Southern Middle TN Today News with Tom Price 3-3-26

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Southern Middle Tennessee Today

News Copy for March 3, 2026

All news stories are aggregated from various sources and modified for time and content. Original sources are cited.

CPWS Water Intake (MSM)

CPWS CEO Jonathan Hardin recently sat down with Main Street Maury to address questions raised about the condition of the city’s current dam for water intake and how the utility got the $520 million estimate quoted for new water intake and treatment infrastructure.

Between the Columbia City Council’s two votes on a rate increase to fund the intake project, Maury County Commissioner Gabe Howard sent CPWS 11 records requests about the project. CPWS staff worked for several weeks to render the information he requested into readable documents and tables. Howard shared his CPWS correspondence and requested records with Main Street Maury.

Though the results ran into the hundreds of pages, Howard thinks that two requested documents are still missing, which would contain information that would have been essential to the utility’s decision-making process and public representations about the need for a new intake.

One was official documentation of the state of the 100-year-old dam on Riverside Drive, behind which CPWS’s only water intake valve is located. The utility’s leaders have told the city council and the public that the dam is in danger of “failing,” which is one reason for seeking to move the intake.

CPWS shared two of TDEC’s biannual Certificates of Approval with Howard, from 2023 and 2025. Though they gave CPWS permission to continue operating the intake behind the dam, TDEC indicated that the dam’s potential for damage is “significant,” the middle rating. CPWS declined to share TDEC’s classified full reports with him.

“Our engineers and legal counsel have advised that the information you have requested is not public-facing data and is considered to be exempt from disclosure pursuant to T.C.A. § 10-7-504,” a utility representative told Howard in an email. “[It] could identify structural or operational vulnerabilities [in the current dam and intake], and as such it is exempt from disclosure.”

The other material Howard asked for, but didn’t receive, was documentation of the bidding and cost-estimating process for the new intake, 17-mile pipeline, and water treatment facility that CPWS presented to the city council. Howard has expressed disbelief that the city council would be asked to allow CPWS to increase consumer water rates to fund the project without being able to show publicly available documents to back up the cost.

CPWS CEO Jonathan Hardin explained to Main Street Maury how CPWS arrived at the quoted price. The utility got its cost estimate from the Alabama-based firm Brasfield & Gorrie, who have entered what’s called a CMAR agreement, short for “construction manager at-risk,” with CPWS. The tasks of calculating the project cost, then of bidding it out and finally of making sure the work comes in at or under Guaranteed Maximum Price, have been entrusted to Brasfield & Gorrie.

“[The CMAR process] allows you to get construction professionals involved on the front end, to correct all the things you think you have designed really well… [but which may not work] out in the field,” Hardin explained.

When he started his career as an engineer of 22, Hardin quickly discovered that his elegant designs didn’t always translate perfectly into real-world structures. He watched his fellow engineers bang heads with contractors who had edited their blueprints for workability. They sometimes even sued one another, especially when the edited projects became longer and more expensive than expected. A good CMAR will minimize or head off this type of conflict, Hardin said, by bringing their building experience to the design stage and taking on responsibility for keeping contractors on budget.

“When you get those wise old heads up front, they will help you make those [practical] changes,” he summarized, and added that other utilities have started making CMAR arrangements in the last 15 years for the same reasons. “You [also] give yourself a lot more certainty of staying on schedule and cost… [because] once they give you a number, they are not going to want to exceed that number.”

CPWS selected Brasfield & Gorrie as the most experienced firm for a project of the size, because of their track record working for utilities in Huntsville. Brasfield & Gorrie estimated the price of the intake, pipeline and treatment facility by referring to previous examples, their contractors’ experience, and the latest market rates for materials and labor. Because of Brasfield & Gorrie’s due diligence, Hardin is confident that the quote is within five percent, over or under, of what the project will actually cost.

Because the estimating process and ongoing bidding are all taking place in-house at Brasfield & Gorrie, however, Hardin confirmed for Main Street Maury what Howard was told: they arrived at the estimate based on the CMAR’s expertise, not by taking bids, and therefore they have no bidding documents on hand.

“Right now our pricing is completely estimate[d], we have no bids yet… It’s a chicken-and-egg thing,” the CEO explained. “[And] I don’t want to put a spotlight on estimates, because [now] we’re able to go to the market and find out the actual costs relative to those estimates.”

As a practical matter, Hardin said, CPWS had to get Brasfield & Gorrie to sketch the egg for the city council before they could find a chicken to lay the real thing: they needed the city council’s consent, and backing for possible rate increases, in order to start getting bidders. Right now, heavy construction services are a seller’s market, and the really reliable and competent firms don’t want to enter an agreement with a utility whose project might fall through or run out of money.

“With [the city council’s rate vote] in hand, it emboldened our CMAR to go to the market… and show those folks that there’s a commitment,” Hardin said. He also remains confident that state law and Brasfield & Gorrie’s expertise will get CPWS the lowest bids from a prequalified pool of high-level applicants, whose bids are expected by late spring 2026. “Our CMAR is in the process of securing those bids that would comprise our final guaranteed maximum price.”

111 Students Achieve Pre-ACT Status (Press Release)

111 Maury County Public Schools students have earned national recognition for their achievements on the PreACT 8/9 exam.

The PreACT Rising Stars program honors students in grades 7-9 who score in the top half of all U.S. students who take the PreACT 8/9 Assessment. That exam provides a preview of the ACT test experience, along with a highly reliable prediction of how students might perform on the ACT. The information is critical in helping schools adjust instruction strategies and demonstrating to students that college could be in reach should they decide to pursue that path.

The PreACT Rising Stars program recognizes students at three levels:

• Distinguished Scholars Award, recognizing students who score in the top 3% of test takers by U.S. Rank. Four Maury County Public Schools students earned this distinction.

• Rising Scholars Award, for students who score in the top 4-10% of test takers by U.S. Rank. 20 Maury County Public Schools students achieved this honor.

• Early Scholars Award, honoring students who score in the top 11-50% of test takers by U.S. Rank. 87 Maury County Public Schools students scored at this level.

“We are incredibly proud of our students for their outstanding performance on the PreACT and for being recognized through the Rising Stars program,” said Maury County Public Schools Superintendent, Lisa Ventura. “The PreACT is an important practice tool that can help students prepare for future standardized testing, helping our students build confidence and develop essential test-taking skills.”

The PreACT 8/9 assessment and the Rising Stars program was created to help identify areas of academic strength and opportunity. This assessment provides a starting point to postsecondary pathways, helping educators, students, and parents have a better understanding of a student’s college and career readiness early in their academic career.

“Early insights into college and career readiness are essential for helping students stay on track and feel supported in their goals,” said Catherine Hofmann, senior vice president of government and public relations at ACT. “The PreACT 8/9 and PreACT Rising Stars program gives educators and families a meaningful way to understand students’ strengths, celebrate their achievements, and guide them toward informed decisions about their futures.”

MRMC Critical Care Team Awarded (MauryCountySource)

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently conferred a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence for the Critical Care Unit at Maury Regional Medical Center (MRMC).

The Beacon Award for Excellence — a notable milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve unit outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that earn this annual award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet specific criteria established by AACN that represent the characteristics and components of the unit environment that nurses can influence to achieve nursing excellence.

“Earning the Silver Award underscores our team’s deep-rooted commitment to delivering evidence-based care at the highest level,” said Chief Nursing Officer Cathy Malone, MMHC, BSN, CNML. “This milestone belongs to the entire multidisciplinary team — our physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists and specialists — whose collaborative spirit and pursuit of excellence help to provide the best care possible for patients and their families.”

Recipients earning a silver-level award demonstrate an effective approach to policies, procedures and processes that include engagement of staff and key stakeholders; evaluation and improvement strategies; and positive performance measures when compared to relevant benchmarks. All awardees demonstrate dynamic and outstanding performance in the areas of patient outcomes, nursing workforce and work environment.

AACN President Rebekah Marsh, BSN, RN, CCRN, applauds the commitment of the caregivers in the Critical Care Unit at Maury Regional Medical Center for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence to achieve a silver-level designation. These dedicated health care professionals join other members of an exceptional community of nurses, who set the standard for optimal patient care.

“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in outstanding units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes,” Marsh said. “Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care.”

Maury Regional Medical Center earned its first Beacon Award, which is evaluated every three years, in 2019 and again in 2022. The hospital is also one of the few organizations in Tennessee to achieve Magnet® designation, the gold standard in nursing care.

MRMC provides state-of-the-art critical care for patients recovering from trauma, major surgery or severe illness. The physicians and nursing staff in the Critical Care Unit have advanced training in caring for critical patients. They are complemented by a multidisciplinary team that includes respiratory therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, physical therapists and other specialists. To learn more about critical care services at MRMC, visit MauryRegional.com/CriticalCare.

Legislative Breakfast Recap (CDH)

The 2026 Maury County State Legislative Breakfast tackled many issues regarding state leaders and how their decision making will affect Maury County over the next year and beyond.

This year's panel, featuring Tennessee State Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka; Rep. Kip Capley, R-Summertown and Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, focused on three main topics - building a prosperous business climate, securing a strong future workforce and providing a higher quality of life for residents.

Maury Alliance President and CEO Wil Evans, who moderated the discussion, said Maury County continues to strive to be an economic competitor for investors.

Just last week, the organization announced Documotion Research's $9.1 million investment to expand its Columbia manufacturing plant, creating 48 new jobs, as well as Recticel Group announcing its first U.S. location in Mt. Pleasant, a $49.6 million investment and creating 78 new jobs.

Hensley said attracting investments and creating new jobs is encouraged by Tennessee having a low-tax rate compared to other states.

"Not having a state income tax is very helpful for businesses and people coming to Tennessee," Hensley said. "Making it a low-tax state, a low-regulation state makes it a good place for businesses. We've seen a lot coming here from California, New York and some of these places that have high regulations."

Cepicky added that tax rates at the state level are "beyond compare."

"We have companies coming from all over the country to Tennessee to invest in us," Cepicky said. "We have governments in the country that aren't as friendly to business as we are.

"What we have to do at the state level is make it as friendly an environment as we can without overtaxing you at the local level, overburdening you at the local level, and that's a fine balance you have to do."

Cepicky also cited Senate Joint Resolution 1, which will allow Tennessee voters to decide in November to amend the state's Constitution to permanently ban state property taxes.

"You will be voting to determine whether we will ever potentially have a state property tax in the state of Tennessee," Cepicky said. "That's very big, creates a better environment for Maury Alliance to recruit more businesses here. We won't continue to dip into their pockets, or your pockets."

Another key aspect to a prosperous industry landscape is having a strong workforce to employ.

Cepicky, who also chairs the House Education Instruction Committee, said ensuring a strong work force starts with education.

"We have reached a tipping point with higher education that has to align more to a job waiting for them," Cepicky said. "And it needs to go down to the high school level to start showing these high school kids, 'Hey here are these opportunities for you,' ... and our guidance counselors understanding and learning that every student is different in how they are wired for success."

In Maury County, Cepicky said this alignment through education has been accomplished through programs at Tennessee College of Applied Technology campuses, as well as trade programs at Columbia State Community College.

However, there is a growing need for younger generations to fill certain trades, such as health care, construction, home repairs and other contract work.

"The generation that builds it, fixes it and maintains it in our country is the fastest retiring segment we have, and those employment gaps continue to grow and grow," Cepicky said.

Cepicky emphasized that success can be achieved outside of a traditional four-year college path.

"This started a long time ago, when the only way to be successful in this world was to have a four-year degree, period, and we drove [away] so many kids that could have had fantastic lives and fantastic careers in the build it, fix it, repair it segment of our country. If your AC goes out in July, it ain't cheap to fix it, and the person fixing it is making a lot of money."

Supporting a higher quality of life for residents, businesses and workers was another key aspect in creating a prosperous community.

When it comes to housing affordability, Hensley said keeping interest rates low, as well as having enough housing available are ways to address the struggles many Tennesseans face.

"Mainly just trying to keep the environment so people are building homes and making apartment spaces more available, especially in big cities like Nashville where the apartment rates are outrageous," Hensley said.

Access to affordable childcare is another challenge facing quality of life, with the state now considering lowering certain regulations to allow more facilities and childcare workers.

"Part of the problem is finding adequate childcare facilities because there are a lot of regulations that go along with childcare agencies and facilities, and sometimes it's hard for them to find workers," Hensley said. "It is a problem across the country, especially with low-income families ... and many times childcare may cost more than a student going to college."

Agriculture and preserving Tennessee's remaining farmland while maintaining industrial growth was another issue discussed during the Legislative Breakfast.

Hensley noted Gov. Bill Lee's Tennessee Farmland Preservation Act, a $25 million trust fund adopted in 2025 to help farmers preserve their land through permanent conservation easements, as a big part of the state's efforts to preserve the ag industry and Tennessee's green space.

"We understand agriculture is important to this state, important to our country that we continue to make agriculture profitable, and Maury County does depend on agriculture," Hensley said.

Cepicky added that one of the big hurdles for many starting in agricultural business is the capital cost compared to most other industries, as well as rising costs in beef.

"The capital cost to get into agriculture is astronomical," Cepicky said. "It is getting harder and harder to feed America on less and less land. We are in a crisis right now.

"This is going to be a crisis, and it's going to come very quickly, and as a state we have to figure out how we are going to protect farmland to make sure we have enough land to feed you."

And now, Your Hometown Memorials, Sponsored by Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home…

James Riley Deen, 70, a resident of Columbia, died Sunday, March 1, 2026 at Alive Hospice in Nashville following a sudden illness.

Funeral services will be Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 12:00 Noon at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with military honors provided by Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19. Burial will follow in Wilson Cemetery in Hickman County. The family will visit with friends Wednesday from 10:00 AM until 12:00 Noon at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.

Kay Derryberry Rodgers, 83, a resident of Columbia, TN died Wednesday, February 18, 2026, at NHC Maury Regional Transitional Care.

A Memorial Service will be conducted Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 2:00 PM at Westminster Presbyterian Church. A private burial will occur at Lone Oak Cemetery in Lewisburg. The family will visit with friends Saturday from 12 PM until the service time at the church. 

Now, news from around the world…

Wilmore Running for Governor (WSMV.com)

Middle Tennessee’s astronaut Barry E. “Butch” Wilmore is now listed among the candidates to become the state’s next governor.

This is per the latest candidate list for governor provided by the Tennessee Secretary of State.

It shows that Wilmore was added sometime in February. He joins U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and U.S. Rep. John Rose, among many others, to replace Gov. Bill Lee.

Wilmore, alongside astronaut Suni Williams, returned to Earth in March 2025 following months of uncertainty during an extended stay in space. He is a University of Tennessee and Tennessee Tech graduate and a native of Mt. Juliet.

The qualifying deadline, according to the secretary of state’s website, is set for noon on March 10.

Gas Prices (MSM)

Gas prices across the state moved six cents higher, on average, over last week and could move more expensive due to a rise in crude oil prices over the weekend. The Tennessee Gas Price average is now $2.61 which is 10 cents more expensive than one month ago but 15 cents less than one year ago.  

Oil prices are rising largely due to growing instability in a region that is essential to global energy markets. Although the U.S. does not import oil from Iran, the country remains a major producer, supplying nations such as China and India. Any potential disruption to Iranian oil infrastructure can influence global supply expectations.

Additionally, the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint connecting the Persian Gulf to open waters, remains one of the world’s most important shipping lanes for crude. Even the possibility of reduced traffic through the strait can create ripple effects well beyond the Middle East, affecting countries regardless of how much oil they source from the region. Because oil is traded globally, a shortfall in one region can affect prices worldwide.

“AAA does not predict gas prices, and it’s still too early to know how much of an impact rising crude oil prices will have on pump prices here in Tennessee,” said Megan Cooper, spokeswoman for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Rising crude oil prices typically lead to higher gas prices, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on the market in the coming days.” 

Tennessee now fifth least-expensive market in the nation for gas prices.

Final Story of the Day (Maury County Source)

A season of unforgettable theatre awaits as the nonprofit Tennessee Performing Arts Center announces its 2026–27 HCA Healthcare TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC season, presented in partnership with Nissan.

The 2026–27 season features six Nashville premieres including DEATH BECOMES HER, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL, THE GREAT GATSBY, HELL’S KITCHEN, HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD and BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB™. The lineup also marks the highly anticipated return of two legendary Broadway classics, THE SOUND OF MUSIC and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, back in Nashville after 10 years. Two special add-on engagements, JERSEY BOYS and BEETLEJUICE, complete the season.

To purchase season tickets and review the full benefits, pricing and seat map, visit TPAC.ORG/Broadway.