The News-Examiner from Gallatin, Tennessee • Page A1

FRIDAY GALLATIN, TENNESSEE SUMNER COUNTY SINCE 1840 Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox. Go to Tennessean.com/newsletters to sign up for email alerts from Sumner County. VOL. 175 NO. 9 2015 GANNETT INC.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED SUBSCRIBE: 1-800-520-9286 ONLINE For the latest in local news and updates, visit GallatinNewsExaminer NEWS GOOGLE FIBER MAP MISLEADS RESIDENTS, 4A SCHOOLS GHS CELEBRATES OMECOMING TONIGHT, 3A Dozens of residents seized the opportunity this week to publicly vent their frustration ith Sumner County Commiss ion members over the count first property tax hike in more than a decade. It was the first opportunity for residents to address the commission since the controversial Nov. 3 vote that set the property tax rate at 2.50 per $100 of assessed val- a 48-cent increase over 2 013. In a rare six-hour meeting Monday, more than 50 resi- dents addressed commissioners during comments. A estimated 250 people both in favor and against the tax hike crowded into a standing-room-only commis- ion chambers while hundreds more pressed into an adjoining allway.

Residents had asked to speak about the 23.7 percent increase at two prior commission eetings, but were turned own since it a regular a genda item. After a petition circulated by the anti-tax-hike group Sumner Taxpayers Alliance garnered thousands of signa- ures, Commission Chairman Paul Decker placed a report from the budget director on the Jan. 26 a genda. Petition garners 4,232 signatures Before a presentation on hy more revenue was needed Finance Director David awing, and a video featuring DESSISLAVA YANKOVA STAFF County Executive Anthony Holt, center, holds the sign-up sheet for residents to speak before the Sumner County Commission meeting Monday. PROPERTY TAX HIKE DIVIDES COUNTY Move has fierce upporters, pponents By Tena Lee TAX HIKE, 7A ONLINE For more photos from the commission eeting, go to GallatinNewsExaminer.com Apublicly-owned mega industrial park proposed to make Sumner County the target for major industrial development is on hold.

A proposal to devote up to $250,000 for a geotechnical tudy to ensure a suggested Gallatin property is fit for the park was deferred Monday ith a 17-to-7 vote of the Sum- er County Commission. The budget commit- ee unanimously passed the roposal Jan. 12. The industrial park, a prop osed $20 million investment, would be on an 800-acre to 1 property at the north end of Gallatin adjacent to State Route 109 and accessi- le to Portland, the second largest industry hub after Gallatin. ithin close proximity to all major interstates and the CSX railroad, once developed the site would provide companies with shovel-ready land for dev elopment, said Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt, ho is pitching the idea.

The proposal was the last item discussed during Mond meeting that ended at a bout 1:30 a.m. after 6 hours and drew about 500 eople mostly protesting comm Nov. 3 decision to raise property taxes by 23.7 ercent. Some residents and commissioners called the park a with money. a huge Gallatin ommissioner Jim Vaughn said.

can be a gold mine. It can also be a money pit we can ut money into for years. How are we gonna get our money Investment debated The returns are likely to be huge, said Holt, who compared he investment to Hamilton development of the Enterprise South Ind ustrial Park now home to North American manufacturing headquarters. hat public investment has reated almost 5,000 new jobs County industrial park plan gain ground Commission defers vote on land study By Dessislava Yankova Park site PARK, 5A AMillersville cold case centered on the death of a 28-year- old woman and the disappearance of her infant daughter has been reclassified as a homicide ased on a forensic report that as been in the Tennessee Bur eau of possess ion for more than three years. illersville Police Chief Dav id Hindman said Tuesday that his department receive he report until two weeks ago.

he report focuses on the scene of Shauna death, reportedly in Millersville near her home on C. Smith Street in Sumner County. Shauna body was found in Nashville, floating in the Cumberland River on May 7, 2011. She and her 4-month-old daughter, Zaylee Grace, had been reported missing two days earlier. Zaylee was never found.

On Tuesday, TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said in an emailed tatement that all evidence in he Fryar case was made avail- a ble to the proper authorities hen it was first analyzed and he TBI had been working col- aboratively with the Millersville Police Department since he case was opened. indman took office as police chief in September. When he began to look through the cold case files about a month ago, he noticed that the Fryar case files were missing, he said. TBI had he said. When Hindman got the files back two weeks ago, the TBI also sent its case files, which included the report, he said.

are some deep quest ions that need to be answered as a result of the indman said. found the ieces of the puzzle. We just ave to put the puzzle together ow. Why this was not han- FILE Shauna Fryar a nd her Cold case reopened as murder investigation Millersville mom found dead in 2011, fate unknown By Nicole Young COLD CASE, 6A TIPS reward has been ffered for information that leads to he whereabouts of aylee Grace Fryar. Anyone with information about the case should call he TBI at 1-800- TBI-FIND.

The future of the GreenLea Boulevard extension project is in question after the state informed Gallatin officials this week that the portion of construction costs are estimated to be roughly 77 percent higher than originally expected. The latest estimate for portion of the remaining project cost is $4.4 million, some $1.9 million more than anticipated, according to a Jan. 27 ennessee Department of Transportation letter from transportation manager Whitney Sullivan to Mayor Paige rown. We have a contract with DOT to complete this project, but we have the Brown told the Gallatin City Council on Tuesday. he Gallatin City Council oted Tuesday to have Brown chedule a meeting with TDOT Commissioner John Schroer to ee if the state would allow the city to pay $2.5 million now and the remaining $1.9 million at a later date.

ast year, the Gallatin City Council approved an $8.6 mill ion bond issue for various projects, of which $2.5 million was to be used for the construction costs associated with extending reenLea Boulevard to Long Hollow Pike. he contract, which was unanimously approved by the council in February 2009, states that TDOT will cover up to a aximum of $2 million for the roject. The city would be re- ponsible for the remaining cost. knew what the contract said, but until last week the construction estimate in the con- ract was still around $2.5 mill Special Projects Director osemary Bates said Tuesday. An update on the situation is expected at the next ommittee meeting Feb.

10. City Engineer Nick Tuttle said the city will likely issue an- ther bond this year to cover costs associated with an ongoing Albert rack road project and could include the additional $1.9 million for the GreenLea Boulevard extension in that new bond. Tuttle said he spent nearly wo hours speaking with TDOT representatives Tuesday about hat could have led to the new cost estimates. talked about the infla- ion rate from 2010 to 2015 and seen a 15 percent (increase) on an annual Tutt le said. think the major thing as TDOT just not using solid GreenLea extension costs kyrocket Gallatin to owe $1.9 million more han expected By Josh Cross GREENLEA, 6A.