Broadway Talk Tabled to Seek Public Input

McKENZIE (June 13) —On Thursday, McKenzie City Council convened for its regular monthly meeting with a light agenda.

In old business the council passed the second reading of Ordinance 568 for the 2024-2025 City of McKenzie budget. Also in old business, the discussion/approval of the [second] reading of Ordinance 569 to convert Broadway Street to a one-way street.

McKenzie Banner owners, Jason and Brittany Martin, requested to address the council regarding Broadway remaining two-way.

Jason Martin addressed the council first reiterating points mentioned in the letter provided to council members prior to the meeting. He stated that there would be congestion on Lee Street that would inhibit the flow of commerce downtown. There are other street corners besides Broadway and Cedar Street that are near impossible to see around. He also stated that the Mayor’s change to Broadway was a solution to a non-existent problem.

Jason then yielded the remainder of his time to Brittany. She stated that as of Thursday, 80 people had signed the petition to keep Broadway a two-way street. Brittany spoke with most council members prior to the meeting, explaining that The Banner has not gone door to door to get people to sign the petition, only made it available if people felt that they wanted to sign it, and 80 people chose to sign it.

Brittany addressed a previous statement a councilman had made saying that most people they had contacted were indifferent to the change and only one wanted it to be a certain way.

She unsuccessfully tried to explain how a rating system works in business, you either have promoters or detractors and those that don’t feel strongly either way are not reflected in the data as a reason for either outcome.

Previously, citizens’ indifference has been used to suggest that the street should remain one-way because “people don’t care.”

Councilperson Tom Alexander said that the people who are indifferent should be counted in the total. He did not elaborate on how they should be counted.

During discussion the council asked for clarification regarding the cost to fix Broadway Street. Johnny Mercer again said it would be $4,600 to sand down the lines and restripe the street.

Another councilperson asked if there was any money left over in the budget for street repairs from the 2023-2024 fiscal year that ends June 30.

It was noted that roughly $16,000 was left over in the street department for the 2023-2024 City of McKenzie budget.

However, council members indicated they did not want to spend $4,600 to fix the issue with Broadway.

Councilman Tom Alexander mentioned Paris’s downtown square and an audience member could be overheard saying people died there last year.

Alexander suggested that since Broadway Street is going to be one-way that the direction of travel on Banner Row should be reversed now.

Clarification: Broadway is currently a two-way street. Alexander suggested Banner Row should no longer run from Main Street to Broadway. It should be reversed and run from Broadway to Main Street.

Currently, The McKenzie Banner is the lone business occupying Banner Row. Williams Furniture owns the other buildings on Banner Row, but its front door has a Broadway address.

Brittany Martin requested to address the council again, “Just so we’re clear, two seconds ago we didn’t want to spend $4,600 to fix Broadway, a street that no one asked to be one way, and now we are going to spend money to reverse the direction of Banner Row to accommodate Broadway’s direction?”

Alexander responded that, “I did not say it would cost any money.”

Mrs. Martin replied, “How are you going to do it, then? Magic? Because you have to sand down the lines and repaint them in the opposite direction to indicate the change in travel, that’s the law.”

Mrs. Martin mentioned the comment about the fatalities on Paris’s square and two people from the audience spoke up and said that in Paris pedestrians have to use a flag to cross the street.

Alexander denied the claim that flags were used.

Fact Check: Radio NWTN and Paris PI both reported in March 2023 that Yes, pedestrians are encouraged to use red pedestrian flags when crossing the street in downtown Paris.

Mrs. Martin continued by asking the council to please not change Banner Row. This will not end well.”

Alexander then replied, “That sounds like a threat.”

Mrs. Martin replied, “We’ve spoken with attorneys.”

During this exchange, Jason Martin urged his partner to remain silent.

Clarification: The Banner has reached out to attorneys with the Tennessee Press regarding sunshine laws and open meetings issues. Concerns that have repeatedly been mentioned. As of press time, The Banner is not engaged in any pending lawsuit with the City of McKenzie or any other entity.

Following Alexander’s remarks about changing Banner Row, Mrs. Martin was noticeably upset and began to cry.

Discussion continued regarding Broadway Street, and at that time, Mayor Ryan Griffin mentioned a report from MTAS regarding Broadway Street, the report, which was never mentioned prior to June 13, stated that Broadway Street is too narrow to be a two-way street.

The report was not provided to members of the press, the city attorney and/or all members of the council until after the meeting adjourned. Some members of the council started asking for a copy of the report.

Councilperson Armpriest asked from what point the measurements were taken for Broadway Street.

Mayor Griffin responded that the street was measured from the end of the parking spaces, not curb to curb.

The parking spaces on the Veterans Park side of Broadway Street are 26.5 feet long. The length of the parking spaces at city hall and on Banner Row are 19 feet long, 19 feet is the average length of a parking space.

The Banner has reached out to MTAS and TDOT regarding the new report.

More information will be provided regarding this new piece of information once it can be properly vetted.

City Attorney Beau Pemberton advised that Ordinance 569 could not be amended to add Banner Row to the directional change.

Pemberton advised the council to table the discussion in favor of holding a public forum for further public input and exploring other options.

At that time, Vice Mayor Jessie Townes made the motion to table the ordinance until after the public forum.

After receiving a second, the council voted unanimously to table the ordinance.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of McKenzie’s Mayor and Council is July 11. Currently, a date has not been set for a public forum, but the public is encouraged to attend.

In other business, Mayor Griffin appointed Craig Hobson to the Industrial Board to fill Randy Webb’s term till 2027; Patricia Allen to Housing Authority for four year term; and Marcie Boutwell to the Library Board for a four year term.