Anabel Hopkins places a poster for an art walk sponsored by the Art Alliance of Brown County on the side of the Hob Nob Restaurant in the center of Nashville. Some Nashville residents and business owners have questioned the town’s application for Stellar Communities grants. One of the projects is a development of a streetscape in the area known as Shopper’s Lane, which some fear would change the character of the city’s business district. Staff photo by David Snodgress
NASHVILLE — Brown County’s quaint Nashville is in the running to be designated a Stellar Community, which would bring millions of federal dollars for projects ranging from affordable senior housing to overdue water system upgrades.
But some residents say the process of seeking the designation has gone on during meetings behind closed doors, without input from the breadth of the community. Petitions circulating around the county seek to halt the process and begin a reconsideration, by all community stakeholders, of which projects to pursue.
An attorney hired to represent people who oppose the way the process has occurred has sent a letter to the state asking that Nashville’s application be put on hold and reconsidered next year so more residents can be tapped for their views.
“It all sounds great, and we are very much in favor of the Stellar program, but it is supposed to involve the whole community,” said Marilyn Rudd, a Nashville native, downtown property owner and longtime merchant. She found out about the initiative from a neighbor who attended a Stellar Communities rally held to gain momentum and support for the project, as well as to solicit 800 volunteers.
She alleges that a core group of people spearheaded and directed the proposal that was submitted to state officials last week, behind the backs of many shopkeepers and town residents.
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