Home Care In Spring Hill, TN

SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — A historic battlefield in Spring Hill will be preserved forever, once the Battle of Franklin Trust closes on the property on Tuesday.

The 11 acres of land were home to the Battle of Spring Hill, which happened on Nov. 29, 1864, and ended in a stalemate between Union and Confederate soldiers, and eventually led to the Battle of Franklin.

The land sits alongside other nearby historical landmarks including the Rippa Villa plantation and surrounding land protected by the American Battlefield Trust.

“There’s no better way to understand our past than to actually come and visit a place where it happened,” Battle of Franklin Trust CEO Eric Jacobson told News 2.

Jacobson explained how preserving the land will also be a good move economically.

“Heritage tourism is a huge boon to the area,” he said. “We have almost 100,000 visitors a year, and most of those people aren’t even from Tennessee; so they come in, they spend money, and they visit places like Rippa Villa and walk the battlefield.”

Spring Hill Mayor Matt Fitterer said the city will use its hotel/motel tax to contribute to the land’s purchase.

“When we have an opportunity to protect that battlefield land from development and turn it into a city asset and a cultural asset where that history can be shared and celebrated, we’re going to try to encourage those opportunities,” Fitterer explained.

Efforts are also being made to honor the approximately 75 slaves who lived at Rippa Villa at the time. Just last week, a bust of Anna Bunch, a former slave at the plantation, was unveiled.

“We have to understand what happened in the past, and not just because it happened, because it’s also clear warning signs about what not to do in the future,” Jacobson added.

Jacobson said the immediate goal is to preserve the historic battlefield — trees and all — but more may be in the land’s future.

“Interpretive signage, maybe a walking trail, but the initial first step is to save it,” he said.

Erin and Sean Brodarick with their two children (Brodarick family)

SPRING HILL, Tenn. — A Spring Hill family is suing the Williamson County School District, saying school staff failed to protect their 6-year-old daughter and traumatized her during an incident at Longview Elementary School in May.

Sean and Erin Brodarick say their daughter, a kindergartner, became distressed after a dispute over a necklace on May 20.

The family reviewed surveillance and body-camera footage and shared the video with FOX 17 News.

The lawsuit, filed this summer, alleges negligence by district employees.

The Brodaricks said the incident began as a typical kindergarten disagreement over a necklace between their daughter and a friend.

Cafeteria footage shows it escalated in the school cafeteria, where staff and the school resource officer restrained the child and took her to the principal’s office.

In the footage, the Brodaricks believe multiple adults surround the girl, block her from leaving, and physically hold her.

At one point, a teacher removes and throws the child’s shoes.

“She just wanted her necklace back,” Erin said. “There was no physical altercation. There was no danger. It’s a typical 5-year-old dispute.”

Sean said parents trust schools to keep their children safe.

“For these adults to look me in the face and tell me that nothing happened after they put their hands all over my daughter, it’s infuriating,” Sean said.

The family says their daughter has been traumatized since the incident and has undergone therapy.

“We’ve spent the entire summer in a lot of therapy to empower her and help her process this and move forward,” Erin said.

Williamson County Schools Superintendent Jason Golden told the family in a recorded meeting that the footage was “appalling” and that, on its face, the episode “looks abusive.”

A recording of the meeting provided to FOX 17 News quotes Golden as saying the incident “shouldn’t have happened” and that the district was taking the matter seriously.

Dr. Kathy Ball, the Longview principal, resigned during an internal investigation and is no longer with the district, according to personnel records.

Records from the Tennessee State Board of Education show that a school official, identified as April Lee, received a written reprimand, was demoted from assistant principal to school counselor, and was transferred to another school.

When the family sought answers from district leaders, they said they were initially told no incident had been logged.

After reviewing video and body-camera footage, the Brodaricks filed the lawsuit seeking accountability and changes, including more camera coverage in administrative spaces to prevent blind spots.

The Williamson County Schools declined to comment to FOX 17 News on camera, citing ongoing litigation.

The Tennessee State Board of Education said the district did not submit reports for other educators and that any license determinations for Ball and Lee will be made after the district’s investigation is complete.

Spring Hill’s sewer moratorium will remain in place until the city can meet the standards of a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation consent order.

The Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) held a special meeting last week, to address and vote on multiple agenda items, including the TDEC consent order.

During the meeting, the board approved Resolution 25-183, authorizing the execution of the consent order and assessment issued by TDEC. The order was sent after the city self-reported 29 effluent exceedance violations over the course of 2023 to 2025. As a result, the city received a $65,700 civil penalty, with $13,140 of it paid within 30 days.

“Spring Hill takes full responsibility for these violations and have been transparent with TDEC throughout this process by self-reporting these issues. We are committed to bringing our sewer treatment plant into full compliance with state standards,” Mayor Matt Fitterer said. “Ensuring the safety and health of our community is our top priority. Our focus is on implementing lasting solutions to prevent future violations and deliver safe and reliable utility systems.”

The city is developing a corrective action plan. The moratorium will stay in place until the Sewer Treatment Plant satisfies the performance standards outlined in the consent order for 12 consecutive months.

Buckner TrafficAnother issue, Buckner Lane, is experiencing increased traffic issues as the school year begins. During the city administration and department head comment segment of the meeting, CIP Director Missy Stahl and Public Works Director Tyler Scroggins discussed concerns that have been raised about Buckner Lane.

A contractor installed traffic lights and timing plans Tuesday, July 29, at the intersection of Buckner and Spring Station Drive, but light testing couldn’t be done until school started. Along with that, a new traffic pattern was implemented Thursday afternoon, which caused several near head-on collisions due to missing markings, barrels and signage. Stahl said she, Public Works and Scroggins responded by adding more barrels, signage and markings; no reports were filed over the weekend.

On the morning of Aug 4, Public Works attempted to activate the lights, but Stahl said wiring issues required repair. That afternoon, a pedestrian (PED) button was installed, but by Tuesday, she noted it was discovered that the button had wiring issues, putting the lights in flash mode when pressed.

“We are actively working — we know it is a nightmare,” Stahl said. “Currently, we are troubleshooting each of the intersections, evaluating the timing plans, and making some adjustments.”

Since the meeting, the PED button has been deactivated and bagged. The contractor has hired two officers to assist with school traffic and ensure that children are getting across safely. While the traffic signals are functioning correctly, timing plans and conflict monitors remain under review.

In other business during the special called meeting of the Spring Hill Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Aug. 5:

• The board approved Resolution 25-181, authorizing emergency repairs for Fire Department Ladder Truck No. 63. This grants up to $30,000 for a pump replacement and rebuild.

• The annexation (Resolution 25-18) and rezoning (Ordinance 25-21) of 18.6 acres of unincorporated Spring Hill property proposed by World Wide Stages was approved. The applicant is seeking to rezone the land to Institutional Campus (IC) and redevelop.

• The contract with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for the improvements of the Jim Warren Road Bridge over I-65 was approved.

• BOMA authorized Finance Director, Rebecca Holden, to issue a $100,000 payment to the Battle of Franklin Trust.

On June 16, 2025, the city of Spring Hill entered into an amended agreement with the Battle of Franklin Trust for management, maintenance and public programming at Rippavilla. This agreement provided for a payment equal to 25 percent of the total gross amount from the Hotel Motel Tax, which is annually capped at $100,000.

For the previous fiscal year, it amounted to $410,177.31, which was over the allotted annual cap. The collections exceeded $100,000 under the 25 percent allocation, with an amount of $102,544. Due to the agreement, a finance director is needed to orchestrate the payment when the amount is exceeded.

The next BOMA meeting is scheduled for Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.

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Spring Hill is aiming for growth as development proposals could reshape the city, starting with Whataburger, which may be coming to town.

During the Spring Hill Planning Commission Work Session last week, officials reviewed a site plan proposing to build a Whataburger at 3004 Belshire Village Drive.

The 4,990 square foot restaurant would include a drive-through and would replace the vacant restaurant on that site. While plans are in the works, high traffic volume is a main concern. The site rests in a high-volume area and includes two entrance and exit points, 47 parking spaces, but no bicycle spaces. To limit the congested area, developers have proposed turning the Belshire Way access into a right-in/right-out only, which would eliminate left turn problems.

City staff and the applicant met in July to discuss revisions before the voting meeting. Whataburger and its representatives were not present at last week’s work session. According to the planning commission’s By-Laws, the application will be pushed to the September voting meeting.

New Business

Another proposal was a planned development for 91 townhomes and an 18,000 square foot two-story commercial building. The land is currently designated Agricultural, meaning developers must submit a rezoning approval to continue.

Planned developments are designed to offer creative and flexible land use, while enhancing public amenities. Planned development applications must enhance amenities or design features in the city. The sought-after property is located on the west side of Port Royal and the east side of Tom Lunn Road.

However, board members expressed concerns about whether the proposal benefits the public. The non-voting item was given improvements and will require a development preliminary application before a final vote.

Another developer has requested a dental office proposal for Pod K in the June Lake area; a one-story, 5,000 square foot building would be located east of Buckner Lane and feature associated parking. This proposal includes pedestrian connections to the multi-use trail along June Lake and landscaping, dumpster enclosure screening and tree-lined parking islands and parking screening.

The applicant met with the city staff in February to revise firetruck access, a sufficient parking study and bike accommodations. WMG associate, Kathryn Smith, represented the proposal and presented the updated revisions to the board.

In a move tied to Spring Hill Rising 2040, city officials are requesting to rezone 157 acres of recently acquired property — once part of Stone Creek — on the west side of I-65 and south of Derryberry Lane. The proposed zoning shift from R-6, PUD and TND to Institutional Campus (IC) would pave the way for a future reservoir and water purification site, expansion for sewer and water capacity, as well as recreation and utility improvements.

Pooch Playhouse is seeking an expansion in hopes of growing. Developers submitted a site plan for a 4,108 square foot expansion of the existing facility. This would include six parking spaces, landscaping and a 12-inch-wide multi-use trail extension along Old Port Royal Road North. According to the agenda, the applicant also requested to demolish the existing surface and replace it with an artificial turf play yard. The Spring Hill Board of Zoning Appeals approved the variance in February, and additional revisions were presented in July to city staff and the planning commission.

Another rezoning proposal was submitted by Spring Hill Development Services. The 63.26 acres near Hurt Road and Duplex Road could allow for a new residential neighborhood with a recreational area. The applicant is proposing to rezone the land from the Agricultural District (AC) to the Institutional Campus District (IC).

Rezoning the land to IC from AG would allow a range of growth to the city, such as businesses, retail stores and residential development. This request would benefit Spring Hill Rising 2040, which is the city’s comprehensive plan that outlines the strategies and plans for growth over the course of the next 25 years (2015-2040).

The city believes that this will have a positive impact on public health and safety, as well as on surrounding neighborhoods. The city also states that the rezone aligns with objectives for Residential Neighborhood areas in Spring Hill Rising.

The planning commission will reconvene on Aug. 11 for its regular voting meeting.

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Hens may soon rule the roost in Spring Hill as the city's board of mayor and aldermen continue to discuss changes to an ordinance limiting the number of birds allowed on a person's property.

The debate has caused many to question how Spring Hill's rules stack up against other Middle Tennessee communities.

Spring Hill's board has deferred a second reading on the measure to August so officials could gather more information.

The proposed amendment to city code would allow residents to keep more domesticated hens on Spring Hill properties. It says a property owner can have one hen per 1,500 square feet of lot area with no maximum versus the current rule, which limits property owners to four hens per property and the birds can't be within 1,000 feet of any residence.

During public comments on the measure July 21, one property owner speaking against the amendment cited the city of Brentwood's chicken ordinance, which only allows birds on properties with three or more acres.

Many Middle Tennessee cities have laws about chickens and farm animals.

What other Middle Tennessee city chicken laws say

In Metro Nashville and Davidson County, domesticated farm animals are restricted, unless a lot size of five acres is met.

If a lot size is less than five acres, the only farm animal allowed is chickens, but permits for the birds must be obtained through Metro Health Department Animal Control. Hens are allowed in Nashville, but roosters are not, and the maximum number of domesticated hens one can have is 20, the law says.

In Clarksville, the number of chickens and hens allowed on permitted residential zoned properties is eight, regardless of the property's size.

Chickens are not permitted to run at-large in Murfreesboro and roosters are banned from the city.

In Cheatham County, Ashland City does not limit the number of chickens a resident can have, but animal control can investigate noise and nuisance complaints, and if warranted, citations could be issued to owners. In some cases, animals could be impounded or euthanized, the law says.

Springfield does not allow domestic fowl to run at-large, and keeping domestic fowl within city limits is prohibited, unless a property is zoned agricultural and contains five or more acres. On those properties, there are no limits on the number of chickens owned, the law says.

Mt. Juliet in Wilson County also prohibits any animal from running at large.

"We allow chickens as pets. We do not limit the number, but all enclosures shall be clean and maintained," Mt. Juliet spokesperson Justin Beasley said.