposed for Liberty Park, the council voted Thursday to authorize and approve a sub-lease with the developers of the Liberty Park Grill near the Clarksville Marina. The developers said approval of the sub-lease would allow more development and continued growth at Liberty Park.
The developers, Liberty Park Development, plan on breaking ground for the new restaurant on February 10 with the eatery expected to be open by Memorial Day 2014. Work on the restaurant was originally scheduled to begin in December of last year but problems with the soil in the area of the construction caused delays.
The site could see another restaurant, retail business or residential apartments in the future. One restaurant chain that the developers mentioned at the Executive Session of the City Council last week and said they have been in contact with was Mellow Mushroom.
In other council business Thursday, the request from the Fuse Fireworks and Shows to hold a fireworks display for the March of Dimes Best of Clarksville on October 2 was sent back to committee by the council. Members of the City Council Public Safety Committee voiced concerns over the fireworks and had recommended disapproval of the request for the fireworks show.
Councilman James Lewis made the motion for the vote to send the request back to the committee saying the location of the fireworks display had changed since it was first presented to the Public Safety Committee.
The company had originally planned to set off the fireworks in the rear parking lot of O’Charley’s restaurant on Riverside Drive. Justin Grant with Fuse Fireworks and Shows addressed the council before the meeting and talked about the show, the safety procedures involved, and what type of fireworks would be used.
With the request for the fireworks going back to committee Mayor Kim McMillan talked about the committee taking a closer look at the city laws relating to fireworks. “I am going to ask that the Public Safety Committee seriously consider looking at the current ordinance that we have on the books,” said McMillan.
The mayor added that she wants to make sure the city council has the information they need in order to approve the current request or other future requests for fireworks in the city. The mayor indicated that she felt the current ordinance does not provide clear information about fireworks displays within the city limits.
The next meeting of the Clarksville City Council is the Executive Session scheduled for Thursday, February 27 at 4:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at 106 Public Square with the March Regular Session set for Thursday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m.