By Teri Cox

Special to the Tribune

The Town of Chapel Hill intends to hold quarterly meetings for the area businesses. This was announced at a Meet and Greet for local businesses held last week at the Chapel Hill Community Center.

There were 26 people present from the business community when Town Administrator Mike Hatten introduced Mayor Carl Cooper. Cooper spoke about the town leaders' interest in the growth and preservation of small business in this area. He cited the new wine and liquor store as an example of the town moving forward. Cooper reminded everyone that new business coming in keeps people in the area from having to go to one of the neighboring communities, and keeps the Chapel Hill community's money revolving in the Chapel Hill community.

Hatten then took a few moments to speak about how the community has grown through his years of service. He celebrates his 10-year anniversary this month as the Town Administrator. Hatten proudly announced that by the end of this year the Town of Chapel Hill will be debt free, which will help keep the lower property tax rate percentage in place. He confirmed Cooper's assurance that the leaders of Chapel Hill are renewing and stepping up their commitment to helping in whatever way they can to ensure that businesses who come to town to do business will have every opportunity to succeed, and existing businesses will have more support than ever before from the leaders in this community. He reminded everyone that no business license fees are charged by the Town of Chapel Hill, and that will not change. While explaining that he hoped a quarterly meeting of the business people in the Chapel Hill area would be one more step in helping businesses develop to their full potential, he introduced Teri Cox as an assistant to the Town of Chapel Hill in this endeavor. Business owners were invited to contact Hatten or Cox with questions and ideas for meeting topics.

During introductions and refreshments, Phil Comstock, from David Jent Realty, said home sales in the area were on an upward swing with a lot of the people who were buying homes coming from Murfreesboro and surrounding areas. He said that home buyers may qualify for rural loans that are available in the Chapel Hill area, that are not available in many other places, so that is a draw for them.

Mike Wiles, executive director of the Joint Economic and Community Development Board in Marshall County, was the guest speaker for this kick-off meeting. He believes that these meetings are a very important move for Chapel Hill businesses. Wiles stressed that working together and networking is something that is very important to small business growth. He said that revenues from sales taxes were back on the rise after some bad years. He also reminded folks that the location of Chapel Hill in Marshall County -- with the proximity to major highways and a state park in the backyard -- makes it a great place to live and have a business.

The meetings will be held quarterly at the Chapel Hill Community Center. The next date has not been announced. The Town of Chapel Hill cordially invites and encourages all business owners and managers in the Chapel Hill area to attend. There is no charge. Town Hall's phone number is 364-7632.