Tag Archives: Cookeville

Would Cookeville be better doing future projects on its own without T-DOT money? Cookeville Council Member Eric Walker said it’s something to consider. Last week, council rebid part one of the Spring Street sidewalk project which started in 2014. T-DOT delays have kept the project from beginning, and the price tag rising. Walker said that in cases like the East ... Read More »

Cookeville Police was approved to get new gear for the department. Chief Randy Evans said that the brand new purchases include 73 protective masks for some $15,257. “We have some of those in the inventory and have had for many years within the SWAT team and other functions in the department,” Evans said. “But we’re trying to outfit the entire ... Read More »

Cookeville City Council approved Thursday night to rescind the city’s current contract for work on the East Spring Street Sidewalk Project. Public Works Director Greg Brown said that construction costs and delays have forced the city to split the project into phases, rendering the most recently approved contract ineffective. Council then approved a contract that applies to just Phase I ... Read More »

T-DOT has preemptively added Cookeville in its budget to gain urban transit status in 2023. Now they await federal government approval. Cookeville was listed in T-DOT’s annual three-year transportation program released Thursday. The status means the city would be eligible for federal transit funding. Deputy Commissioner/Chief of Environment and Planning Preston Elliot said the state department waits for final census ... Read More »

New Cookeville gateway signage project awaiting T-DOT approval. City Manager James Mills said that the partnered project with Tennessee Tech must meet specific guidelines from T-DOT. He said that guidelines are even more specific when the project is on a T-DOT right-of-way. “They do this for any type of community that has these signs,” Mills said. “So that what we ... Read More »

Cookeville’s Economic and Community Development Coordinator Melinda Keifer will retire at the end of April. Keifer began at the department in 2010 after an extensive career with the State Department of Economic and Community Development. City Manager James Mills said that Keifer will continue on a part-time basis assisting in  Cookeville’s economic development needs works through this change. “Melinda Keifer ... Read More »

Cookeville’s Food City has officially opened. The company held a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday night leading up to Wednesday’s grand opening. Food City CEO and President Steve Smith said the some 54,000 square foot store has 220 employees ready to serve. “We are so glad to be part of Cookeville, part of Putnam County” Smith said. “We are going to ... Read More »

City of Cookeville has started budget review process for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. City Manager James Mills said that department directors are currently working on their individual budgets. Mills said that when it comes to the process itself, he follows the same protocol the city has done for some 20 years which includes presentations from department heads. “They’re the best ... Read More »

Duck Commander Founder and Duck Dynasty Star Phil Robertson will be coming to Cookeville Easter weekend as a Life Church special speaker. Cookeville Pastor Bob Sotis said Robertson will speak Saturday and Sunday at the Hooper Eblen Center. “It was kind of a goal of ours back when COVID started to attract people back to the church house,” Sotis said. ... Read More »

Putnam County dedicated the completion of Hope Park Sunday to the neighborhood and donors that made the project possible. Mayor Randy Porter said the park brings peace to a community that experienced great loss from the March tornado two years ago. “In talking with you with the survivors in the surrounding neighborhoods, the one thing that soon became apparent was ... Read More »