| How Murfreesboro plans to spend $230 million |
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By: MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Editor
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Posted: Sunday, September 12, 2010 7:27 am
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The new water park at SportsCom was just one of nearly 100 projects the city of Murfreesboro plans to complete by 2014. TMP file photo
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In late August, the city of Murfreesboro released its most recent plan for building and spending, to the tune of nearly $230 million, in the next four years.
Murfreesboro’s 2010-2014 Capital Improvement Plan focuses on the city council’s main goals, providing safe neighborhoods and a high quality of life while keeping an eye on the bottom line, City Manager Rob Lyons said.
“While the city faces constrained resources, the commitment to infrastructure remains a top priority,” he said.
And those top priorities boil down to improvements in everything from the fire and police departments to recreation and roads. So here are the Top 10 (11, because taxpayers need to know where their money is going) projects on the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.
1. Murfreesboro will likely get a new school in the next four years. Planned for the southwest of the city, the school will cost a projected $20.95 million and take pressure off of Scales and Cason Lane elementary schools.
At the time, MCS Administrative Services Director Gary Anderson said previously both Pittard and Scales are both high growth zones and the schools need to be rezoned to make more space in the classrooms.
Building a new school in southwest Murfreesboro is the next step to relieving the pressure of growth.
2. The Great Recession forced the city put several road projects on hold, but Lyons has laid out a plan to make getting around town easier in the coming years.
The city will spend a projected $31.9 million in 2010 to improve roads.
At a cost of $6.4 million, work has begun to realign Manson Pike and Fortress Drive to make it easier for drivers to enter Medical Center Parkway/Mason Pike. The project is scheduled for completion in September 2011.
Other projects include improvements to Haynes Drive, Bradyville Pike, State Route 99 and Cherry Lane.
3. The Cherry Lane improvements are just a down payment on what will come. In 2014, the city plans to spend a projected $10 million to widen the road to five lanes with curbs, gutters and sidewalks.
Then the road will be connected to State Route 840 with a $24.1 million interchange.
The city also has it on the books to reconstruct Rucker Lane and Sulpher Springs Road from 2012-13, as well as complete Joe B. Jackson and Veterans parkways over the next four years.
4. Murfreesboro plans to spend more than $15.4 million to build and equip four new fire stations, as well as replace aging equipment in the Murfreesboro Fire Department, in the next four years.
One station – on Veterans Parkway – has already been completed. Additional stations on Manchester Highway and near Franklin Road are slated for 2013 and 2014 respectively.
The city also plans to relocate the Memorial Boulevard Fire Station to the corner of Lebanon Highway and Cherry Lane for a projected cost of $980,000 in 2014.
“The relocation of (this station) provides better coverage for the northern portion of the city,” Lyons said.
5. The long-awaited Blackman Police Precinct is on the way.
“Due to the rapid growth experienced in the western part of the city, … a physical presence is needed to decentralize personnel, improve response time and provide service to the area,” Lyons said.
Slated for construction in 2011 at a cost of more than $3.8 million, the Blaze drive precinct will be a 24,657-square foot building with new training rooms.
6. MPD will also get a new K-9 training center in 2011.
The city currently has three patrol K-9 units and a certified trainer, but nowhere to train.
The facility will be located in northwest Murfreesboro and include a fenced area and a building for kennels and an office at a cost of $800,000.
7. The Murfreesboro Greenway is more than a glimpse of nature in the middle of the city as it meanders from near historic downtown to Thompson Lane where anyone can run, walk or bike along the banks of the Stones River.
The city has a 10-year improvement plan to expand the greenway’s offerings. In the next four years, a projected $400,000 will be spent to resurface the Lytle Creek and Stones River greenways. A plan to expand the Stones River Greenway in southwest Murfreesboro from the new Cason Lane Trailhead for a projected $1.7 million.
8. Improvements, repairs and renovations to existing parks and offerings – Barfield Crescent Park, Walter Hill Park, Kid’s Castle, Cannonsburgh and SportsCom – are also in the works.
These favorite recreation facilities are aging and need much in the way of repairs.
Kid’s Castle at Old Fort Park, for example, was built 15 years ago and the wooden structure needs to be replaced.
“Due to very high usage, many of the playstructures have been taken out of service,” Lyons said.
High usage at the other parks has also warranted repairs and upgrades where necessary.
9. The city also plans to build a new park in western Murfreesboro to be complete in 2013 for a projected cost of $21.32 million.
Although the exact spot hasn’t been picked yet, the new park will house athletic fields, picnic shelters, playgrounds and trails on a recommended 100 acres.
10. Murfreesboro plans to spend more than $6.7 million on a downtown revitalization project and to rehabilitate storm water drainage on Maney Avenue.
The city plans to spend $636,000 to “enhance the aesthetics of the public areas” of the historic district in downtown Murfreesboro.
The city will also spend more than $4 million to rebuild Maney Avenue between Broad and College streets. The city also decided to beautify the road at the same time by adding on-street parking and sidewalks to make a nice path between two of the city’s biggest tourism draws – The Discovery Center at Murfree Spring and Oaklands Historic House Museum.
11. Over the past 15 years, the city has looked at purchasing surplus property from the Alvin C. York Veterans Administration Hospital. The city has administered the 9-hole golf course there for many years.
The city intends to build a golf course teaching facility on the property in 2014 at a projected cost of $3 million.
“If an agreement with the VA cannot be reached, the city may want to explore a teaching facility at the former dump on (Medical Center Parkway),” Lyons said.
The city plans to pay for a majority of these projects with Tennessee Municipal League loans.
The municipal bonds are borrowed at a variable rate, which is typically lower than the fixed-rate bonds Rutherford County uses to fund projects.
The city’s debt accounts for about 25 percent of the city’s total budget, averaging out to $1,954 per citizen.
Lyons contended these projects, especially the roads, are needed to “open up opportunities for economic development” and maintain a high quality of life.
Michelle Willard can be contacted at mwillard@murfreesboropost.com. |
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