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Cleveland-Bradley Free Press

News & Notices for the People of Bradley County
Vol. I · No. 1 Cleveland, Tenn. · Friday, November 13, 2026 Price: Free

Council Meetings › Cleveland City Council

Cleveland City Council · November 9, 2026

Sheriff asks council to move up North Lee traffic signal; city lands two grants of about $300,000 each

Bradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson asked the council to move up the city's planned traffic signal at North Lee Highway and Sequoia Drive, saying the county will finish a loop road around North Lee Elementary by the start of next school year, and the council funded the signal at its 3 p.m. session that day. City Manager Joe Fivas announced two grants of about $300,000 each, one for downtown storefronts and signs and one from the U.S. Department of Transportation to write a traffic safety action plan. The work session took no votes.

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Summary

TL;DR: Bradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson asked the council to move up the city's planned traffic signal at North Lee Highway and Sequoia Drive, saying the county will finish a loop road around North Lee Elementary by the start of next school year, and the council funded the signal at its 3 p.m. session that day.[4][5][7] City Manager Joe Fivas announced two grants of about $300,000 each, one for downtown storefronts and signs and one from the U.S. Department of Transportation to write a traffic safety action plan.[9][10] The work session took no votes.[1]

Overview

Mayor Kevin Brooks presided over the 1 p.m. session at the Municipal Building, with students from a university class and a youth leadership class in the audience.[1][2]

  • Special presentations [00:00]:

- Sharon Marr, director of Main Street Cleveland, thanked city staff and the sheriff's office for the 39th annual Halloween block party.[3] - North Lee school traffic [01:55]. Lawson said North Lee Elementary has 470 students, two buses and about 55 bus riders, and the rest are car riders, so traffic backs up at North Lee Highway and Sequoia Drive in the afternoons.[4] He said he met with school officials, State Rep. Dan Howell and TDOT, and that the county is building a loop road around the school like the one at Hopewell. Survey work is done, design runs through February, tree clearing begins in March and earthwork in April and May, with the rest scheduled for summer 2027, he said.[5] He asked the city to move its traffic signal there from its "medium range" plans to the short range so both are done together.[4] - Fivas said the city's design for the intersection is underway and that he would be open to adding an item to the 3 p.m. agenda. Councilman Duane Goff thanked Lawson for bringing a county solution along with the problem. Brooks said Councilman David May would bring the item under new business.[6] - IT Director Chris Miller introduced Tyrin Breaux, the new assistant IT director, who comes from the City of Chattanooga, where he was a network engineer.[8][1]

  • City manager's report [14:54]:

- Downtown Improvement Grant. Fivas said the city won a grant of "about $300,000," mostly for downtown businesses' facade improvements, plus gateway signs and plantings.[9] - Safe Streets and Roads grant. Fivas said a $300,000 federal grant will pay for a traffic safety action plan, expected around July, which the city needs before it can apply for larger federal street safety grants. He said it will include data collection at key intersections and a public process.[10] - Tinsley Park. Fivas credited city labor, public works and parks staff, who he said built much of the park over about a year, and said about 400 people ran the opening-day 5K.[11] - Downtown events. He said the city is working with Main Street, the museum and other partners toward events every Friday and Saturday from March through June and September through December, with a calendar out by spring.[12] - Projects. The Fillauer Branch Greenway extension is nearly done, with a tentative ribbon cutting December 14 at noon; it was paid for in part with county Healthy Community Initiative money and by the McKee Foundation. Work to bury power lines and rebuild sidewalks on Church Street starts the following Monday, which Fivas said is needed to bring fiber to the Cherokee Hotel building. Turf for two full-size fields at the soccer complex goes in next, taking about two months. Fall leaf collection runs through December.[13] - Holiday schedule. Fivas listed the downtown tree lit in Veterans Day colors, Christmas on the Square on November 21, Silver Bells on December 4 with a contest of trees decorated by local schools, the Christmas parade on December 5 on a new route, and extended downtown shopping hours December 3 and 10.[14] - Homeless Action Task Force. Fivas said the task force met the previous week, that city staff met about a timeline for the homeless shelter, and that he would meet the following week with the county mayor and the commission chairman about sharing the cost of some of the task force's requests.[15] - Fire department. Fivas said eight firefighter cadets graduated after 16 weeks of training.[16] The fire chief said the department won a Firehouse Subs Foundation grant for heavy extrication and trench rescue equipment and an HCI grant for a ring-cutting tool.[17] - Fivas said Blythe-Bower received GameTime and HCI money for playground improvements, with help from city staff, and proposed a tentative budget planning session on the morning of December 14.[18]

  • Review of the 3 p.m. agenda [43:50]:

- Planning and Community Development Director Robert Varnell said the final draft of Zoning Ordinance 2026-41 (Lake Mantooth) changes only Section 7A, clarifying that foundations will be brick or stone and the percentage for road-facing walls.[19] - Varnell said Ordinance 2026-42's "tea room" use was reworded as low-intensity food service, without hoods or open flame, in the professional zone.[20] - Fivas said the Icon Air & Mechanical extension covers major HVAC failures while city employees earn HVAC certifications, and that Ordinance 2026-46 updates the city's occupational safety and health program to the state's model code, as required every seven years.[21] - On the North Lee signal, Councilman Bill Estes asked whether the Hardwick Farms development across the street had closed. Fivas said it had partly closed and is due to close fully in May.[22] Estes, saying the city expects to install seven signals over the next three or four years, asked staff to consider buying materials for all of them now with fund balance money. Fivas said the city plans to pay up front and be reimbursed through the Hardwick Farms tax increment financing district, that the money is already in the budget the council approved, and that the signals are spread over three years.[22][23] - Varnell said the Deerfield development gave the city right-of-way for a deceleration lane at Sequoia with a full intersection redesign in mind.[24] Goff asked about stopping left turns out of the mall and widening nearby roads. Fivas said a master plan with TDOT is needed first, and that the Safe Streets action plan could help fund changes.[25]

  • Council reports were moved to the 3 p.m. session.[26]
  • Public comment [1:08:16]. Margaret Weise said she lives at the Retreat at Spring Creek apartments and that loud events at Lee University's track and at the Fuller Estate run until 11 p.m. under noise and event permits. She said she has met with Varnell, Fivas and a police representative since June. She asked that permitted events end by 10 p.m., possibly with sound barriers, and said that if it cannot be resolved she wants to be reimbursed for moving. Brooks said it was the first many on the council had heard of the complaint.[27]

Decisions

None. This was a work session, and no motions or votes were taken.[1]

Sources

  1. City of Cleveland, City Council agendas, November 9, 2026 (work session 1 p.m.). https://www.clevelandtn.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11092026-881 ↩
  2. Meeting video, 00:00 to 00:30. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=0 ↩
  3. Meeting video, 00:30 to 01:21. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=30 ↩
  4. Meeting video, 01:55 to 08:10. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=115 ↩
  5. Meeting video, 04:40 to 05:40. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=280 ↩
  6. Meeting video, 08:10 to 12:47. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=490 ↩
  7. Cleveland City Council regular session video, November 9, 2026, 42:03 to 45:06. https://youtu.be/9UL5gsryCcE?t=2523 ↩
  8. Meeting video, 12:59 to 14:27. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=779 ↩
  9. Meeting video, 14:54 to 16:45. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=894 ↩
  10. Meeting video, 16:45 to 18:45. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=1005 ↩
  11. Meeting video, 18:45 to 25:53. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=1125 ↩
  12. Meeting video, 25:53 to 27:30. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=1553 ↩
  13. Meeting video, 27:30 to 31:50. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=1650 ↩
  14. Meeting video, 31:50 to 36:40. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=1910 ↩
  15. Meeting video, 36:40 to 37:50. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=2200 ↩
  16. Meeting video, 37:50 to 39:01. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=2270 ↩
  17. Meeting video, 39:01 to 41:14. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=2341 ↩
  18. Meeting video, 41:14 to 43:43. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=2474 ↩
  19. Meeting video, 43:50 to 46:01. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=2630 ↩
  20. Meeting video, 46:01 to 48:21. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=2761 ↩
  21. Meeting video, 48:24 to 53:11. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=2904 ↩
  22. Meeting video, 53:11 to 54:42. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=3191 ↩
  23. Meeting video, 54:42 to 56:10. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=3282 ↩
  24. Meeting video, 59:25 to 59:59. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=3565 ↩
  25. Meeting video, 1:02:08 to 1:06:09. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=3728 ↩
  26. Meeting video, 1:07:22 to 1:08:16. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=4042 ↩
  27. Meeting video, 1:08:16 to 1:12:34. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=4096 ↩

Highlights

Full report

CLEVELAND, Tenn. Bradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson asked the Cleveland City Council on November 9 to speed up a planned traffic signal at North Lee Highway and Sequoia Drive, where he said afternoon pickup traffic at North Lee Elementary backs up onto the highway.[2] The council funded the signal 7-0 at its regular session later that afternoon.[4]

Lawson said the school has 470 students and that only about 55 of them ride its two buses, so most are picked up by car. He said he has met with school officials, State Rep. Dan Howell and the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and that the county will build a loop road around the school like the one at Hopewell School.[2] Design runs through February, with tree clearing in March, earthwork in April and May, and the rest of the work scheduled for summer 2027, he said.[3]

City Manager Joe Fivas told the council the city plans to pay for the signal up front and be reimbursed through the tax increment financing district for Hardwick Farms, the development across the street, and that the money is already in the budget the council approved.[6] Councilman Bill Estes, noting the city expects to install seven signals over the next three or four years, asked staff to consider buying materials for all of them now with fund balance money.[5]

Grants and projects

Fivas said the city won a Downtown Improvement Grant of "about $300,000," mostly for facade improvements at downtown businesses, plus gateway signs and plantings.[7] A separate $300,000 federal Safe Streets and Roads grant will pay for a traffic safety action plan, due around July. Fivas said the city needs that plan before it can apply for larger federal grants.[8]

He said work to bury power lines on Church Street starts the following Monday, that the Fillauer Branch Greenway extension has a tentative ribbon cutting December 14 at noon, and that turf for two soccer fields goes in next.[9] The fire chief said the department won a Firehouse Subs Foundation grant for heavy rescue equipment and an HCI grant for a ring-cutting tool.[10]

Holiday dates

Christmas on the Square is November 21, Silver Bells is December 4, and the Christmas parade is December 5 on a new route, Fivas said. Downtown shops will stay open late December 3 and 10.[11]

Public comment

Margaret Weise of the Retreat at Spring Creek apartments said permitted events at Lee University's track and at the Fuller Estate run until 11 p.m. She asked that permits end by 10 p.m., and said that if the problem cannot be fixed she wants the city to pay for her to move.[12]

The work session took no votes.[1]

Sources

  1. City of Cleveland, City Council agendas, November 9, 2026 (work session 1 p.m.). https://www.clevelandtn.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11092026-881 ↩
  2. Meeting video, 01:55 to 08:10. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=115 ↩
  3. Meeting video, 04:40 to 05:40. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=280 ↩
  4. Cleveland City Council regular session video, November 9, 2026, 42:03 to 45:06. https://youtu.be/9UL5gsryCcE?t=2523 ↩
  5. Meeting video, 53:11 to 54:42. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=3191 ↩
  6. Meeting video, 54:42 to 56:10. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=3282 ↩
  7. Meeting video, 14:54 to 16:45. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=894 ↩
  8. Meeting video, 16:45 to 18:45. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=1005 ↩
  9. Meeting video, 27:30 to 31:50. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=1650 ↩
  10. Meeting video, 39:01 to 41:14. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=2341 ↩
  11. Meeting video, 31:50 to 36:40. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=1910 ↩
  12. Meeting video, 1:08:16 to 1:12:34. https://youtu.be/SW2ZDbvw_rM?t=4096 ↩