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Spring Hill newcomers ready for challenge of big city





Spring Hill city administrator Pam Caskie speaks to the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce during their monthly luncheon in August.CHRIS YOW / MAIN STREET MAURY

Spring Hill city administrator Pam Caskie speaks to the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce during their monthly luncheon in August.CHRIS YOW / MAIN STREET MAURY

Spring Hill city officials spoke to the city’s chamber of commerce last Thursday introducing three new members of the city’s staff and updating the business community on projects the city is working to complete.

Communications director David Fish announced the city is working to build a new website it hopes to launch within the next two years.

“We think the current one is good; there is a lot of information,” he said. “We just want to have a more dynamic site for video and more accessible to the public.”

Fish added that many cities the size of Spring Hill and larger will make public their long-term public affairs and communications plan.

“We are going to do the same thing. We want to have a long-term plan that everyone buys into and has contributed to with a predictable way we reach the public and answer questions,” he said.

Many of the public’s questions — at least among those on social media — center around the lack of infrastructure with crowded roads and sewer capacity.

Spring Hill mayor Jim Hagaman speaks to the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce during their monthly luncheon in August.CHRIS YOW / MAIN STREET MAURY

Spring Hill mayor Jim Hagaman speaks to the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce during their monthly luncheon in August.CHRIS YOW / MAIN STREET MAURY

Newly appointed city administrator Pam Caskie noted the 548% growth the city has incurred since 2000, stating the quickness with which the city grew caught previous administrations off guard.

“By the time they could figure out what they needed to do, it was almost too late to catch up,” she said.

A 34-year veteran of city management, said every job she’s ever had was simply preparing her for the job she currently holds with Spring Hill. With a population of more than 50,000 following the 2020 census, Spring Hill is in new territory, and Caskie is tasked with making sure the city is able to handle its growth appropriately.

Ideally, Caskie said, she would have a staff that grows with the population.

“I don’t have a single professional available that I can task with a special project,” she said. “If it’s not something that was already on the table year after year, it can’t get done.”

With the widening of Buckner Road that will lead to a new interchange at Interstate 65, along with the widening of Main Street (U.S. 31) being on the TDOT 3-year plan, Caskie said there will soon be some alleviation to the traffic woes of the city.

 

 

“The previous administration did a wonderful job getting these projects going, and it’s up to us to see them through,” she said.

One of the people tasked with seeing these projects through is Calvin Abram, planning director.

Abram said he is excited about June Lake’s development, as well as Kedron Square, because of their commitment to being true mixed-use developments.

“You’re going to see homes, hotels, office space, restaurants and retail in these developments,” he said. “These are the kinds of developments that we need in Spring Hill. We need to be able to work where we live.”

Rebecca Melton, executive director of the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce, announced in her opening statement the organization has more than 400 members currently, though most are small businesses.

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