- Hendersonville planning to waive some permit fees as business owners look to rebuild and
Dilya and Michael Knight’s determination to cleanup, rebuild and reopen their Jolly Ollie’s Pizza and Pub represents much of Hendersonville’s business community after a cut through the city’s main thoroughfare on Dec. 9.
But the Knights and other owners and managers realize there may be a logjam ahead as 136 Hendersonville businesses have been identified with storm damages, as of the latest count.
👇👇👇👇 [Google Ads]
And how fast codes inspectors can respond to the volume, competition for quality construction work, the insurance process and rising costs for materials and supplies will play a factor in reopening and are seemingly on all of the business owners’ minds as they make their way through the rubble.
“Now we have half a town with damage,” Dilya Knight said this week as she cleaned up debris.
The Knights have some idea of what to expect because Jolly Ollie’s, on New Shackle Island Road off Highway 31E, was closed for about 13 months after a fire in 2019. It was caused by a truck hitting an electrical pole.
👇👇👇👇 [Google Ads]
“There was more damage inside, so that was part of the time that it took. However, a lot of it was just waiting on codes and inspections and going back to do whatever they required you to do after,” Michael Knight said. “This time, I’m worried it will take longer because… there are so many buildings and homes damaged in the city, I believe codes and inspections are going to be overwhelmed.”
How Hendersonville will handle the coming volume of codes and inspection work is still a question Mayor Jamie Clary admits the city doesn’t have an answer for yet, but “we will know more soon.
“With so many businesses impacted, we’re going to have to get in line and wait,” said Cathie Moss, owner of Miss Ellaneous on Highway 31E, which is commonly referred to as Hendersonville’s Main Street and was especially hard-hit by the tornado.
👇👇👇👇 [Google Ads]
Miss Ellaneous takes up part of a building that Moss owns with a family member. Several other business also have space there. Her side of the building was completely destroyed, but the whole building suffered damages.
“To be able to start this again is what I’m looking for,” Moss said. “It’s going to take a little bit of time. There could be a long line.”
No fatalities were reported in Sumner County, even though many Hendersonville businesses were open and had customers and employees inside Saturday when the tornado roared through town.
👇👇👇👇 [Google Ads]
Big Play, a family entertainment center, was leveled with several hundred people inside. Many were there for children’s birthday parties when the tornado struck, but only two people needed medical treatment as workers got everyone to safe places, officials said.
Jolly Ollie’s had about 30 people inside when the storm hit, the Knights said.
“It happened so quick, we didn’t ever have time to process,” Big Play game technician Tanner Watkins said while sifting through rubble one day later.
👇👇👇👇 [Google Ads]
Moving forward
Hendersonville had about 275 buildings damaged in the tornado, including 128 homes. Twelve structures were destroyed and 74 had major damage, according to the city.
Hendersonville plans to waive some permit fees for businesses to help them reopen as soon as possible, which has been done during past disasters, Clary said.
“Main Street cleanup is dependent on the business owners, building owners and insurers,” Clary said. “To help them, the city has beefed up our police patrols to damaged businesses, sent our codes staff to evaluate buildings and had our public works employees removing debris.
👇👇👇👇 [Google Ads]
“Rebuilding will take time, a lot of time. As those buildings rebuild and reopen, the city will expedite approvals and inspections. We want to help those business owners — many of them are local people — get back to earning a living.”
Community backing
Bruster’s Ice Cream owner Nicole Fedorchek is concerned that some business owners will struggle to reopen if they don’t have adequate insurance or resources, but said the overwhelming feeling is that “business owners support each other.”
Customers have also supported the impacted businesses.
👇👇👇👇 [Google Ads]
There are people like Marli Choate, who showed up to help clean up damage at Jolly Ollie’s and told the Knights in a loud voice, “we’ve got to get you back open.”
Dilya Knight said there were hundreds of messages from customers and the community flooding in on her phone in the days after the tornado.
“With this support, I have a duty to come back and serve this community again,” she said.
👇👇👇👇 [Google Ads]
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
Feed By Business
👇👇👇👇 [Google Ads]
