Some of the August questions that were phoned to Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland during his radio broadcast took extra research. Here is what the mayor discovered.

What's going on with Discover Center in Williamson County?

Discovery Center President and CEO Tara MacDougall informed us that Discovery Center remains in discussions about a site in Franklin. In early spring, they were asked to consider this location and submitted a letter of interest. They look forward to increasing their outreach and impact to counties such as Marshall, Maury, Hickman, and Dickson. Our Murfreesboro location welcomes field trips from 18 counties and with the addition of a Franklin campus, Discovery Center will be able to increase impact in informal STEM education.

Old Roses Parking Lot (Mercury Blvd.) having problems with people dumping trash.

The City's Planning and Building and Codes Department's have been working with the property owner and contacts within the Kroger Real Estate division.

Townhomes on Bradyville has a gravel parking lot, getting mud and gravel onto the roadway--along with trash, mattress, etc.

The Silver Trace Townhomes on Bradyville Pike are serviced with two dumpsters from a private hauling company. The Solid Waste Department visited the site on Thursday, August 10 and no debris was in the street, but found a row of pods behind the building that looked as if they are refurbishing some units. Last month, the Solid Waste Department received an order to pick up mattresses at this address which they could not remove as they were covered with bed bugs. The issue was then turned it over to City's Building and Codes Department.

Additionally, Murfreesboro's Planning and Zoning Inspector visited the site and observed that the parking lot was in poor condition. Based on a review of the imagery, it appears that the lot was originally constructed as a paved parking lot, but the pavement has significantly deteriorated. It appears that it is no longer a hard, dustless surface, which is the minimum surface requirement for parking lots, per the Zoning Ordinance. Planning will send the owner a violation notice and instruct him to bring the surface of the parking lot up to minimum zoning requirements.

Is there a city voucher that low-income elderly residents can use for tree service?

The City of Murfreesboro does have an assistance program for the removal of unsafe trees. The program is not specifically for seniors; rather, the program is a needs-based program. Individual homeowners may apply for assistance if they qualify and prove they meet the income limits for low- to moderate- income property owners. Additionally, the property must be an owner-occupied, single-family home. Rental property is not eligible for assistance.

Tree Removal Program is available as part of the Residential Rehab Program offered through the Murfreesboro's Community Development Department. A copy of the Policy and Procedures is on the department's web page with other rehab programs. The purpose of the program is to improve safety and help to alleviate blight. Funded with the Community Development Block Grant from HUD we offer a one year loan, up to $2,500.00 per household per year, to low and moderate-income eligible households. Subsidy is awarded for the removal of trees only. There will be no trimming of trees. Trees cannot be trimmed with the funds from this program - as the tree must be a hazard to the home/structure and the residents and therefore must be completely removed.

Homeowners may contact our Community Development department at 615-890-4660 for more information. There is an application, inspection, bid and approval process.

Bridge over Thompson Lane @ the railroad tracks....Battlefield Bridge. Guard rail needs to be worked on, mowing etc. - looks like it needs painting, showing its age, guard rail is not getting regular mowing and the exit down to the battlefield is not being mowed regularly - seems it needs to have a more frequent schedule of maintenance

Street Department cut grass at the guardrail during the first week of August and the mowing crew leader will continue to monitor and mow it again, as needed.

The sewer connection to the new Ascend Bank on Dill Lane has settled and created a huge pothole.

Dill Lane and a portion of East Main Street were paved on Tuesday, August 8, 2017.

St. Andrews: Couple of bad pot holes where the new St. Thomas Clinic is located. Second, there is an issue with large trucks and dump trucks hauling rocks, and knocking mailboxes off (4-5 homes along Hwy 99 impacted). Is it possible to address this by allowing mailboxes to be moved back further from the road?

St. Andrews potholes have been patched near the clinic and the contractor plans to mill and pave within 2 weeks.

We will need to do more research before recommending a solution to the issue with mailboxes being hit along Hwy 99.

Siegel Lane sewer connection at the new day care. Same problem.

Siegel Lane sewer connection at the daycare has been temporarily patched and the contractor has been asked to keep it maintained.

NOTE: Mayor McFarland will again be on WGNS to interact with local residents from 8:10-9:00AM on Wednesday morning, September 13, 2017. The call-in number is 615-893-1450.