Our last regular meeting of the Campbell County Joint Economic and Community Development Board (JECDB) at the Campbell County Court House on Tuesday, December 14th included both the present and past county mayors (executives), mayors of Jellico, Lafollette, Jacksboro, Caryville and Lake City, other members of the JECDB Committee, business leaders, directors and supervisors for utilities of both Jellico and Lafollette, our county road superintendent, directors and staff of two grant assistance agencies and representatives from engineering firms.
Mike Ross, developer of Rarity Mountain, with the assistance of associate Darrell Akin gave those in attendance an updated overall view of that project to include the fact that the interchange from Interstate Highway-75 is expected to be completed by November, 2005. Rather than being centered at the 155-mile marker as we had always understood, Ross stated that the correct location will actually be near the 156-mile marker with much of the development extending back toward Jellico. According to Ross, the development will include single residences, cottages, and condominiums with lots also available for individual purchase and building subject to a design review and meeting of architectural requirements. (A top rated architectural firm will be contracted for developing the overall design as well as for approving individual construction designs.) The development will have a "mountain village" theme somewhat resembling Gatlinburg. Projected are a 150-rooms hotel, convenience area, several restaurants, varying types of shops including antiques, collectibles, crafts, etc. Recreational opportunities will be plentiful to include a semi-private golf course. The entire development will encompass approximately 4,600 acres to include several large areas reserved for "green spaces".
Ross and virtually everyone in attendance gave their approval to annexation of the area by the City of Jellico - if we desire to do so and can provide services. But for annexation to occur we must again go through the lengthy process required under Public Law 1101 since the area was not included in our current state approved growth plan under PL 1101 developed by the county and city mayors, the Campbell County PL 1101 Committee and the Campbell County Commission. And of course we will need to be sure before annexation that we can provide all services that will be required for such an extensive project. (A study is underway at the present time.)
Much of the discussion quite naturally centered around the requirements for roads and utilities. Road Superintendent Dennis Potter and others knowledgeable with the topography of the area made comments concerning a road leading from the interchange and development back to the Stinking Creek Road. Several problems must be worked out and some decisions made before plans for that route can be finalized. During the discussion I brought up the road leading through Crouches Creek Hollow and onto the mountain near the development that runs parallel to the Interstate. Former chief executive Tom Stiner was in complete agreement with me that that road has both historical significance and is of great importance to our town. Widening, blacktopping and other improvements to the road would make both adjoining and nearby properties ripe for development by local landowners and investors as well as providing another alternate route. (Potter said that it will take time but that he does hope to make improvements to that road sometime in the future.)
(During the meeting it was pointed out that there have already been countless inquiries coming in from all over the country to the county offices, the Chamber of Commerce, etc. And I have been similarly receiving those same types of contacts, telephone calls and e-mails. (The surprising thing to me is that while folks in our area often consider retiring and moving to Florida, several of the contacts that I have received have been from Floridians wanting to move here to Rarity Mountain. And from all indications there is going to be no shortage of potential buyers.)
Ross indicated that he would like to be able to start on the Rarity Mountain Development sometime around April, 2005 but that utilities must be available by that time in order for him to begin any actual construction. Members of the JECDB, representatives from the Lafollette Utilities Department and Ross himself were all in agreement that Jellico should be the one to furnish most of the water, electricity, and waste water (sewage) disposal. Our new facilities for water purification and waste water treatment were cited as tremendous assets by several and Ross was well aware of the fact that a few years ago in order to insure receipt of a large grant for the City of Lafollette to lay water lines to the Stinking Creek area, that Jellico and Lafollette had to agree to cooperate in supplying future demands for water. A signed agreement between Jellico and Lafollette provides that Jellico can purchase water from Lafollette at wholesale rates and then retail it to customers according to established rates.
An awful lot of questions were raised concerning cost of piping for water lines, installation of lift stations, any possible required storage tanks, laying of the lines, etc. The representatives of the grant assistance agencies offered their help and cooperation to those of us from Jellico as did representative from the engineering firms. But concern was raised pertaining to the length of time that such grants usually require from the dates of submission to approval as well as the amount of matching funds that must be provided.
Jellico Utilities Director John Leach emphasized that he did not anticipate any difficulty at all in providing electric power to the development. But Leach stated - as did others - that a "nuts and bolts" meeting was badly needed to further discuss plans for furnishing all of the required utilities. After a lengthy discussion, a future work session among Ross and Associates, the Jellico Utilities Department and the engineering firm was agreed upon.
The "nuts and bolts" meeting was conducted at the Municipal Building on Tuesday, Dec. 28th. Ross, Adkins and associates met with a representative of the engineering firm, representative of the Jellico Utilities Department, etc. The items we discussed included:
On an entirely different note: Sometimes it is hard for me to believe the popularity of these notes with former Jellicoans now living in other states. Recently there were numerous hits (accesses) on internet site www.jellico.com//mayor in just a three or four days period. Orin Buck (Hoot Owl Hollow) who played football for Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama and lived in Miami told me recently in Jellico Hardware that he had read my column several times.
And Betty Vermillion informed me that she always gets several copies of each issue, places them in separate bags and then gives them to members of the alumni at the annual Jellico High School Homecoming each year. She stated that she receives thank you notes for her trouble and this year she said that Rev. Bob and Blanche Smiddy (Branam Hill) now living in Virginia and Cathleen Hicks Leach (Fifth Street) in Birmingham, Alabama sent Christmas cards including thank you notes. According to Betty, the Smiddys stated that they had read through all of my articles and were thinking of re-reading them.
That's a great compliment and I am glad to keep folks away from "home" up on what is taking place in our great little town and their hometown. And my sincere thanks to Betty for taking the time and trouble to collect them and distributing them in such a manner.
I always feel a strong sense of personal loss every time I learn that one of my former students has passed away. And that is certainly true of the recent passing of Alva Potter. I had the pleasure of knowing Alva from the time he was in the seventh grade at Clairfield Elementary.
I was principal at White Oak Elementary School that up until that time had never had a basketball team and had no gymnasium in which to practice and/or play. But at the urging of some of the seventh and eighth grade boys, I agreed to start a team and we prepared an outdoor court by packing gravels down until we had a surface almost as hard as concrete on which we practiced when the weather allowed - and it had to be pretty bad to call off practice. Our first game had to be on the road of course and we went to Clairfield Elementary to play that initial contest. Surprisingly we gave a very good account of ourselves for a half. But one seventh grade player for Clairfield was totally unstoppable and that was Alva. Nothing that we attempted in defense could keep him from scoring almost at will and Clairfield won going away by a sizeable margin. He could handle the ball, pass, shoot, rebound and play defense with equal skill.
However I was shocked midway during the fourth quarter when Alva and the other Clairfield starters were pulled from the game. Rather than going to his own bench, Alva came to our bench, sat down beside me and introduced himself. We had a very enjoyable talk during the remainder of the game and following its conclusion. I was extremely impressed with him and decided I would attend some of his other games, which I did along with the late David Chitwood. I came to the conclusion that he was the best elementary school player that I had ever personally seen and later I learned that he had scored over 60 points in one of his elementary games. (And I also later learned that he was the nephew of Carl Lee Rufner, brother of his mother and our former city librarian Dorothy Potter. As I have often written, Rufner was the best shortsop I have ever seen play the game outside the major leagues when he was performing for those great Pruden teams.)
The next year I was transferred to JHS as principal and I immdediately went to work to see that Alva attended our school. Bell County, Middlesboro and almost all area high schools were aware of his basketball talents and wanted to enroll him after his completion of the eighth grade. Living in the area where he did at that time, he could easily have attended either one. But I have always wanted to believe that the friendship that we had developed from that first ball game when he was a seventh grader was important to Alva and he enrolled at J.H.S. As many alumni will remember, he started for the Blue his freshman year and had an outstanding high school career.
But Alva was much more than a gifted basketball player. He was a truly outstanding individual and school citizen. I can never remember him once ever questioning what a coach, teacher or myself instructed him to do. He had a quite unassuming personality that made him a real joy to have in school. Later he was that same type of husband, father, worker in his church and citizen of our community. He will be sadly missed by an awful lot of folks!
E-mail me at: mayor@jellico.tn.us
Visit the Archives of the Mayor's Column .
Visit the City of Jellico's Web Site at: www.jellico.tn.us