Good morning, Cookeville!

The mornings are warm, the fireflies are back, and Box 13 has tenants. More on that in a minute.

This week, the conversation that has rattled towns all over Middle Tennessee landed right up the road. Plus a chance to shape the city's next 25 years, a first-ever pickleball tournament, and a fox doing laps on North Maple.

Let's get into it.

The data center debate just reached the Plateau.

Last week, right up Highway 70 in McMinnville, city leaders passed an 18-month pause on new data centers. The trigger was a developer's plan for a 25-megawatt AI facility in Warren County, a 96,000-square-foot building designed to run high-powered artificial intelligence computing. A residents' petition gathered close to 3,000 signatures first.

The concerns were mostly about water and power. The pitch was jobs and investment, with the developer saying the site would add a couple dozen positions.

McMinnville is not alone. Nashville is writing its first-ever rules for these facilities after two were proposed in the city. The small town of Cedar Hill passed a two-year ban. From the Plateau to the Kentucky line, local governments are wrestling with the same question at once.

Here is the Cookeville angle. These projects tend to hunt for exactly what we have: open land, plateau geography, and TVA power on tap. The question is not really whether the conversation reaches Putnam County. It is whether we have thought it through before it does.

Which brings us to Tuesday night.

The city is updating its long-range Comprehensive Plan, the 2050 Plan. It is the blueprint for how Cookeville grows over the next 10 to 20 years: where homes, roads, parks, and yes, big industrial uses can go. Staff will walk through the draft and ask residents what matters most.

Tuesday, June 9 at 5:30 PM. City Hall Council Chambers, 45 East Broad Street. Can't make it in person? There is a survey you can fill out from the couch.

This is the rare meeting where showing up actually changes the map.

McMinnville's pause, explained · 2050 Plan details

Here's the part worth knowing before Tuesday. The survey does not just ask for vague feelings. It asks you to rank the actual projects the city is weighing, so your answers carry real weight.

The big-ticket capital projects on the list:

It also asks you to rank a dozen city street projects and eleven state highway projects. That runs from widening South Walnut and South Willow, to a Bunker Hill Road tunnel under I-40, to a new J-turn on Highway 111, to the long-discussed widening of I-40 itself through town. A map shows exactly where each one would land.

Rank them, and the city hears what you actually want built first.

Fitting news for a newsletter named after a bird.

The new bluebird nest boxes at Cane Creek Park's Cowan Addition are already full. A pair of bluebirds claimed Box 13 for their first brood, and tree swallows have moved into another box with three eggs so far.

The Cookeville Chapter of the Tennessee Bluebird Society checks the boxes every week to track eggs, chicks, and fledglings. The work helps native cavity-nesters like bluebirds, tree swallows, and Carolina chickadees get a foothold.

They are always looking for more volunteer monitors during nesting season, April through July. If a quiet morning walk with a clipboard sounds like your speed, email [email protected].

Box 13. Unlucky for some. Apparently great for bluebirds.

Here's what else caught our eye around the Plateau this week:

Your library card is also a coupon. Through the Putnam County Library System's I Read Rewards program, cardholders get discounts at participating local coffee shops and businesses around the county. No extra membership, just show your card. Don't have one? Cards are free for any Putnam County resident with a photo ID. Read, save, repeat. See how it works

Critter report. Still no bear. But Hip Cookeville clocked a red fox strolling North Maple Avenue this week, so keep an eye on small pets after dark. He is not dangerous, just out running errands like the rest of us.

Mind the orange barrels. Crews are working SR-136 across Putnam County, and Pigeon Roost Creek Road is closed at SR-136 with a detour onto Bunker Hill Road. Build in a few extra minutes. TDOT's full list

Last call on the planet show. Venus and Jupiter have been hanging together low in the west after sunset. Tonight and tomorrow, June 8 and 9, are your last best look before they drift apart. Face west, no binoculars needed.

Black Barn Summer Market. Saturday, June 13, the Black Barn in Lascassas turns into 100 vendors, live music, food trucks, and a petting zoo. 10 AM to 4 PM, about an hour west toward Murfreesboro. Market info

Bonnaroo is here. The farm in Manchester comes alive June 11 to 14. Close enough to catch a set and still sleep in your own bed.

⭐ Pick of the Week: The 2026 Cookeville Open

Cookeville's first-ever pickleball tournament, played on eight brand new outdoor courts at Cane Creek.

Gender Doubles run Saturday starting at 8 AM. Mixed Doubles run Sunday starting at 8 AM. Skill divisions from 3.0 to 5.0.

Playing or watching, it is a fun, free way to spend a summer morning and a good excuse to check out the new courts.

Cane Creek pickleball courts. June 13 to 14.

Tournament info

Cookeville Community Band Free Concert Dogwood Performance Pavilion 7:30 PM See here

2050 Comprehensive Plan Public Input Meeting City Hall Council Chambers, 45 E. Broad St. 5:30 PM Public Notice

Cumberland County Veterans Resource Fair Cumberland County Community Complex, 1398 Livingston Road, Crossville 4 to 7 PM, free Learn about VA programs, enroll in VA health care, and get benefits help. A speaking program begins at 5 PM. Cumberland County Veterans Resource Fair

After Dark Movies in the Park: How to Train Your Dragon Dogwood Park, dusk, around 8 PM The 2025 live-action remake. Bring a chair and a blanket. Concessions open.

Cookeville Farmers Market 201 Mahler Ave. 6 AM to Noon

Walls of Wonder History Hike Start at the Depot Museum or History Museum, downtown. Anytime 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM, free. A self-guided walk through downtown's murals and the stories behind them. Finish and turn in your guide for a chance at a prize bag. See more

Cookeville Open: Gender Doubles Cane Creek courts, 8 AM

Cookeville Open: Mixed Doubles Cane Creek courts, 8 AM

Flag Day

Jr Ranger Camp at Edgar Evins, ages 5 to 10, June 15 to 18 (ages 11 to 16 in July). Registration open now. 2026 Jr Ranger Camp Ages 5-10 | Tennessee State Parks

Third Thursday Concert at Dogwood, June 18

Rock Castle Summer Songwriter Series, Hendersonville, June 20 See here

Tennessee Banana Festival, June 27

Red White and BOOM, July 4

The fireflies are out.

Box 13 is full.

The courts are new, the movies are free, and the planets are putting on a show.

Go say your piece about the next 25 years. Then go watch some pickleball.

Have a great week, Cookeville.