Last Edited: March 26, 2024 @ 10:23 am

Montgomery County, TN — The rains held off last Friday as over 100 people gathered to celebrate the long-anticipated groundbreaking of Montgomery County’s North Public Library Branch and the new Montgomery County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) facility at 435 Jordan Road. Both facilities are expected to open in fall 2025.

Mayor Wes Golden began by thanking former Mayor Jim Durrett for his leadership in starting the projects. He also thanked the County Commissioners past and present who were part of the efforts, the Library Foundation which raised additional funds for the library project, Friends of the Library, County Engineering and the many supportive residents.

“There have been some bumps along the way but we are moving ahead for the citizens who live on this side of the community. This is a blessing not only for our kids but for the adults who will have these additional resources for years to come. When I think about all of the great memories that will be made here, it just makes my heart smile,” said Mayor Golden.

MCACC Director Dave Kaske thanked everyone involved in the project and gave heartfelt remarks about his staff and their dedication to serving animals in difficult conditions. 

“This building will be constructed with the primary focus of future growth, animal welfare, and support of our staff. For the first time, our staff will be provided with all of the necessary tools and features to complete their tasks allowing them to focus more of their time on animal enrichment not only to help lost and broken animals in our community but also to expand the minds of children and families who live in Montgomery County,” said Kaske.

Library Director Christina Riedel followed praising the library staff, foundation, and board. 

“This is a tremendous moment in time. Many years of hard work, compromises made, collaborations developed, and public support moved this project forward. I look forward to a bright future and developing a library system based on hope, data-driven decisions excellent teamwork, and many, many hearts dedicated to serving our patrons,” said Riedel.

Wrapping up was Library Board Chair Dr. Quentin Humberd who explained why libraries were still relevant to learning and exploring. 

“I look back and understand that our libraries are essential to our freedom as individuals, communities, and even as a nation. This new library we are breaking ground on today, as well as all libraries, enshrine our first amendment rights of freedoms to express ourselves along with the right to believe what matters to us,” said Humberd.

Kaske and Riedel commented on their excitement in working together to bring programs that would enrich the community and the work of both facilities. 

The speakers also thanked the Montgomery County Engineering Department led by Nick Powell for their hard work and creativity on the projects. Architect Doug Jones and Engineer Kris Olson are the County project leads for the library and shelter.

Land for the Library’s north branch was purchased in 2018. Delays for the project were based on costs and unanticipated revenue projections due to COVID-19. Planning for the new MCACC facility began six years ago with challenges locating property and a sale that fell through due to unforeseen circumstances. The developments led to the shared location between the north library branch and the new animal shelter.

County Commissioners Joshua Beal, Joe Creek, Rashidah Leverett, David Shelton, Autumn Simmons, Joe Smith, and Jeremiah Walker, the commissioner for that area, attended the event.Also invited and in attendance were Senator Bill Powers, Representative Jeff Burkhart, and Representative Ronnie Glynn. 

The Clarksville-Montgomery County Library and MCACC are funded through Montgomery County Government. For more information on these departments and their volunteering opportunities, visit mcgtn.org. To see the groundbreaking and video interviews, visit the County’s YouTube page.

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CLARKSVILLE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – The deadline to submit property tax relief applications and vouchers through the Montgomery County Trustee’s Office is April 5, 2024. To be considered for the program, supporting documents must be filed before the deadline.

The County Trustee’s Office administers a state-funded tax relief and tax freeze program to help homeowners 65 and older, disabled homeowners, and disabled military veterans pay their property taxes. To qualify for elderly or disabled tax relief you must be a homeowner, 65 and older, or disabled. The combined 2022 income of all owners and married couples, even if they are not on the deed, cannot exceed $33,460. For disabled homeowners to qualify for a tax freeze, the homeowner must be 65 by Dec. 31, 2023, and the combined 2022 income of all owners and married couples, even if they are not on the deed, cannot exceed $42,890.

Veterans qualify based on their service-connected disability rating and are encouraged to apply for the program. There is no income requirement for disabled veterans.

“We have one of the most robust programs in Tennessee with almost 8,000 homeowners participating in the tax relief program. So far 689 participants have not returned their vouchers. Montgomery County received over $7.7 million of the $45 million from the State of Tennessee’s Tax Relief Division to keep home ownership affordable for our elderly and disabled residents. Our dedicated team is ready to serve,” said Montgomery County Trustee Kimberly Wiggins.

The Trustee’s Office is located at 350 Pageant Lane in Suite 101-B. To see available services, including paying taxes online through the County Trustee office, visit mcgtn.org or call 931-648-5717 with questions. 

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Montgomery County Adult and Youth Governor’s Volunteer Service Award Recipients

Montgomery County, Tenn. — Montgomery County Government recognized community volunteers Lynn Stokes and Cedarius Doss at the March informal County Commission meeting. They were presented with proclamations from County Mayor Wes Golden for being selected as the 2023 Governor’s Volunteer Stars Awards (GVSA) Outstanding Adult Volunteer and Outstanding Youth Volunteer for Montgomery County. Stokes and Doss were also recognized at the annual GVSA statewide banquet in February of this year.

Lynn Stokes was awarded the honor as an adult volunteer. Stokes has served for eight years with Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, where her service helps provide stable housing to low-income families. She is also a longtime volunteer for VITA/United Way, providing free tax-filing assistance to the elderly and individuals with limited income, disabilities, or limited English skills. Currently, Stokes volunteers as Chief Financial Officer for the Fort Campbell Historical Foundation where she builds recognition for Fort Campbell’s role in the history and culture of Clarksville-Montgomery County. Stokes’ compassion leads her to build up organizations by bringing diverse groups together to serve the greater good of her community. Her leadership style sets an excellent example for fellow volunteers. Rob Selkow, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County nominated Stokes for the award.

“It was humbling and definitely surprising to be nominated and receive this award. There are many wonderful people who serve our community in a variety of ways. I feel privileged to be one of those people. The statement we often hear from volunteers is that the volunteer gets more out of it than those they serve. I believe that’s true, it does your heart good,” said Stokes. 

Cedarius Doss was selected as the 2023 Montgomery County Youth GVSA recipient. Doss, a star Defensive Back for the Austin Peay State University Govs football team volunteers for Norman Smith Elementary students with social, emotional, and academic needs. He has been able to build relationships with students when others could not, discussing life and other topics of the students’ choice when eating lunch, playing board games, or enjoying recess. He holds students accountable for their actions and for completing their work. One student in particular has become interested in learning for the first time, all because of Doss’ high expectations for him. Doss has also volunteered in the Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County ReStore, supporting homeownership opportunities for low-income families. Norman Smith Teachers Amy Williams, Sarah Bombick, and Tearza Baggett nominated Doss for the award.

“I’ve enjoyed Austin Peay and the experiences I’ve had in Clarksville. My parents raised me to fulfill a need to help others whenever I can. I hope this recognition encourages other young people to connect with kids because they need us and can relate to us in a different way than older adults. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the teachers who nominated me and have a great appreciation for their work,” stated Doss.

“One of the best parts about being Mayor is recognizing the remarkable people in our community. Many thanks to Lynn and Cedarius for quietly giving of themselves with no expectation of recognition. From facing something as devastating as a natural disaster to everyday needs the people in our community step up in many ways. I’m grateful to live in a place full of volunteers who go above and beyond for others,” said Mayor Golden.

The Governor’s Volunteer Stars Award is a statewide recognition program instituted by former Governor Phil Bredesen to honor and publicly recognize citizens in the adult and youth categories from each county for their exemplary volunteer service to their community. 

Nominations for individuals and businesses can be accepted as early as September. Anyone who would like to submit a nomination can find information about the GVSA at https://www.tn.gov/volunteer-tennessee/vt-events/vt-gvsa.html.  Nominations for this year’s honorees are due to [email protected] by November 8, 2024.

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Captions: 

1. Lynn Stokes pictured with Miss Tennessee Volunteer Tennessee Jada Brown
2. Cedarius Doss pictured with Miss Tennessee Volunteer Tennessee Jada Brown
3. GVSA Group Photo: Pictured from left to right is Lynn Stokes TN Outstanding Adult Volunteer, Montgomery County Mayor Pro Tem/County Commissioner Joe Smith, Cedarius Doss TN Outstanding Youth Volunteer with parents Betty and Cedric Doss, Blayne Clements Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County, and Lynn’s husband, Van Stokes.
4. Group Habitat photo: Asante Zepeda, Rob Selkow, Van Stokes John Johnson, and Kate Gauf.
5. Norman Smith Elementary School Student Support Coordinator Courtney Henry, Principal Amy Williams, Cedarius Doss, and Academic Coach Sarah Bombick

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – Bi-County Solid Waste Management worked with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to host three Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Events in 2024. The first HHW event will be held on Saturday, March 16, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Veterans Plaza, at 350 Pageant Lane. The second HHW event will be held on May 18, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Stewart County and the third HHW event will be held on September 28, at Veterans Plaza from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

HHW events are the perfect opportunity to properly dispose of unwanted or spent household products that can catch fire easily (flammable), eat away at or irritate living tissue (corrosive), react violently with water or other chemicals (reactive), or be poisonous to humans and animals (toxic), at no cost to Tennessee residents. During HHW collection events, up to 100 pounds of items such as household cleaners; automotive products; home, lawn, and garden products; home maintenance products; and miscellaneous items like old computers, batteries, pool chemicals, photo processing chemicals, medicines and drugs, aerosols and compressed gas are accepted. (view EPA list of common household items containing potentially hazardous ingredients). No dioxins or ammunition are allowed. 

Additionally, very small-quantity generators are now eligible to participate in the mobile HHW/VSQG collection events by appointment only. To request a price quote and schedule an appointment, please contact Clean Harbors Environmental Services at 615-643-3170 with a waste inventory. 

Contact the Bi-County Office at (931) 648-5751 with any questions. The following potentially hazardous household items are accepted at the landfill located at 3212 Dover Road for recycling during normal hours of operation and at HHW events.

• Batteries
• Used cooking oil and motor oil
• Latex Paint
• Antifreeze
• Electronic waste (computers & televisions)

For more information on Bi-County, visit https://mcgtn.org/bi-county

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Montgomery County, TN – David Smith was selected as the new Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) Director. Smith is a 22-year Army veteran who retired as a Sergeant First Class.

Smith earned his Master of Science in Social Work with a focus on trauma treatment from the University of Tennessee in 2020 and his Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Austin Peay State University in 2015.

“I am grateful to be back at the VTC supporting our soldiers and veterans in this leadership position. I understand many of the challenges faced by our soldiers and veterans and see it as a gift to be able to serve them and our community in this capacity. I know how meaningful this program is and will work to uphold the current standards of excellence,” said Smith.

Smith worked in the VTC as an administrative assistant/case manager from 2015 to 2019, when he resigned to pursue his graduate degree full-time and completed hours toward becoming a licensed clinical social worker.

“We are thrilled David chose to return to Montgomery County Government where he can put his experience and new credentials into serving our military veterans and active duty personnel. Working to assist our military friends helps our entire community. That’s why having the right fit for this role is important,” said Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden.

He has been married to his wife Shawana, an Army veteran, for 34 years. Smith stated that his goal was always to come back and serve VTC in some capacity. Smith replaces Edward Moss who was selected for the position of Youth Services Court Administrator in late December 2023.

The Montgomery County Veterans Treatment Court serves those who willingly sacrificed for our country and find themselves involved in the criminal justice system. VTC provides needed treatment and services under judicial supervision to restore veteran to their honored status within our community. To find out more about VTC in Montgomery County, visit montgomerycountyvtc.org or call 931.245.3180. 

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