State Bureaucrats Target Beloved Local Landmark

For nearly a hundred years Swan Lake has been a beloved local landmark in Montgomery County. Created by the impoundment of a stream flowing out of the mouth of Dunbar Cave. The lake and the adjacent cave were once the site of an amusement park owned by country music star Roy Acuff, who along with many other golden age musicians, played concerts on the dance floor at the mouth of the cave.

A decrease in the park's profitability led to its eventual purchase by the State of Tennessee, and its designation as a state natural area. But even after ownership switched hands, the lake remained and generations of Clarksvillians have grown up feeding ducks on its banks and watching groups of turtles bask on half submerged branches. In the cooler months the lake is home to flocks of Canadian geese.

Over the decades development around the park led to increased siltation, the water became muddied and increasingly choked with algae blooms. Then in 2014, leaks developed in the dam structure which led to the park draining the lake, leaving a dry mud flat in its place. In 2017, along with efforts to repair the dam and dredge some of the silt from the bottom of the lake, park management undertook a project to remodel the lake. The result was a smaller lake, divided by a causeway with the upper portion intended to create a more “natural” scenescape with marshy plants and a partially restored stream bed.

Locals have been less than thrilled by the park's appearance after the remodel as staff have allowed the area near the cave to become choked with weeds and bushes, and the lake itself has become dirtier and covered in algae. Suspicions of locals point to the new park manager, David Britton, a resident of East Nashville, who has foregone what he believes to be “environmentally harmful” methods of algae control.

Tensions ran high at a public meeting on December 17^th to discuss Britton’s proposal to permanently drain the lake. The presentation informed the attendees about the history of Dunbar Cave’s stream as a “sacred space” for Native Americans and that “the stories of enslaved workers and the free village of Affricanna Town… remind us that Dunbar Cave is also a Black space enmeshed in the pursuit of personhood and freedom.” Britton told attendees that draining the lake would allow for ADA compliant parking for differently-abled people and ADA compliant trails. It would also allow the park to generate environmental credits via habitat restoration which could held fund the facilities.

Every attendee of the packed meeting who made a public comment was opposed to the plan. Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden spoke about his memories of fishing in the lake with his children before stating that he would pursue all available means to prevent the lake’s draining including requesting that the park be transferred to local government. After the meeting, longtime president of the non-profit group Friends of Dunbar Cave Lionel Senseney said he believed the state employees had “got the message.”

Yet while the preference of the community and its elected officials is glaringly clear, the future of Swan Lake remains an open question. Even in a deep red state like Tennessee, the overwhelming will of local citizens can be ignored for the DEI policy preferences of unelected bureaucrats. ROLAND T. GUNN

🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.

🎉 New Year, New Me Governor Lee issued a slew of pardons this holiday season allowing 43 Tennesseans to hit the reset button just in time for the new year. Making sure to draw a contrast between his announcement and President Biden’s recent decision to commute over 1,500 sentences and pardon his own son, Lee emphasized that he did not shorten any punishments or extend any personal favors. Instead, he took recommendations forwarded by the Board of Parole and pardoned people who served their full time and have since rejoined their communities. Among them are many productive citizens who seem to have already turned the page on a dark chapter of their lives.

🏆 Person Of The Year Yesterday, the editors of the Tennessean announced Mayor Freddie O’Connell as their pick for 2024’s Person of the Year. In an article, labeled an opinion piece with views “separate from those of this publication,” David Plazas explained that “drama-free governance is a big reason Tennessean editors selected O'Connell.” In a separate, sitdown interview with Plazas, O’Connell highlighted the importance of trust in government, including his attempts to mend Metro’s relationship with Republican leadership “especially after a year that felt like the state was taking aggressive action against Nashville.” 

The mayor’s latest message echoes the sentiments he shared during discussions about Metro Nashville Police Department integrating Fusus video surveillance technology earlier this month. Before the legislation was shot down by Metro Council, O’Connell emphasized the importance of placing “trust in higher authorities.” In a Q&A published by the Banner on Friday, the mayor blamed Donald Trump’s election for sewing discord and distrust among council members surrounding the Fusus vote: “...We went very quickly on that one day from a great deal of local trust to an overwhelming lack of trust in authorities above the local level that is possibly going to show up for some period of the Trump presidency.”

Though O’Connell highlighted that Trump’s victory has caused a visceral reaction among local representatives, he mentioned “that most Nashville residents were very comfortable with Fusus as a proposal.”

DEVELOPMENT

• Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville sells in record-breaking $75M deal (NBJ)
• Sean Brock to open new East Nashville restaurant, Sho Pizza Bar (NBJ)
• Philips Plaza sells for $17M, seller takes $94.5M loss (Post)
• Historic downtown building in The District to be auctioned (Post)

✹ THIS WEEK IN STREAMING (December 30th)

Conclave  (Peacock) This Vatican intrigue parable about the selection of the new Pope has remained the awards season front-runner for good reason. Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci turn in top-shelf performances as Christian populists torn between tradition and bureaucracy, while All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger offers a gripping portrait of the Church’s ritualistic inner workings. Even with a batshit ending that has to be seen to be believed, it’s a compelling piece of work.

Dexter: Original Sin (Paramount+) We may not need a prequel to Showtime’s hall-of-fame serial killer series, but at least Sarah Michelle Gellar and Patrick Dempsey are along for the ride as a teenage Dexter Morgan realizes his true vigilante destiny. 

The Holdovers  (Prime Video) While the glut of Christmas movies gets larger every year, 2023’s awards darling from Alexander Payne is the perfect movie for the dead week between Christmas and New Year’s. As we said last year, this 70s throwback tale of a crotchety private school history teacher (Paul Giamatti) left to watch his charges over winter break is a damning indictment of Ivy League elitism that should have been a blockbuster Christmas movie fully equipped to go toe-to-toe with It’s a Wonderful Life.

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🪕 Old Crow Medicine Show @ Ryman Auditorium, 8p, $59.50+, Info

🪕 Bluegrass Mondays: Vickie Vaughn @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $5, Info

🎸 Timbo & Lonesome Country @ Jane's Hideaway, 8p, Info
+ modern take on classic country, bluegrass & hillbilly Jazz

🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info

💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 8p, Free, Info

🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

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