By ZOË HAGGARD - zhaggard@t-g.com
Bedford County Board of Commissioners had its June meeting back in the Courthouse after the recent renovations.
Most of the renovations are done, but Graham said they are still waiting for some technology additions to come in. Rock City did the contractor work, while County architects Kline-Sweeney helped the project stay on budget despite finding unexpected hurdles, according to Graham.
“I hope that you guys appreciate it as much as we have. They certainly took up a big project when they took on restoring this historic courthouse,” said Graham.
New board members
Commission voted to appoint several members to the library board and the audit board.
Shelbyville-Bedford County Library recommended Cherie Beatty and Shay Maupin to the Board for three-year terms beginning July 1 and ending in late June 2025.
Project River Life Update
Beth Davis from the Shelbyville-Bedford Partnership gave a brief presentation and update on the River Life license plate project. The River Life license plate project was introduced by State Rep. Pat Marsh and State Sen. Shane Reeves at the General Assembly last May. It is a partnership with the Shelbyville-Bedford Community Foundation and Bedford County Public Safety.
“In the past five years, there have been 42 search and rescue events on the Duck River in Bedford County alone,” Davis said.
The sale of these tags will help fund Bedford County public safety efforts. If approved, the tags will cost $35, with $31 going to the Foundation, which will distribute the funds to the safety agencies.
The Foundation is a 501(c)(3). “The funds have to go through a nonprofit before it goes out to the public safety agencies,” David explained. So, “what we’ll do, as they see projects that they want to get funded, it will go before a committee to say these are the projects on the docket, this is the money that we have, how do you want to spend it.”
The license plate was designed by Shelbyville Central High School student and winner of the River Life art contest, Allejandro Contreras Cabrera. The design of the license plate, according to Cabrera, is to show that the Duck River is one of the most biodiverse rivers in the world.
“The sale of the River Life license plate will provide funding that will increase awareness and provide communities that use the river system with better understanding of the beauty and the challenges the river can present,” said Davis.
They need 1,000 residents of Tennessee to reserve a license plate by June 1, 2023, in order for the plates to go into production. Residents can register for a plate beginning July 15.
