Liles Claims City Did Not Follow Proper Procedure

Aug 29, 2018 at 04:38 pm by bryan


President of the Friends of Stones River National Battlefield, Murfreesboro resident and former State Representative Mike Liles delivered a letter to 49th District State Representative Mike Sparks, addressing the procedure taken by the City of Murfreesboro in the recent action with Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and New Vision Baptist Church.

In the letter, Liles said, "Murfreesboro acted improperly and purposely failed to notify the people of this community of a major tax funded project. Open meeting laws were violated, letters in opposition were never presented to the Planning Commission and safety issues were ignored. It is my hope that this project will be halted until such time that this project can be properly evaluated for the good of the community."

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Liles claims that the required procedure was not followed in the above contract and Murfreesboro's actions needs review by the State Attorney General, Herbert Slatery III.

Here is that letter:

August 27, 2018

The Honorable Michael J. Sparks,
Representative 49 District State of Tennessee

Dear Representative Sparks:

On March 28 I addressed a letter to Mr. Chris Griffith, Director of Engineering for the City of Murfreesboro, regarding a proposed road not far from my house and adjacent to Stones River National Battlefield. I wrote the letter as President of the Friends of Stones River National Battlefield, but my interests are much larger than that. I have attached a copy of that letter and you can see the severity of the issue. The letter was never answered or addressed. On August 1, I called for Mr. Griffith and finally received a return phone call on Friday August 3, at 4:00pm. Mr. Griffith explained to me that this was a contract with Vanderbilt Hospital and included a land swap with New Vision Baptist Church, and a new access road onto Thompson Lane. The road he said was approved as part of new road system under the 2040 City road plan and therefore needs no further input from the community.

My letter and many phone calls requesting information have mostly been received with the attitude that this is a "done deal" and you are wasting your time. The city officials have been stalling any attempts to offer solutions to the many problems that will be created by this planned road. Below I have outlined a few of the many violations that have occurred. This now needs a higher authority to evaluate this process. It is therefore my request that the Murfreesboro City's action be evaluated by the Tennessee Attorney General and my further request is that a stop order be issued to the City regarding the contract closing date for the reason listed below.

  1. The City of Murfreesboro has failed the due process requirements. No adequate notice was given and there was no public input allowed. There was no opportunity for public input on the sales contract, road or land swap. My letter of March 28 and a letter from the Park Superintendant about the same time were never addressed.
  2. No traffic study was required of New Vision Baptist Church or offered by the city but yet a recent applicant in the same area wanting to locate a Distribution Center was required to provide a self funded traffic study. World Outreach Church requesting an addition was required by the city to provide a self funded traffic study. The City of Murfreesboro is not consistent with their rulings or requirements.
  3. The sunshine law was violated in that this was done without community knowledge or input. Decisions were made in closed door meetings. Public meetings were held without an opportunity for public comment. On Wednesday August 15, I attended a Murfreesboro City Planning Commission meeting. It was a closed meeting in that the public was not allowed to speak. No acknowledgement was given to the opposition or the letters in opposition. I asked Jim Crumley later, why the Park nor my point of view had been presented. His comment to me was "It is not my job to voice opposition".
  4. Safety concerns have not been addressed. The proposed road will "T" into Thompson Lane and be offset by approximately 100 yards from the main entrance to the Stones River National Battlefield. This park enjoys upwards of 250,000 visitors annually. Thompson Lane has already had one fatality this year in the area of the proposed road.
  5. Environmental concerns have not been addressed. This road upon its completion will disturb an abandoned landfill, cross over a city park and eliminate a walking trail. Water runoff and disposal of contaminated soil has not been addressed.
  6. Loss of green space and disregard for permanent elimination of the viewscape is a major concern and has not been discussed by city officials. In a fast growing area such as Murfreesboro care should be given not to eliminate green space. By adding traffic lights and signage the view of the battlefield of 1863 will be forever lost.

In closing I feel there is strong evidence the City of Murfreesboro acted improperly and purposely failed to notify the people of this community of a major tax funded project. Open meeting laws were violated, letters in opposition were never presented to the Planning Commission and safety issues were ignored. It is my hope that this project will be halted until such time that this project can be properly evaluated for the good of the community.

Sincerely,

Mike J. Liles

In a letter to Murfreesboro City Engineering Director Chris Griffith, Liles noted . . .

The Friends of Stones River National Battlefield

Post Office Box 4092
Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37129

March 28, 2018

Mr. Chris Griffith, Director
Murfreesboro City Engineering

111 W. Vine St.
Murfreesboro, TN 37130

Dear Mr. Chris Griffith,

Thank you for taking time to talk with me about the proposed Vanderbilt Children's Hospital to be located on Garrison Dr. behind New Vision Baptist Church. We welcome Vanderbilt Children's Hospital to Murfreesboro and hope through proper planning the impact will be positive to all stakeholders.

As County Commissioner for this area (1986-1990) and State Representative (1990-1994) I worked hard to see the Thompson Lane extension and bridge project completed and making the connection from Broad Street to Franklin Road. This road opened the western part of Murfreesboro and laid the necessary infrastructure for this areas' success. I also named the bridge in honor of former County Commissioner Homer Gannon and his family for his long service to Rutherford County and because it was his farm that was taken in the road and bridge building process. Part of his farm is where the Vanderbilt Hospital will be located. My interest in this area is long standing.

During our conversation we discussed the traffic impact the new hospital will have on Thompson Lane, Old Nashville Hwy and especially Stones River National Battlefield. As one of the closest neighbors I feel the traffic planning needs major consideration and much input from surrounding areas before it is approved. As President of the Friends of Stones River National Battlefield I want to let you know that any new connecting road onto Thompson lane will be met with disfavor. My conversation with the staff at Stones River National Battlefield indicates they are opposed to any new road onto Thompson Lane. Any new road will create a significant traffic hazard at the main entrance to the National Park.

Please feel free to contact me to help resolve this issue before a problem is built into the project design.

Sincerely,

Mike J. Liles, President
The Friends of Stones River National Battlefield

cc: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital

New Vision Baptist Church

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