MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – As part of Distracted Driving Month, the Clarksville-Montgomery County Traffic Safety Task Force conducted their annual Distracted-Driving Operation Hands-Free bus tour on April 11.

Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services (MCEMS) provided bus transportation for the Task Force members while Tennessee State Troopers, Clarksville Police, and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies patrolled the nearby areas. Traffic Safety Task Force Members who rode the bus assisted law enforcement officers in identifying hands-free violations, seatbelt violations, and other road hazards to help limit traffic incidents and crashes. 

Stats from the three-hour bus tour resulted in 21 hands-free citations including 23 seatbelt violations, 8 speeding citations, and 42 other driving-related violations. 

“The Operation Hands-Free Bus Tour is a great way for our Traffic Safety Task Force Agencies to unite on our roads and highways to bring awareness to distracted driving. Those who work traffic incidents have seen too many unnecessary tragedies due to distracted driving. We want people to focus and practice safe driving,” said Montgomery County Driver Safety Administrator Lisa McClain.

"Operation Hands-Free" aims to reduce distracted driving crashes and fatalities by increasing enforcement efforts and educating citizens about Tennessee’s Hands-Free law. 

“Cooperation between multiple agencies in a community is vital to keeping the citizens safe and allows law enforcement to make a greater presence on the roadways and bring awareness to the importance of not being distracted while driving. We observed numerous traffic infractions and conducted several traffic stops on the tour. The event was successful and hopefully brought awareness to the importance of remaining distraction-free when driving,” said Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Denis Bowles.

Learn more about Tennessee's Hands-free law at www.HandsFreeTN.com  

To access distracted driving crash data provided by Tennessee’s Integrated Traffic Analysis Network (TITAN), visit www.tn.gov/safety/stats/dashboards/distracted-driver.html

Participating agencies include the Clarksville-Montgomery County Safety Task Force includes members from Tennessee Highway Safety Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services, Montgomery County Driver Safety Office, Montgomery County Highway Department, Montgomery County Health Department, Montgomery County Mayor’s Office, Montgomery County Emergency Management, Clarksville Police Department, Clarksville Fire & Rescue, Clarksville Street Department, Clarksville Gas & Water Safety, Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Transportation, Ft. Campbell Military and Civilian Police, APSU Campus Police, Nashville Metro Police, and others.  

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2024

Montgomery County Government Now Accepting Mayor’s

Emerging Leaders Applications

Montgomery County, TN – Applications for the 2024-2025 Montgomery County Mayor’s Emerging Leaders (MEL) Program will be accepted through May 20, 2024.

MEL is for local high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in learning how local government works through their attendance and participation in various committee meetings. Meetings with the students begin as early as August 2024 and end in May 2025. 

“I love having the students at our meetings. We encourage them to ask questions and they are often curious about the topics we address. Students also bring up important points from their perspective that can be helpful to us. This program provides them with an outlet to be engaged and better understand what is happening on the local government level,” said Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden.

MEL provides high students with a fundamental understanding of how different aspects of county government work. Students interested in the program are asked to select their first and second choices for committees, and all students are encouraged to attend budget committee meetings. Committee choices include Airport Authority, Animal Care and Control, Emergency Medical Services, Parks and Recreation, Jail and Juvenile, School Liaison, Audit, Fire Protection, and E-911. 

Applications for the 2024-2025 Mayor’s Emerging Leaders Program can be viewed and downloaded on the banner at the top of the Montgomery County Communications Department page or by emailing Michelle Newell at [email protected] to request an application.

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TN – When Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden heard the Wagon Wheel Restaurant at 1205 Fort Campbell Boulevard was closing on April 13, he decided to recognize the contributions of the Cotterell Family in the form of a proclamation. The owners were Cheryl and Danny Cotterell along with son Daniel. Danny is a lieutenant and paramedic who has served with Montgomery County's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department since 1999. Son Daniel has also served with EMS as an emergency medical technician (EMT) since 2010.

Some “regulars” at the restaurant said a Wagon Wheel existed well before the Vietnam War. Based on those reports Montgomery County Archives Director Sarah Fry was able to access old newspaper articles from The Leaf Chronicle indicating that a Wagon Wheel Restaurant has existed on Fort Campbell Boulevard in the same proximity since the 1940s.

Based on the 1972, 1989, and 1996 articles, the owners were Stanley Ladd followed by May Shaw, who purchased the Wagon Wheel Restaurant in 1975 after waitressing there since 1964, Maria Butler, who opened the restaurant as Maria’s Wagon Wheel in 1994 until she died in 2012, and current owners Danny, Cheryl, and Daniel Cotterell who purchased the restaurant in 2015 and changed the name to Wagon Wheel Cotterell’s Family Restaurant. Archives also found articles dating back to the 1950s stating that the Wagon Wheel Restaurant was owned by the Ladd Family.

Regardless of the eatery’s name, it has always been a gathering place for regulars working in public service, military veterans, and retirees who live in Montgomery County to gather and enjoy home-cooked meals and conversation as a home away from home for up to eighty years. There is also a history of the Wagon Wheel restaurants feeding those who could not afford it.

Cheryl Cotterell said, “I dreamed about having a family restaurant my whole life where families would come and not feel out of place, - a place where kids could be kids, where employees and customers alike felt like family, and my kids and grandkids could come and play in my office, be loud, and have fun. Danny and I were long-time patrons asked by the family member who inherited the restaurant from Maria if we would be interested in buying it. Unfortunately, the significant increase in rent made it impossible to keep the business going. However, we opened our family restaurant, put a lot of hard work into it, and made many beautiful memories.” 

“I’ve known the Cotterell Family for many years, went to school, and served as an EMT with Daniel. I knew they opened the restaurant to give some love back to the community. When we found so much more to the story, thanks to our Archives Department, honoring them with a proclamation became even more meaningful. The restaurant has been part of our community’s history for eight decades - that is something to be proud of,” said Mayor Golden.

Cheryl said that although they will miss seeing their patrons, they will be busy with their growing family, who have been a big part of the restaurant over the years. She and Danny have five children and nine grandchildren with another on the way. 

“I was surprised to know there was such a long history with the Wagon Wheel Restaurants. The proclamation is beautiful. We were touched that Wes took the time to honor us and that he and his staff enjoyed a home-cooked meal with us,” added Cheryl.

Daniel Cotterell gave an emotional speech on closing night when he talked about family memories made at the restaurant from meeting his wife, to birthday parties, and baby showers, and his grandfather also meeting his current wife after being a widower for more than 20 years. 

“The Wagon Wheel turned into exactly what my mom always dreamed it would be. The grandkids truly loved everything about this place, but they loved nothing more than piling into my mom’s office, just to sit and play with her. The reality of this place far exceeded anything my mom had described, and it was so much greater than anything I ever imagined or dreamt it could be. While this building may be just a building, this business may be just a business, the truth is, it was also so much more, and it always will be,” said Daniel Cotterell.

Visit mcgtn.org/archives for more stories about history in Clarksville-Montgomery County.

Montgomery County, TN – The Montgomery County Election Commission has appointed Amanda Joslin to the Administrator of Elections position. 

Joslin has more than 16 years of experience working for the County’s Election Commission with her most recent position as a senior deputy clerk. She is a Clarksville High School graduate and a native of Montgomery County.

“We appreciate the applicants who applied for the position. Choosing Amanda was a unanimous decision based on her experience, passion, and preparedness to take on the role. We anticipate record turnout for the November 5th Presidential election,” stated Montgomery County Election Commission Chair Rick Longton. 

“I have a fantastic team in place and have had some great leadership during my tenure with the Election Commission. I am ready to put my experience to work in a new way,” said Joslin.

The Administrator of Elections is responsible for the daily operations of the Elections Office. The duties include but are not limited to, the maintenance of voter registration files, campaign disclosure records, and other required records, instruction of poll workers, dissemination of information regarding all aspects of the electoral process, and promotion of the electoral process.

She began serving as the Administrator of Elections on March 25 after former Administrator of Elections Elizabeth Black accepted the position as the County Purchasing Director

Joslin loves spending time with her family. She is married with four children, ranging from four to 19 years old.

For information about the Montgomery County Election Commission, visit mcgtn.org.

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – Montgomery County Government offices are closed Friday, March 29, in observance of the Good Friday holiday and will reopen on Monday, April 1, during regular operating hours.

Bi-County Solid Waste Management Landfill and Convenience Centers will be open on Good Friday except for administrative staff. The landfill and all convenience centers will be closed on Sunday, March 31, for the Easter holiday.

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