We recently lost another local public figure with the passing of former Campbell County Superintendent of Schools Carl E. Baird. Several improvements were made in our school system during Baird’s tenure in that office and our kids have benefited – and will continue to benefit in the future – from some of those improvements. Carl was an oddity as Campbell County officials go since he was the first Jellicoan to serve in that office since Judge Harry Britton Brown (possibly our first Superintendent of Schools in the very early 1900’s who actually grew up in Elk Valley before moving to Jellico) and Jessie Woodward who held the Office of Superintendent right after World War I and whose family had moved to Jacksboro from Jellico. (He or his dad taught at the old Tannery Hollow School on Poplar Street.)
Our condolences and best wishes go out to Carl’s survivors including his wife Brenda who has been such a competent and faithful employee with our city’s utilities department for several years. He will certainly be missed by his relatives and many friends.
Some local folks are still upset over a headline in a local paper reporting on the “county” UROC competition that may not have even mentioned Jellico in the write-up. UROC and the Trailkeepers events were brought to Jellico and White Oak thanks to the efforts of Robert Cox, W.H. Bowlin, Jake Bennett and others in Jellico. To anyone’s knowledge, no one from the “county” was even involved other than possibly attending the events. (It is doubtful that most of the competitors even knew the name of the county in which Jellico and White Oak are located since all of their publicity including that on national television, cites Jellico as the site for the recent national competition.)
Down through the years we should have become accustomed to such treatment from our own local media. But some how it is still awfully hard to take at times!
That was a very large crowd in Veterans Park last Thursday night for the “World Servants” community cookout and activities. Rev. Steve Meeks and visitors to our town involved in “Good Soul Ministries” sponsored that event. Another such activity is scheduled for this Thursday night and everybody is invited to come out, have some food and drink and enjoy the activities.
It’s now time to celebrate our country’s birthday and Tourism Director Jake Bennett and the Tourism Commission have released a schedule of events for our annual Fourth of July observance:
Thursday, July 1st, 6:00 PM – Begin claiming locations in Veterans Park for vendors and exhibitors. (There should be little conflict with the community cookout and activities taking place in the Park that evening. But claimers should be prepared to clearly mark their areas.)
Friday, July 2nd, 12:00 Noon – National Anthem/Local talent performances and open microphone. 5:30 PM – Line dancing 6:45 – Colors presented and national anthem 7:00 PM – Featured group “John Christopher Knight Family”
Saturday, July 3rd, 12:00 Noon – National Anthem/Local talent performances and open microphone. 5:30 PM – Line dancing 6:45 PM – Colors presented and national anthem 7:00 PM – Featured group “C Vaughn Leslie and Boys Night Out” 10:00 PM – Fireworks display
Tourism Director Jake Bennett reminds everyone to give him a call at the tourism office with comments, questions, suggestions, etc. 784-3275
There was an error in my last article dealing with the first increase in the city property tax rate in many years. Although a small mistake, I still want to be sure to print a correction. We originally discussed raising the tax rate by .10 which would have calculated to the $ 6.25 that I cited as the increase on current taxes based upon $25,000.00 of assessed valuation. However the council voted on first reading to increase the rate by .12 – thereby bringing the increase from .88 to 1.00 and I failed to substitute the final figure into my calculation. The actual tax increase translates to $7.80 on $25,000.00 of assessed value rather than the previously reported figure. (However the projected amount of $26,000.00 that will be created in revenue each year was correct.)
The Church of God Mountain Assembly has made the former Imperial Cantrell property available for purchase – giving our city the first option to buy. The property would be readily available for industrial use and with some modifications, it could probably be made into a community center. It is already fenced with ample parking space available!
We do not presently have the funds to make such a purchase and we cannot utilize our reserve funds. Our best bet will be to explore the possibility of a grant and we have already contacted the East Tennessee Development District and asked for their help.
When the idea of a decorative fence in Veterans Park was conceived and eventually erected, it was placed there for the purpose of blocking any potentially unsightly situations from view since initial plans were for a farmers’ market/wares market. However since the city crews have cleared all of the property on the other side of the fence as well as clearing along the ditch running the entire length of the property, the plans for the market have not materialized, the area is needed for our newly instituted Fall Fest and the view is now a very desirable one, the fence is no longer required there. We will remove the structure and relocate it to another area where it is needed.
A topic of discussion that is becoming more and more of an issue in our town deals with the request of the owners of WJJT Radio Station formerly on Newcomb Pike that burned, to relocate the station on city property in the flood plain near the baseball fields.
There are four basic questions being raised by members of the Planning Commission, the City Council and our citizens pertaining to the matter:
Members of Council want to make the decision that is in the best interest of everyone and are working to find answers to those questions from the appropriate agencies. It has been suggested that a public hearing may be required to garner public opinion on the matter. (In the meantime, Councilman Dwight Osborn asked me to publish his telephone number in this article and he says that anyone wanting to discuss the issue can call him at anytime. Telephone 912-0671.)
A few issues ago I mentioned a telephone conversation that I had had with former Vol point guard Rodney Woods. Woods now serves as the head basketball coach at Wayne County (Ky) High School and recommended Chris Lofton from Mason County High to Tennessee Coach Buzz Peterson after having watched him play in Kentucky state high school basketball tournament. Although the University of Kentucky had apparently not recruited him, both UT and the University of Cincinnati fought to sign Lofton who eventually did sign with the Vols.
And Woods – and especially the Tennessee coaching staff – had to be awfully happy after his performance(s) in the Kentucky-Indiana all-star games that are played each year. Lofton had a spectacular first game and scored 41 points at Owensboro, Ky and more importantly, shot 13-25 from the field in that game. If there is anything that Tennessee has been needing, it is much improved shooting. And now with the addition of Lofton and reputedly great outside shooter Jordan Howell who hit 47% of his three-point attempts in high school and who was “red shirted” last season, to go along with Scooter McFagdon and C.J. Watson, things are sure looking up.
Any way that we can ship some of this more than ample rainfall out west? It is often pouring rain here when the television and internet weather maps are depicting the near record drought faced by some of the western states. We can spare them some water if there’s a way to get it to them! (But the more water we have in our lakes, the easier it would seem to be for the Tennessee Valley Authority to generate electricity.)
E-mail me at: mayor@jellico.tn.us
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