Brighter people need to fill these positions, including the paid positions. A qualification of city residency should be applied to all of the paid departments in our city, at least have the city show reasonable effort to find an employee within our own boundaries. I’ve grown tired of listening to outsiders say what is better for us and then ignore our questions and comments.

Wouldn’t the service road increase congestion at the TN Bank rear service road to Manhattan Ave? Rather, I believe, TN Bank would much rather see different businesses there that do business with the local public daily? In favor of TN Bank, if those lots were developed for service businesses, customers of those businesses would see a favorable location in TN Bank. I would like to own a bank with those amenities of a corner lot. If it isn’t out of the concern for residences, it is surely out of the concern of his clients and future clients, Oak Ridgers.

Now, I do believe TN Bank would like to see more business along S. Illinois, and their three points of entry to a service road is desirable: Illinois, Manhattan, and Rutgers.

In counter to the TN Bank service road, the Hotel should consider the cemetery with its covenants and the Hotel putting more money into correcting an unsafe stretch of road for their business, at least as much as they take. But that would only be a minimum to feeling better about the S. Illinois entrance. I would like to see the Inn Lane intersection improved to cross S. Illinois; this would require the cemetery lot. I think it would further promote retail sales with a new intersection on S. Illinois, but at the end of the day, it is just my opinion.

It is good hear our community talking about what is more important: sales taxes or lives?

If this property ends up being rezoned for the hotel, it will get its very own entrance from South Illinois Ave., which will worsen existing problems on that stretch of road — and may lead to accidents due to hotel customers and employees making left turns in desperation (after giving up waiting for a suitable break in the traffic).

A frontage road (or just a parking lot connection) that allows folks to make their turns at the Rutgers Ave. traffic light would make sense from a planning standpoint.

I can see how the Hotel can persuade TN Bank customers to go elsewhere due to traffic congestion alone.