A new sewer system, the expansion of a local school, the redevelopment of downtown and the hiring of new personnel are just some of the things the city of Eagleville has accomplished in the past year. With a population of 604, Eagleville is poised for progress and working toward future development.

In light of these accomplishments, the Tennessee Municipal League is pleased to present Eagleville with an award for Small City Progress. The award will be presented on Tuesday, June 9, at 9:00 a.m. during TML's 76th Annual Conference at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville.

To eliminate run off from failing septic tanks and to enhance property values and spur economic growth, the city constructed a $3.5 million sewer system, which was funded from a $1 million USDA grant and lowinterest loans. Mayor Travis Brown said the project began in April 2014, and city leaders hope it will be completed by the end of May.

"In the last year, we have made some tremendous changes with the sewer being the biggest one," he said. "That really took in the center part of town, which was an older part of town. We had some bad problems with noncompliance on the personal level there. As a result, we were able to offer sewer service to commercial businesses as well."

Additionally, the Maple Street Grill decided to open its second location on Main Street in Eagleville. Brown said this is one of many businesses that has looked into relocating to the area.

"The sewer project has spurred some renewal in that center part of town that would otherwise be dying off on the vine," he said. "It is very difficult to open a new business on a septic system. You have to have a sewer system."

City Manager Andrew Ellard, who began work with the city in September 2014, said the new sewer system may also encourage residential development in the area.

"The system also serves one of our oldest and more densely populated neighborhoods," he said. "It runs along north Main Street, which is mostly agricultural. It connects that neighborhood to the downtown area, and we hope and anticipate having this public sewer system will spur some economic development through residential development. We have had some conversations with interested contractors on what is going on with the sewer development. We are seeing more interest in residential development, which is common throughoutall of Rutherford County, but especially in this area real estate gets scooped up very quickly." The area's rural local and its proximity to larger cities has made it a draw for developers and those seeking homes, Ellard said.

"We have a population push coming from the Murfreesboro area," he said. "We have a draw from our school. We are right on the border of Williamson County, which has a big influence from housing cost standpoint. We are in a unique corner of the county, which seems to be gathering a great deal of interest. We have great access to Murfreesboro, Nashville, Franklin and Shelbyville. This area is a bedroom community and has an atmosphere people enjoy."

As the residential development continues, Ellard said commercial development may not be far behind. "As the community here grows, we expect business to follow," he said. "We have heard from the post office that there is a lot of growth in the business they do. We have a lot of home-based businesses as well. As the residential grows, there is definitely possibility for commercial growth, which the new sewer system is essential for. The sewer system opens the doors for tons of potential development."

The new sewer infrastructure also allowed the expansion of Eagleville School, the only K-12 school in Rutherford County, according to Jeff Broughton, a municipal management consultant with MTAS. The expansion project will add more than 30,000 square feet to the school.

Jamie Reed with SEC is the engineer and surveyor behind the sewer project that was announced in 2014...

"Expected to be completed for the start of the 2015-16 school year, the school will have nine additional classrooms, two science labs, offices, a book store and rehearsal space for the band and choir," Broughton said. "A cafeteria that has also served as an auditorium will be replaced with an auditorium with dressing rooms, while the cafeteria will be expanded by 1,500 square feet with an extra serving line."

Brown said the Rutherford County School system has invested $5 million into the school to help expand the school, which underwent its last major renovation in the 1990s. He said the small size of the school is one of the reasons many families are attracted to Eagleville.

To help facilitate future growth, Ellard said officials plan to work with the state and officials with the Nashville Metropolitan Planning Organization to develop traffic plans to accommodate future growth and an influx of motorists downtown. The town's Main Street is also Highway 99/State Highway 41A and provides access to the Eagleville School.

Ellard said the city is looking into some streetscaping and beautification projects in the future as well as reviving a popular Main Street festival. He said officials are looking to bring the festival back in the fall and have been talking with interested entertainers and vendors.

The past year has also brought new personnel to the city. After a nationwide search assisted by MTAS, city leaders hired Ellard as Eagleville's first ever full-time city manager. Brown said the city has also hired its first full-time daytime firefighter and has added more officers to its police department.

Eagleville was also ranked as the safest city in Tennessee in the overall and small cities categories by Movoto.com. The city was one of the earliest adopters of body-worn camera systems for police officers, which contributed to the ranking.

Each year the Tennessee Municipal League honors cities throughout the state for overall excellence, improvement, specific outstanding programs, or department accomplishments. Other award winners for 2015 include: Excellence in Employee Relations / Human Resource Practices - Greeneville; Excellence in Fire Management Service - Columbia; Excellence in Energy Efficiency - Somerville; Excellence in Governance - Sevierville; Excellence in Green Leadership - Cleveland; Excellence in Police Services - Brentwood; Excellence in Public Works - Chattanooga; Small Town Progress - Troy.