Darren Gore, the new City Manager of Murfreesboro, is featured on “The Insider,” the city’s official podcast. The podcast can be accessed through Podbean and is also available for viewing on YouTube.
Gore’s career includes three years in Birmingham, Alabama, working in the private sector with a consulting firm. He then joined Wiser Consultants, an engineering consultant firm in Murfreesboro, where he worked for seven years. In 2005, he became the assistant director of the Murfreesboro Water Resources Department, overseeing engineering and development services, and was promoted to director in 2012. He also served as Assistant City Manager from 2018 to 2024.
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Upon taking over as City Manager, one of Gore’s immediate concerns was adjusting pay for public safety employees. Surveys of surrounding communities indicated that firefighter, paramedic, and police officer salaries needed adjustments to help retain employees. Consequently, the City Council adopted these adjustments on July 25, 2024.
Gore also discussed economic development opportunities the city has engaged in, which are now facing challenges due to higher interest rates. The downtown mixed-use redevelopment project along Broad Street, known as Keystone, has encountered hotel financing challenges. This issue has delayed the Brentwood/Nashville-based developers from starting construction on condominiums, apartments, and retail spaces. The city is working with the development team to amend the agreement, potentially separating the hotel from the project’s tax increment financing (TIF) rebates.
Additionally, the project to convert the underground Town Creek into a daylighted linear urban park has begun with demolition. Gore mentioned the necessity to bid the project by the end of 2024 to qualify for AARP federal funding, with excavation work expected to start this Fall. The project includes a pedestrian bridge over Broad Street to facilitate convenient access to the park from downtown.
Source: Read Original Release
Murfreesboro Approves New Skate Park and Pump Track
The Murfreesboro City Council approved a contract with New Line Skateparks FL, Inc. for a new skate park and pump track at Old Fort Park, with the opening ribbon-cutting scheduled for July 19, 2024.