CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Thursday morning the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce held the annual Power Breakfast at Riverview Inn with county mayor Carolyn Bowers as the keynote speaker.

(TO SEE IMAGES OF THE BREAKFAST, CLICK HERE.)

The banquet room filled early and quickly with movers and shakers from all over the community including elected officials from both the county and city government. In a sad turn of events, city mayor Kim McMillan who was originally scheduled to speak following mayor Bowers, was unable to attend due to the passing of her father early Friday morning.

Bowers addressed the hall with a detailed overview of 2011’s accomplishments for the county and a positive look forward to 2012.

“It’s a privilege to represent Montgomery County,” Bowers began.

The mayor, always an optimist, cited the area’s central location in the country as well as the exceptional planning as reasons for the area’s growth boom. According to the mayor, the high quality of the support staff of the county in a joint effort with the city of Clarksville has shown positive results in the pursuit of grants, business, and industry for the Clarksville-Montgomery County community.

All-in-all Mayor Bowers, “We’re in a good position for the future.”

In a humorous moment of the mayor’s speech, Bowers explained RJ Corman would agree to pay for the cost of painting the railroad bridge on Riverside Drive if the county wanted it to be red. Bowers said she did not think the community would want a red bridge right on riverside and was surprised byt the crowd as they openly disagreed. The county mayor had overlooked that Austin Peay State University’s main school color was in fact red.

“I know who wants it red,” Bowers said laughingly as APSU president Tim Hall and the rest of the university representatives loudly agreed red was a good color, “As long as they don’t paint RJ Corman on it, if they’d paint APSU on it.”
Moving forward, the Veteran’s Retirement center is still proceeding due in large part because of the cooperation between the city, state, and county governments Bowers said. Some of the advances in the realm of county parks were explained during the breakfast.

“When it comes to living in this community and recruiting business and industry,” the mayor said, “I think it’s more important that we have good recreation and high quality recreation.”

The improvements include new signage for Rotary Park that utilities will be paid by business neighbor Gateway Tire at the entrance of the park. For Civitan Park, new playground equipment has been added as well as the construction of horse shoe pits in the park. Also on the schedule is continued development of Richellen Park across the Cumberland River and the renovation of the South Guthrie Community Center housed in a school built 90 years ago.

One of the county’s most visible construction projects is the new Women, Infants, and Children clinic in Veteran’s Plaza. Montgomery County, according to Bowers has one of the most utilized WIC clinics in the state. In conjunction with the clinic construction, Veteran’s Plaza is seeing renovations in the parking lot as well as the offices of Children Services and the County Clerk’s office.

The county mayor was happy to announce the successes of Karen Josephson the new director of Animal Control. The new director is building stronger relationships with the community through media and school visits as well as closer ties with nonprofit rescue organizations.

The airport terminal, literally the face of Clarksville-Montgomery County when prospective businesses enter the community is well on its way to being complete the mayor told the group. Bowers explained through reduction of fuel prices has caused an increase in traffic at the facility helping to serve as a major tool in attracting business and industry to the county.

Bowers continued the morning speech with details of emergency services and an improvement in the county’s ISO rating and shifted into the traffic through the County Clerk’s office. What many attendees of the breakfast were waiting for was the update on industrial and business growth.

“Right now, currently we have 14 active projects that are being pursued by the Industrial Development Board and 11 of these are manufacturing, three corporate services or back office,” Bowers told the crowd.

Bowers ended her address to the community on what has been a success year after year for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. CMCSS, during their 100 percent graduation initiative have increased the number of high school students graduating in the system from 76 percent in 2003 up to 3.5 percent just this year.

After Deputy Mayor and city councilman Geno Grubbs addressed the breakfast and recognized city officials, director of communications for the office of the mayor relayed McMillan’s apologies for her absence.

To find out more about Montgomery County government and services, visit them on the web at www.mcgtn.org. To find out more about events scheduled for the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce visit them on the web at www.clarksvillechamber.com.



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