Back To Normal In Hickman County?

It has been about 11 days since the flood. I could have put hundreds of pictures on here, but I figured that most people had seen the Local and National News broadcasts. I have helped tear out carpet and paneling at the Twomey Church Of Christ in Centerville. Man, that is hard work. I have seen workers at Fish Camp restaurant tearing out everything. There are dumpsters all over the county where people are gutting the insides of the buildings.

I went to the ballfield Saturday morning to help there, but the one that oversees the ballgames said that they were going to wait until FEMA arrived so they could see the destruction. The fence around the ballfields are down and mangled. There are hundreds of places that were either partially or totally destroyed. One bright spot is that Hickman County has a small population so the devastation was not as bad as it could have been had this area been densely populated.

The Red Cross has been helping out and the Churches in Centerville have set up shelters and have been feeding about 2400 people three times a day. Churches from Lyles, Bon Aqua, Dickson, and Columbia are all helping by doing whatever they can. One church sent a trailer truck load that they had collected and had more to come.

The schools are mostly closed, although students in the 10, 11, 12 grades had to return today so they could take "End of Course" exams. The superintendent will decide on Sunday whether the rest of the students will return for the last few days.

Here is an article that will help you to understand better what is going on in Hickman County.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100512/NEWS01/5120371/Already%20struggling%20Hickman%20County%20tries%20to%20claw%20out%20after%20flood

This is the first time that I have seen this amount of destruction, and it just goes to show that Mother Nature only allows us to live here and we better take care of what we have.

Pictures From The Great Flood of 2010

These pictures were taken by Chuck Gilbert, the band director at Hickman County High School. He has allowed me to post them on this blog. Thanks Chuck.

Many of them are of the main bridge going into Centerville on Highway 100. A few are of the Riverfront Park area and a few are of the ballfield at Doyle Bowen Park.

This is probably the worst disaster that Hickman County has ever seen. There have been tornadoes before that destroyed several houses, but the magnitude of the flood has been amazing. Places that have never seen water in the area are flooded. Everyone in the area knows someone that was directly touched by this catastrophic event.

The Great Flood of 2010 In Centerville

Well, I guess most of you have heard by now about the flood in Middle Tennessee this weekend. The Duck River in Hickman County escaped its banks once again. Although the likes of this flood has never been seen. According to one Nashville TV station, some areas in Hickman County received as much as 18 inches of rain over a two day period.

A picture of the river near Fish Camp restaurant shows just one area. Fish Camp is a popular restaurant in Centerville and is the building that you can only see the top of on the left. The picture was taken by Truman Borntrager. This photo was shared on Facebook by one of my friends, Sheila Wooten of KIX 96 radio station. I hope Mr. Borntrager does not mind me posting his picture, but I will give him a little advertisement. He is a local auctioneer with Coble Realty in Bon Aqua. So, If you need an auctioneer, give him a call.

Skirmish Of Centerville ON The Duck River

On Saturday, April 24, 2010 the 3rd annual reenactment of the 7th Tennessee Co. B Skirmish of Centerville on the Duck River will be held. See the schedule of events at this blog.

http://blog.hickmantn.org/2010/04/battle-of-centerville-reenactment.html

On a personal note, my family and I watched the event last year and enjoyed it. As the cannons erupted you could hear the echoes for long distances. There is limited parking and you may have to walk a little bit, but it is worth the effort. Hickman County is the place to be.

Hickman County High School Featured on Channel 4's "Cool Schools"

Most of the students at Hickman County High School spent last night at the school. Channel 4's Aaron Solomon visited the school and proclaimed Hickman County High School "Cool." Many programs were featured as well as many students who explained the classes. The High School is located in Centerville and has about 600 students.

View the program online at the link below.

http://www.wsmv.com/video/22798292/index.html

Hey, that is cool. Thanks, to the staff at the school that put up with the students all night and to the Channel 4 staff. According to my son, Jake, they had a good time.

Snow, Snow, Go Away!

Well, it snowed again. School's out in Hickman County and most of Middle Tennessee and the kids are happy. Although this is the eight day they have missed due to snow. I hope they don't miss many more or they will have to make up some days. Our school system adds 11 days that they can miss due to weather. Usually we don't have much snow and they have several days left over, but this year has been unusual.

Centerville does not have the equipment to keep the roadways clear and the least bit of snow causes major problems. Most people in the Hickman County area - Lyles, Centerville, Bon Aqua - must drive elsewhere to work and it makes it hard on them. They can stay home and lose a day's work or drive and take a chance of wrecking their car.

Usually the real estate market is slow during the winter months, and this year is no exception and the weather has made it even tougher for a Realtor than usual - although I see signs that things are beginning to pick up. So, if you are looking for a house, or want to sell yours, give me a call and I can help you. Now is the time.

Home Sales Fall in 2009

Home sales in Hickman County fell to their lowest level since 2002 when 163 houses were sold. From a high of 276 sales in 2005, the total number of sales decreased to 165 in 2009 – a decrease of 40.2%. According to Multiple Listing Service Data compiled by real estate agent Paul Taylor, sales volume has fallen three out the last four years.

The service, which aids real estate agents, tracks home sales in the Middle Tennessee Area. Most agents belong to the service which allows one agent to sell another agent’s listed property.

According to Taylor, who is a Realtor with Crye-Leike, Realtors of Fairview, the median value of houses sold decreased 12.5% from $102,773 in 2008 to $89,900 in 2009.

Taylor states that he expects the First-time Homebuyer’s tax credit that President Obama signed into law will help the real estate market improve in the New Year.