BusinessTN

It's hard to fathom a municipality taking what might be perceived as risky fiscal measures during an obvious downturn in the economy, but that is exactly what Clarksville-Montgomery County has done in recent months--and it is paying off.

Ten years out from the historic tornadoes of January 1999--tornadoes that cut a five-mile swath through the center of the city, damaged more than 500 properties and ripped through Austin Peay State University to the tune of $72 million in damages--the city and county are coming to the end of a redevelopment cycle. Just before the tornadoes, plans had been developed to revitalize the downtown area, with an emphasis on the riverfront, but those plans were re-evaluated after the near-destruction of downtown Clarksville.

These were not the first plans that city and county leaders had devised--projects had been on the board for a good ten years before that. The devastation of the tornadoes could have changed everything. "When we had the tornadoes, it would've been easy for people to pick up and invest in another area of the community," says James Chavez, president and CEO of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council (EDC). "Downtown could have died--but it didn't. The public and private sector began working together toward rebuilding our city and community."

In the aftermath of the tornadoes, Mayor Johnny Piper, who had only taken office on Jan. 1, 1999, reconfigured his initial revitalization plan--his "100-Day Plan"--into a rebuilding plan that could be called, at the end of ten years, a "100-Month+ Plan." The Downtown District Partnership (DDP) was formed. The rebuilding of Clarksville became a community effort.

"The DDP was formed to help guide the redevelopment of our city both economically and architecturally," says Scott Giles, current chairman of the DDP and a vice president at F&M Bank. At a recent DDP retreat, members asked, "What are our goals now?" One goal dominated--reinvestment in downtown Clarksville. "After the tornadoes, we were focused on rebuilding. Now we're encouraging folks to come downtown and reinvest."

Giles describes the crux of their goal as "urban infill"--the opposite of sprawl. The most recent redevelopment plan involves economic incentives such as TIFs that will allow investors to help improve long-forgotten areas. TIF, an acronym for "tax increment financing," is a method that uses future gains in taxes to finance current improvement or redevelopment projects.

One of the other goals of the DDP is to develop a Civic Design Center that will be tasked with overseeing all components concerned with growth and development of the community. "For example," Giles says, "the Hilldale Revitalization Committee has a plan, as does the River District, Fort Defiance and the DDP. We're missing someone to oversee all the plans and develop a cohesive vision--someone whose sole task is to oversee all the plans and projects."

Giles says that the DDP is currently putting together a plan to fund a Civic Design Center and civic planner. "The civic planner will make sure we continue to grow in the right direction."

Now, with Clarksville rebuilt, Chavez says the city and county continue to move forward with projects that have been on the drawing board for 20 years, and the faith that pulled the community through a terrible time is sustaining everyone during the current economic crisis.

A Megasite's Mega-Occupant

One dream that has come to fruition in recent months is the successful recruitment of business to Commerce Park, the first TVA-certified megasite in Middle Tennessee (and the fourth in the state). Located approximately 1.5 miles from I-24, off Exit 4 and just north of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Corporate Business Park, Commerce Park is a 1,215-acre site suitable for a major manufacturing outfit. It has been under option, since its certification by TVA in 2006. In December 2008, the EDC announced that Dow Corning Corp. and Hemlock Semiconductor LLC will locate their next solar-grade polysillicon manufacturing facility there.

"This deal has been in the works for over two years," says Montgomery County Mayor Carolyn Bowers. "The county purchased the megasite in September 2008, before the option had expired on the property. It was a leap of faith to get the county commissioners to believe we could land a sale." Chavez adds that Piper and the former city mayor each committed $15 million to build infrastructure for the megasite in an effort to prepare for the future. "Our commissioners are to be commended for moving forward with these projects, trusting that the community was ready and willing to grow," he says.
Bowers is proud that Hemlock Semiconductor's site selection team chose Commerce Park. "They had over 60 sites they were considering--all over the world--and they chose our site," she says.

"The selection of Commerce Park proves that our vision, dedication and investment in the TVA megasite certification process will pay dividends for Clarksville and Montgomery County residents for years to come," Chavez adds.

The initial investment in the area will be approximately $1.2 billion dollars, and HS LLC will employ 1,100 construction workers, mostly local, to build the plant. "Over time, the investment will increase to $2.5 billion, with future proposed phases pushing it as high as $4.6 billion," Piper says.

Once the plant is complete, it will employ approximately 500 people with average annual salaries ranging from $60,000 to $80,000. Future expansions will push employment numbers up to approximately 1,000 people.

"HS LLC is a quality company," Bowers says. "We visited their site in Saginaw, Mich., and you could see the impact they've had on their own community. We believe they'll be a great partner to us, offering quality jobs and valuing their employees."

Bowers appreciates that the employment of nearly 1,000 people will translate to a large, positive economic impact on the community. HS LLC has already situated itself as a team player, making two $25,000 contributions for the good of the community--one to a school and one to a local service organization.

A grant from state government will allow the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to build an industrial access road, and Bowers says Gov. Bredesen is offering other grants and job training incentives that will help make HS LLC's move to Montgomery County a resounding success. In addition, many companies will be encouraged to "co-locate" their businesses within a 50-mile radius or less because they can get the raw products they require--and that HS LLC will supply--at a cheaper cost.

HS LLC's move to Montgomery County will also impact Austin Peay State University. Gov. Bredesen has dedicated $6 million to build dedicated laboratory facilities for HS LLC on the Austin Peay campus. In addition, the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) is allowing Austin Peay to develop a chemical processing degree program, which will serve as a pipeline for high school students, military personnel and others looking for a career or to change careers and go to work for HS LLC.

Other companies are also investing in Clarksville and Montgomery County these days. The Industrial Development Board (IDB) signed a letter of intent with Panattoni Development Co. in late 2007 to build approximately three million square feet of Class-A bulk warehouse, manufacturing and flexible distribution space on 200 acres in the southern end of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Corporate Business Park, located at Exit 8 off I-24. The company, headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., and with 25 regional offices, will break ground in the spring of 2009. The company develops, leases, owns and manages large industrial, office and retail facilities in more than 150 cities throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

Avanti Manufacturing recently purchased a building at the Corporate Business Park, which will become the company's first North American production facility. Avanti produces polypropylene--a non-woven fabric used as ground cover cloths, bulk bags, landscaping and nursery fabric--and plastic packaging. The company will invest an initial $13 million dollars and create 30 jobs by the end of its second year of operations. The Industrial Development Board is working with the State of Tennessee to apply for fast-track grant funds that will allow a rail spur to be developed at the site.

Mike Evans, executive director of the IDB, says that the steady influx of new businesses into the county point to a community's need to be prepared for growth. Clarksville was the ninth fastest-growing city of any size in the United States in 2007, and in January 2008, Fiserv, a provider of technology solutions to the financial world, predicted that the Clarksville housing market would see the highest rate of appreciation in the United States, a prediction backed by recent national media attention recognizing Clarksville as one of a handful of "housing safe havens."

"Even with the current state of the economy--and the deployment of 20,000 military personnel--our housing market is strong," Chavez says. He points to a minimal loss in sales tax revenues--a mere $500,000 for the 2007-2008 fiscal year--as further proof of the community's economic strength. Clarksville and Montgomery County have the businesses, the housing, the educational system and the career opportunities to bolster and sustain continued growth.

Park Promotion

City and county leaders, along with private citizens, continue to work toward improving quality of life in the community. "As we continue to grow," Bowers says, "we want to make sure we address our quality of life issues for our lifelong citizens and for those folks that move here with jobs at HS LLC."

"We've announced the development of the Fairgrounds Park and Marina, and we've committed funds to it," Piper says. The park will have the marina as well as additional sports fields, a pond, condominiums, and family entertainment opportunities, including a possible waterpark. The marina is in its first phase on Riverside Drive.

The county owns parks within the city limits. "We had a study done, and it qualified us to receive some grant funding that will help our parks conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act standards," Bowers says. "We passed a resolution to fund $400 million in improvements, and already we've received the grant and have the funds to match it."

Rotary Park, which is inside the city limits but owned by the county, and St. Bethlehem Civitan Park, with approximately 50 undeveloped acres and six ballparks that need improvement, will be revamped. According to Bowers, citizens want walking trails and a community playground in the new Fairgrounds Park, and there are plans in place to raise funds for another community playground in the St. Bethlehem Civitan Park. Woodlawn Park will see some improvements, including the adding of more energy-efficient lighting. "We're also looking at purchasing land in the Cunningham-Southside area for a park," Bowers says. "The Cumberland Heights Community Center is gong to see some major renovations."

Within the city of Clarksville, the Legion Street project is now complete, involving the improvement of a long-decaying street in the heart of downtown. "We're calling the right half of the street 'Strawberry Alley,'" Piper says, "because back in the 1910s, before it was Legion Street, it went right through the mayor's wife's strawberry patch." The left half will still be called Legion Street to honor Clarksville's soldiers. The improved thoroughfare has new, wider sidewalks, planters, a vintage-style clock and angled parking. A local family donated $100,000 to build a fountain in the middle of the street to honor their father, Ajax Turner.

In early January 2009, Piper committed funds for a new "rails and trails" project. "We're clearing out old rail beds and using them for ten-feet-wide walking trails in open areas," Piper says. The trail will be on the old rail bed that follows the winding river and overhanging bluff from downtown Clarksville to the 101st Airborne's Heritage Park and, eventually, all the way to Fort Campbell.

A Gateway to Health

In June 2008, another long-term project came to fruition with the opening of the Gateway Medical Center, located at Exit 4 off I-24. The new facility has 270 beds and a 40-bed emergency department that encompasses 40,000 square feet, a noticeable improvement over the 12,000-square-foot emergency room at the old Memorial Hospital.

"We've opened up virtually every unit," says Mike Mullins, the CEO of Gateway Medical Center. "We've seen a significant increase in the volume of patients, and those patients are coming from a wider-reaching area."

The hospital offers a variety of new and expanded services and state-of-the-art equipment. "Of our $200 million budget, over $64 million went toward equipment," Mullins says. "And we've also recruited 35 new physicians to our staff."

Gateway Medical Center has a 3.0 MRI machine and a second 1.5 MRI. All radiology is digital. "We have PACS now--a picture archival retrieval system," Mullins explains, "which allows our doctors to access MRI and radiography studies through their office computers and throughout the hospital." A pneumatic tube system within the hospital facilitates the quicker delivery of laboratory results. Cardiology and women's services departments are now state-of-the-art as well, contributing to an increase in heart patients and baby deliveries.

"We renewed our Commission on Cancer accreditation--the Cancer Care program was granted a Three-Year Approval with Commendation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons," Mullins says.

Mullins gives credit to the mayors--Bowers and Piper--and the community at large, including Clarksville Volunteer Health and Community Health Systems, whose support helped pave the way for the new facility. "We realized our dream of building a new facility, and now we're seeing an increase in the public utilization of our services," he says. "If we can continue to recruit excellent doctors and staff, we are confident that we can meet the needs of our community for a long time to come."
The old Memorial Hospital on Madison Street will be redeveloped as a retail center. "It is in a high-traffic area, so it will be an attractive redevelopment project with open-air retail and restaurants," Chavez says. "It is under contract and in the planning stages," he says.

Soldiers and Citizens

As always, tourism initiatives are important in a city of Clarksville's size--tourists bring in money but do not require infrastructure to meet their long-term needs. The Clarksville-Montgomery County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) hosts a Rivers and Spires Festival each spring as a way to honor the soldiers and their spouses at Fort Campbell. The award-winning festival is an important economic tool for the city and county. Other successful tourism initiatives include national sporting championships, amateur sporting events, and the Miss Tennessee and Miss Tennessee Teen USA pageants.

Clarksville's long association with the military reservation at Fort Campbell continues to be an important asset to the economic growth and development of the community, as well. Every March, a joint committee of Montgomery County and Christian County, Ky., officials travel to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the concerns of the military personnel and their families that live at Fort Campbell. Mayor Bowers cites this as just one example of Clarksville and Montgomery County's strong support of Fort Campbell. "We have a training session each year to brief the participants before we go," she says, "and we are there to lobby only for their concerns. No other community does that."
Piper, who witnessed the destruction of his city in his first month in office ten years ago, has been proud to be a part of the transition that has made Clarksville, in his words, "a grand city," and he looks forward to even grander things throughout the remaining two years of his term. Bowers, who also has approximately two years left of her current term, plans to run again. "I'm excited to see the projects that are now in their planning and initial phases come to fruition," she says. "I have pride in my community, especially in the people who took that leap of faith and worked together for a united cause--a bright future for Clarksville and Montgomery County."