Portland, Tennessee Blog

JW - I have no idea what or how big, but the Portland Visison Center has a space for rent at the end of their building.

Jw, The accounting firm next to Dr. Littell is moving to a bigger building. I don't know who owns it but it is small and a nice area.

It would make a great office type building. I am actually looking for a small office space to rent myself.....anyone know of anything reasonable priced.

JW
Yes I too thought the building had been sold as I did see a sold sign on it about a month ago, however it was for sale for a very long time and I think alot of us wondered why with it's location to the current city hall why this building didn't get any consideration from the city. Maybe it did, don't know!

Are you all talking about the big brick building behind Food Lion?

If so I believe that building has been sold.

DeeAnna & Amy

I asked the same question about Dr Handals old building on another post "Moving City Hall" and someone replied that the building wasn't up to codes for ADA. I too felt this would of made a nice building for city hall, I would think updating a building such as this to meet ADA would cost a fraction of what they are currently looking at. I know over the past few months there has been construction workers in that building doing something, I am wondering if perhaps they were bringing it up to these codes as it would have to be done for anyone to use it.

Amy...I've wondered about that, too !
Dr. Handal's building would make a really really nice City Hall......I hope someone who has any information about this building will tell us.

On the subject of City Hall moving...what about Dr. Handal's empty office building? Wouldn't that be enough space? Is it for lease/sale?

Ms. Behavin -

Fact #1 - I have NEVER “professed” to be extremely knowledgeable about everything. To say that I have ever made such a claim is an out and out LIE . . . which makes the person saying it a LIAR.
Note: Last month, “another” blogger who penned themselves “THP” did something very similar . . . Showed up out of nowhere . . . Never discussed the ISSUES . . . Made false allegations . . . And said that I “professed” to be quite a researcher.

I ‘m going to add an opinion here: Sounds like you may have an evil twin lurking in the shadows. I do not have a problem with a good debate, but I believe your unprovoked attempt at character assassination of someone you admittedly do not know and in whom you claim to have no personal interest shows more about your character than mine. And if you have lied again and actually do know me, I tend to agree with Daniel . . . Be woman enough to use your real name. ( bawk, bawk, bawk booogeeeeee! )

Fact #2 - You cannot disprove what I have posted about myself because I have been truthful. If you want to know how I manage such a hectic schedule (which I don't think you do since your sole purpose is seemingly to harrass me) . . . Good question! I ask myself that on a regular basis. Even so, I do not see the supposed contradictions in my posts that you referenced. Why? Because there isn’t one to find. Re-read the posts . . . The information is staring you from the computer monitor. If ,after re-reading them, you are still struggling to comprehend, just let me know and I will spell it out for you.

Fact #3- I post on this blog regularly. So what? Last time I checked, it isn’t illegal to THINK . .or to be opinionated. God Bless America!

Two things from the The Leader tonight.

Did you all see the article about the DARE officer that died ? On my way back from Gallatin tonight, there was a police car at the funeral home with the lights going and a black ribbon and a picture of the officer on the police car....I didn't know him, but thought a lot of you all might have known officer William Glenn Bell.

The other thing was on page 8A -- about the City leaders looking into Portland's future growth.
Portland seems to be looking at "enticing wealthy retirees" to move here. Hmmmmmmm.........other than buying up farm land...what would they do here ???

yeah sorry about that but you get the point, thanks for the webster reference though. My spelling may be rather atrocious, but your comments are rather boring...basically what I am saying is if you want to pick on a lady for having an interest in society, at least be woman enough to use your name...bawk bawk bawk...(That's the redneck spelling for the sound made by a chicken...)

daniel,

Better get out the Spellcheck. The word used in the great movie (I agree) "O Brother" is BONA FIDE. It's a Latin phrase used in legal circles, meaning "sincere, genuine, authentic."

...and your spelling is rather atrocious

Michelle is very active in the community, she's always at events and school meetings. She organized a school violence meeting last year. To quote the great movie "O Brother Where Art Thou", "She's bonified, what are you?"

Ms.Behavin

It appears that you have way too much time on your hands.

Perhaps you should seek a job instead of lurking around on a backwoods USA weblog trying to dis-credit people. You attempt is rather feable.

Dear detective ms. behavin

sounds like you picked your blog name for reason
nothing out of the ordinary in those two posts
Over the *years* she spent hundreds of hours volunteering
*460 miles a day* can easily be done in a *7 hour day*
She *started* homeschooling last year which could of been done after work!

Splat I think you fell & thats a fact

Michelle, please don't take my questions to indicate "interest" in you. I have none in you personally. But I do have interest in blog comments from those who post and profess to be extremely knowledgeable on all topics but whose comments don't always appear truthful. My experience has been that if one does that enough they eventually trip up. For example, look at these two posts over a month apart:

Over the years I have spent several hundred hours volunteering, making calls, going to meetings and writing letters. I have always been very involved. I also started homeschooling my youngest child this past school year. (I wish I had started sooner!)
Posted by: Michelle Hanners at June 19, 2007 07:33 PM

Ms. Behavin - I believe I said I drive ALMOST 100,000 miles a year, but to answer your question . . . I own a contract courier business and I actually drive 470 miles a day - Portland, Nashville, Shelbyville, Tullahoma, Chattanooga, Crossville, Cookeville, back to Nashville, then back to Portland. I do this, on AVERAGE, 4 days (or nights) a week. (average meaning that sometimes I drive more days and sometimes I drive less - it depends on my client's needs) And no, your wittiness, I do not blog while driving.
Posted by: Michelle Hanners at July 30, 2007 07:43 PM

Now, you tell us how both of those things can be true. Either your business isn't what you claim, your child isn't getting the education he/she deserves, or both. No sense in getting personal since you don't know me nor I you. Just stick to the facts, okay?

JW- LOL - no I don't drive for DHL - although I'm sure their profit margin is a great deal larger than my teeny weeny little business.

Ms. Behavin - no you haven't confused my comments for someone else's, but I am confused as to what your interest is in me . . . you seem almost obsessed in my every move . . . too funny . . . and yet sad.

Michelle,

You won't happen to drive for DHL would you? I Hope not, I have actually contacted the main office fo this company on numerous occasions because of thier wreckless driving.

As for everyones comments about drivers and traffic issues in Portland. I have said over and over on this blog that Portland has a complete and total lack of traffic enforcement laws. When you can exceed the posted speed limit while driving past the police station, that should be a clue right there.

You want to raise money for the city, just start enforcing the traffic laws around here.

Fowler Ford Road is one of the worst in the area with a posted speed limit of 30MPH. It is very normal to see cars traveling down Fowler Ford Road at very high rates of speed. If you go the spped limit down this road, you will get run down.

All of these things have been mentioned here many may times, yet still we see nothing done about enforcing traffic laws. Maybe its time for a new police chief and mayor.

Michelle, I thought in a previous post related to schools that you said you home schooled one or more of your children. Do I have you confused with someone else's comment?

Ms. Behavin - I believe I said I drive ALMOST 100,000 miles a year, but to answer your question . . . I own a contract courier business and I actually drive 470 miles a day - Portland, Nashville, Shelbyville, Tullahoma, Chattanooga, Crossville, Cookeville, back to Nashville, then back to Portland. I do this, on AVERAGE, 4 days (or nights) a week. (average meaning that sometimes I drive more days and sometimes I drive less - it depends on my client's needs) And no, your wittiness, I do not blog while driving.

The Ice Cream Supper was great !
It was a great supper,complete with drink and dessert...all for $5.00 and for a good cause, The Old Brush Cemetery.
This was the first year I've attended this..it's a great event and will go again next year, for sure.

The Rock Concert was better than expected. The Oblivious Humans put on a great show. I had no idea they write their own music. If you get a chance to see them play, you might want to check them out.

Michelle,

100,000 miles per year??? Do you realize that is an average of almost 400 mi. per day -- day in and day out -- for the entire year! What business are you in? How in the world do you find time to post so often on this blog? You're not blogging while driving are you? Maybe that's the reason Portland drivers are so bad! LOL

So... anyone go to the Rock Concert or Ice Cream Supper this past weekend, how was it??

My two oldest drive and they both were required to study, study, study the Driving Manual, get their permit, trained to drive stick shifts and required to practice over 100 daylight and 50 hours night time hours on back roads, main roads, interstates, city roads in Nashville during “rush hour“, many trips on the Ridge, several times on Monteagle Mountain and I have purposely gotten them lost (with me in the car) and required them to figure out how to get home. They were also required to drive in light rain, storms, snow and ice before I ever let them drive alone. Additionally, they were trained in a variety of different types of vehicles that included compact cars, sedans, sports cars, vans and box trucks.

We also recently enrolled them in a FREE defensive driving course sponsored by Bridgestone called "Driver's Edge" which was taught by professional race car drivers at The Tennessee Highway Patrol in Donelson. Two skills they mastered was driving a high-performance sports vehicle while hydroplaning downhill learning how to regain control of the vehicle without over-correcting, and how to steer while in an emergency braking situation that included obstacles. Very Good Stuff . . . Highly Recommended!

http://www.driversedge.org/

Click on "Watch the Video"

One other thing that the instructors of “Driver’s Edge” put on the table for parents, is the importance of having a WRITTEN contract with your child concerning not driving or riding with someone else who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We all teach our children and at some point we have to trust that they will do the right thing, but it is naive to assume that your own child, or one of their friends will never make a bad decision and that it is IMPERATIVE that we make sure they understand that if they do find themselves in a bad situation , that they can call home and that we will come get them “without punishment and without anger”. This does not equate to condoning illegal behaviors, it’s simply being smart.

Before anyone starts up with the legal and moral lashings, let me just say one last thing: Ask yourself whether you would rather get a call from your child to come them and bite your tongue or , because they are too afraid to call, possibly have a police officer come to your house to let you know you need to pick them up at the morgue.

Michelle, I agree that the 4-way at 52 an 31W is ridiculous. Evidently very few people know how a 4-way stop works. Actually, you are lucky if some even stop at all. I can't tell you the number of times I have seen some just blow right through it.

dsc is also absolutely correct. I have never seen a town with people driving with their LIGHTS OFF during rain as bad as Portland. Like you said, it is THE LAW. If it is raining heavily, you often can't see the car until they are right on you when their lights are off. The turn signal thing? Portland is also HISTORIC when it comes to not using turn signals, or worse yet, turning them on right when they stop to make the turn.....

Oh yeah, one more thing, I can't tell you how many times people just blow through the red light right where the First Baptist Church and the little Farmer's Bank is. I have had my light go green, and watched two or three vehicles just keep on going through....

Mmm mmm mmm...good ole Portland...

I think its cool how when the jerks move out of the neighbor hood all the houses on the street that were for sale immediatly come off the market! Just goes to show how crooked and how big of idiots those people were that moved out!!! Farewell to bad rubbish. They surely will not be missed. We will have a celebration for their departure to celebrate the fact that we don't have to deal with the dumb*** anymore!

I hate to have to show my ignorance here, but how is high school football and the other sports funded ???
Is it all donations from the Quarterback Club?
Or does taxpayer money fund some of it.
Perhaps, the schools need to set some priorities..
since every student will drive...maybe they need to think about bringing back driver's ed.
Not every student will play ball.

And Pre-K -- the state gave away money for that, but Sumner County didn't even apply for any of that money.

Not to sound like a sour puss, but how would you plan to pay for pre-k education and driver's ed? Aren't they complaining about money now? Maybe the driving test should be a little more stringent instead of the cake walk they have in place now.

What we have here is the result of several generations of NO driver's ed; just let Grandpaw take you out on a dirt road somewheres and if you don't go in the ditch, it's time to get your license.

My Goodness! How many of you are aware that there are virtually NO Driver's Ed courses in Sumner Co.? The County offers a course for ONE WEEK each summer in Gallatin, or you can pay the big bucks and hire a driving school in Nashville. And then wonder why drivers in our little burg don't know the rules.

I see you have the same Driver's Ed teachers there as we do here. ;-)

I am completely for ANY road improvements.The population in our town has increased by large numbers since these roads were constructed and many,many need tending too...the 4-way stop at 52/31 needs to be converted into a redlight.. Apparently any moron can pass a drivers test,but yet very few know the laws about 4 way stops..that's right,folks, it means s-t-o-p..not slow down, not yield and then floor it, I dread going that way...I also am shocked at how many folks cannot read simple signs in plain English, the railroad tracks that run along Wheeler and N. Russell (I believe it is Wheeler..whatever road runs next to subway) are disastrous...traffic going over the tracks do not stop..but those at the stop signs are supposed to until the coast is clear and then the 3 way stop rules come into effect..how hard can that possibly be to comprehend?? Ugh..okay, I am done complaining :) I say, if you want to make a road safer for Portland's drivers, please, be my guest.

Are you all kidding me? People in Portland don't know how to drive, let alone know what to do at a 4-way stop. Just look at everyone when it rains or it's foggy out, almost no one turns on their lights, and that's a Tn. law, and let's not forget turning on your headlights (duh, headlights not parking lights) 30mins before sunset and 30mins after sunrise. Shall I say anything about that lack of use of turn signals as well, or what about the person behind the person that is turning, why in the world are they putting on their turn signal for if they are not turning! I've been told they do this to let the person behind them know that the person in front of them are turning..LOL you've got to be kidding. Some of the people in Portland really need to take a driving course.

Oh, I almost forgot . . . Dontmakemelaugh, you guessed wrong. I did see a great need for a light at S.Russell/52E. But comparison of the intersections at S.Russell and Jackson Rd. is like comparing apples to oranges. And one last point, I was not implying that you or anyone else is "stupid" as you so sarcastically implied, but Portland has a disproportionate amount of drivers who are inexperienced with driving in REAL traffic and tend to over-exaggerate the severity of the problem. I am NOT disputing that there have been some tragic accidents in these areas, but there have been tragic accidents at the "lighted" intersections, and on wider roads and even at the 4-way stop. What would you propose the City could do to prevent those?

No one said anything about drive, drive, drive, but it is perfectly acceptable to pull up a few feet to let another car follow in behind you and/or so that a car coming from the other direction has room to get in the lane to make their turn AT THE LOCATION they wish to turn, which they can't do if you stop immediately. It is also okay to START speeding up if no one is in front of you so that you can merge into traffic without making the drivers who are already on the roadway slam on their brakes. (Of course common sense would dictate that you should stop at any point, on any road, in any lane if someone is traveling in the same lane head on)

Out of curiosity, do the two of you know who has the right of way at a 4-way stop? lol Most people in Portland don't. That 4-way at 31W and 52W provides daily proof.

Exactly...a turning lane is just that, you get in it, and usually wait to turn into traffic or cross over into where you are going. I don't believe you are supposed to drive, drive , drive in a turning lane until you can merge...lol. In fact, I always hate when someone pulls into a turning lane a mile ahead of where they will be turning, and they are coming at you and it usually keeps you from being able to get into the lane to wait and turn AT THE LOCATION that you are wanting to turn into....

I always thought that a turning lane was for turning not merging. Stupid me.
Michelle, I guess you thought there was not a need for a traffic light at the S. Russell-52E intersection either since you can see pretty far both ways there also. There have been some pretty nasty wrecks there over the years. Oh but I forgot there wasn't turning, oh huh, merging lanes there before the redlight was installed.

There is nothing dangerous about that intersection. Hwy 52, at that point, is a straight road with more than adequate visibility both ways and a turning lane to boot. I have never had to wait more than 30 seconds to turn safely once it was my turn to go, the only problem I have ever experienced is a driver who is ahead of me who doesn't know how to merge into traffic so they wait until they can cross over the turning lane and go immediately on the main roadway or even better, when they do actually use the turning lane, they stop as soon as the reach it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the problem is with the drivers. I drive almost 100,000 miles a year and I have encountered just about every traffic nightmare there is and Jackson Rd/Hwy 52 doesn't even make a blip on my nightmare radar.

I agree that Jackson Road, especially from the Post Office to 52 is VERY busy and congested, and widening it should have been done a long time ago. I also agree that there needs to be a light at Jackson Rd and 52. We have seen many wrecks there over the years....I use Jackson rd quite a bit, and judging by the traffic, many others do as well. Not to mention that most everyone coming to Portland from 76 cuts through Jackson Rd to get into town instead of driving all the way to 109....

I use Jackson Rd alot and the traffic can be quite heavy at times. I have had to wait several minutes to pull out onto 52. This is a dangerous intersection that either needs a traffic light or a 4 way stop. I see a need to straighten Jackson Rd and widen it if possible down to Village Dr.
Plus I see a need to go in with a bull dozier and tear down all the run down houses right off of Jackson Rd on Strawberry St. This could be very valuable land.

Michelle read my mind, I was going to talk about that very thing this afternoon on my show. you all have some good ideas, call in and express them.

Are there big plans for major development on Jackson Rd that I am unaware of? It is not a major roadway and a light on 109 in front of The Farmer's bank would be a more logical solution for all the businesses in that area.

No doubt. There are a lot of roads in the area that need major attention. However, I still maintain that if the city wants to develop the 52/109 area, it is a good idea to get the roads straighted out before too many more places are built.

The reason I brought up the Jackson Road issue was because according to the paper he (Hobdy) was the one on the Finance committee that was pressing to get it passed, as two other members were against it and they seemed to be butting heads about it.

I don't see where Jackson Rd is that heavily traveled except perhaps from the PO to 52, I rarely travel it so perhaps it does need attention over North Russell, College Street, Fountain Head Road, Fowler Ford Road, Try traveling some of these roads when school is in and see how easy it can be to get run off the road and into a ditch.

As I understand it, funding for the widening of Jackson Road has been approved many times in the last few years, but the project has never been able to get off the ground. Personally, I think that the intersection of Jackson Rd and Hwy. 52 should be a priority for a city that is trying to expand. With the Post office just off Jackson, the big bank on the corner, and new businesses coming up on 52W, something should be done SOON.

I have been nearly run off the road many times by cars who, like me, are trying to stay out of the ditch on the curves between the Post Office and the highway. As this area is developed, it is critical to ensure that the intersection, and the streets leading to it, are safe. I hope a traffic light is included in the plans, too. For once, the city is trying to get the street situation under control BEFORE development happens. Let's not stop them!

As for Mr. Hobdy living and working on Jackson; so what? Sure, he's going to try to make a profit; wouldn't you? I hope he has the integrity to make it a small profit and put the needs of the city before his personal need to have more money than he needs. Time will tell.

My complaint with Mr. Hobdy is that his office is next to the post office, and the overgrown scrub trees and shrubbery along the property line make it difficult to get to the drop-off boxes to mail a letter. Regardless of whose property the trees are on, technically, it looks pretty bad for a landscaping business to have all that mess on the edge of the property. You'd think he could offer to maintain them as a public service. It would be great PR, wouldn't it?

Judy, this may be what you are getting at so I'll go ahead and say it. Does anyone want to guess where alderman Hobdy's office and his home are located? Also I looked at a lot just off Jackson Rd when I came to Portland that I believe was on a development owned by alderman Hobdy's family.

TENNESSEE SALES TAX HOLIDAY

Friday, August 3, 2007 at 12:01 a.m. thru Sunday, August 5, 2007 at 11:59 p.m.

Applies to purchases of clothing, school supplies and computers.

Go to the following site for a full list of eligible purchases:
http://tn.gov/revenue/salestaxholiday

That is a good question, but one I do not know the answer to.

Daniel
Thank you for that information, Those finance members with reservation probably have reason to feel that way, I would think property on hwy52 would be more valuable than Jackson Road. So is there any particular reason Jackson Road has a need over other roads for this widening?? I can think of about a half dozen or more that I would consider more important than Jackson or is there something in the City's Crystal Ball we don't know about?

Judy,
From what I understand, the project was passed several years ago but the city has been delayed in getting the land from various people on Jackson Rd. The debate is over how much to pay Mr. Gilliam for his property. He requested a trade of property for some city property. The city property was worth more and he was going to pay the difference. Some of the members of the finance committee think the city is going to settle with Gilliam for less than what the property is worth.

The Rock concert in the park is an awesome idea and I believe there will be a big crowd for the event. The Portland Progressive has been talking about this concert for a few weeks in their paper.

Anyone know about the Jackson Road widening issue that Councilman Hobdy has and why is this road so important to get widened verses many other roads in the City that REALLY need attention?

I saw in the paper about the City swapping out land they own on 52 for some on Jackson Rd with Gilliam Realty so they could get it widened, I'm curious about the land swap...... could it be we are once again taking on projects without the resources to properly do the job? Anyone out there with any info please post.

I would like to see a comment from The Leader why they didn't have anything in this week's paper about something as important as the proposed moving of the City Hall and police dept. Seems that is newsworthy.

daniel,
I believe that's Leader. ;)

There's an article on the front page of the leader and on the second page of the Progressive about the concert, as there was last week.

Why is there no coverage of the Rock concert at Richland Park this weekend??? We finally have something going on in town and no one is covering it or that I have seen of.