On Monday, the Dresden Enterprise received information from Weakley County General Sessions Judge Tommy Moore about the latest actions taken by the Special Committee to Select the Location of the Dresden Rotary Club Centennial Clock. In a written statement, Moore shares with the people of Dresden and Weakley County the committee’s latest recommendation concerning the placement of a new decorative clock on the courtsquare in Dresden.
The committee, which was appointed by Dresden Mayor Danny Forrester, met in special session on Friday, February 11, on the courtsquare to determine a location for the decorative clock being donated to the City of Dresden by the Dresden Rotary Club.
The committee consisted of the following members: Mayor Danny Forrester, chairman; Bill McClain, a U.S. veteran; Tommy Thomas, president of the Dresden Rotary Club; Charles Robertson, a veteran and vice president of the Dresden Rotary Club; Tommy Moore, member of the Dresden Rotary Club; Jennifer Branscum, city recorder; and Mike McAdams, who is also a U.S. veteran.
Moore states that the committee, after initial discussions, unanimously concluded that the clock should be placed on Main Street within the area west of the intersections of Wilson Street and Main Street, and east of the intersections of Poplar Street and Main Street, on one of the eight corners available, or in the areas in between on city properties. All eight corners were considered and examined from all angles by personal inspection. A site on the south side of Main Street directly in front of City Hall, near the location of the old water fountain, just west of the front door and north of the sidewalk, near the edge of the curb, was also inspected.
Mayor Forrester informed the committee that he had, during that day, discussed the clock placement with Public Works Director Gale Davidson and Kerry Cooper, and attempted to determine the difficulty of getting electricity to the different sites and the cost effectiveness of the erection of the clock at each location to be considered.
The committee members concluded that one of three locations would be the most desirable. They were:
(1) The site in front of Dresden City Hall.
(2) The corner on the north side of Main Street, adjacent to the area on which the Confederate statute is located.
(3) Or, the corner on the north side of Main Street, adjacent to the area on which the Weakley County War Memorial is located.
Of these three locations, the third location was concluded to be the best and first choice of all committee members. It was the most cost efficient and most prominent of the locations due to several factors. Among these factors are the following:
(1) It is at the intersection of two state highways.
(2) It is now the only four-way stop in the downtown area.
(3) It has better accessibility to electricity.
(4) It is highly visible.
(5) It was the area requested initially by the Dresden Rotary Club and their first choice of placement.
(6) The city had already granted approval by board action to allow placement of the clock on the southeast corner of the square, so no further board action would be necessary to place the clock in that location.
Moore states that the committee discussed the pros and cons of all locations inspected. In recent days, several citizens had given input as to the placement of the clock. The issues presented by those citizens and interested parties were debated at length within the committee. Moore shared his discussions with Mike McAdams, Veterans Affairs Officer Dave Bradley, and County Mayor Ron Gifford about the possibility that the clock might obstruct the Weakley County War Memorial, if placed on the southeast corner of the square. He also shared the emails and discussions he had with the county mayor and others about the possibility that the clock, if placed on the southeast corner, would detract from and obstruct the Confederate statute. All committee members were aware of the letters to the editor of the local papers voicing similar opinions. The committee was sensitive to these matters and at all times attempted to accede to these concerns and find a solution that would take into account the issues and reach a compromise that was best for all concerned.
After much consideration, the committee contacted Mike McAdams, a Vietnam veteran who had shown great interest in the placement of the clock, and asked him to come to the area during the meeting to consider possible compromise sites. He came to the meeting within minutes and assisted the committee in seeking a location that would remove objections from veterans and least obstruct the line-of-sight from all angles to the Weakley County War Memorial, and yet, allow placement on that corner, without detracting from the memorial. Mayor Forrester asked McAdams to join the ad hoc committee.
After a 1-½ hour meeting, the committee unanimously chose a compromise site. The location settled on was on the east edge of the corner near the curb in the dirt flower bed on the north end of the corner, just north of the Wilson Street cross-walk (directly across from the front door of E.T. Reavis & Sons.
The committee studied that location for a long period of time. The city recorder stood on that location, as members walked around the intersection from all angles to make sure that the Veterans Memorial would not be obstructed by the clock. All members unanimously agreed to that location, which it recommends to the city of Dresden for placement of the clock.
The Rotarians also informed the committee and now the city that they plan to dedicate the project, in keeping with their motto, to “those who have served our community above self” in honor of both veterans and others who have given of their time and talents to the betterment of the community. The Rotarians shared their hope that the clock would not be divisive, but rather a further memorial to veterans and bring attention to the memorial instead of detracting from it.
Members of the Dresden Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the clock project during a January 21 called meeting as part of its city beautification program.
The city will purchase the clock and accept donations from the Dresden Rotary Club in the amount of $1,000 per year for a maximum donation of $7,000. The end result will be that the city will not be out any money for the clock and the Dresden Rotary Club will have completed a worthwhile centennial project.
The advantage of this agreement will be that the city will not have to pay the tax on it. The actual cost of the clock is $6,268.64, but the figure of $7,000 was used to include the installation costs.
The 14-foot high, two-sided clock will have the word “Dresden” across the top and “Rotary Club” along with the Rotary Club logo printed on the face. The huge timepiece, which can be mechanically reset, is designed to match the light poles located around the square.
The project will be enhanced even more by the installation of park benches at each corner of the clock, which will be donated by the family of late board member and vice mayor Richard Shannon.
An order was placed for the clock on Jan. 23 and it should arrive from Illinois in the next few days.

(Read the rest of this story in this week's Dresden Enterprise.)

One of the top items on the agenda at Thursday night’s meeting of the Gleason Board of Mayor and Alderpersons was the donation of a piece of land to be used as a secondary access road to Snider Park.
The board unanimously approved accepting a donation of land from Doug and Kevin Johnson off West Orchard Street, which will be used as a secondary entrance to Snider Park. It was also mentioned that a road has been graded and a culvert installed at the park. Bids on playground equipment and paving work to be done at Snider Park are scheduled to be opened at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17.

(Read the rest of this story in this week's Dresden Enterprise.)