One of my readers asked me following my last issue how I find so many positive things happening in Jellico to write about. And my answer was that we always have very good things taking place in our town if we look for them hard enough - just as we can constantly locate and dwell on negatives if we choose to do so. It is just a matter of attitude more than anything else!
However rumors of gloom and doom are always with us. And a rumor has been spread around town that Taylor Manufacturing is now in the process of totally shutting down - a rumor which Manager Ron Perkins has informed me is not true. According to Perkins, Taylor Manufacturing is ceasing operations on some older equipment that is no longer economically productive and removing it. And he is very optimistic that some new local business will soon be obtained that could give a real boost to that manufacturing firm - although he emphasizes that nothing is as yet written in stone.
But our town, like Perkins, is very hopeful that the prospective new business will materialize. And as I told him, we stand ready to help that business - or any local business(s) - in any feasible way in order to help preserve the jobs that are provided...
I earlier reported that we have received a $ 500,000.00 grant for the Jellico Utilities Department to utilize in completing the rehabilitation of our sewer system. And I last week signed the grant application approved by the City Council for another $ 500,000.00 to help us run utilities to the property lines of Rarity Mountain. The assigned engineering firm was recently able to furnish us enough information concerning the need and location for piping, etc, that allowed for completion of the grant application. That figure will only be somewhere in the neighborhood of half the amount required to run utilities to all areas of the development - but we have been given some assurances that we should not have a great amount of difficulty in obtaining the additional funds as well - once more definite plans are in place.
(In the meantime, our Jellico Utilities Department is meeting with the Lafollette Utilities Department to insure that adequate water is available to start and continue construction of Rarity Mountain until the permanent facilities are in place and operational.)
I talked with Rarity Mountain Developer Mike Ross last week and he stated that he is extremely pleased and grateful for the help and cooperation that he is receiving from both the City of Jellico and the Jellico Utilities Department.. In fact he emphasized that he could not be happier with all the assistance that has been provided to him and the project - and in a very timely manner. And I am sure that he feels that way about all of Campbell County.
Ross stated that a golf architect will be on site March 15th to complete some details concerning the new course. And he also said that work toward the final design for the "mountain village" is progressing at a good pace.
The legalization of alcohol in both Corbin and London has really been of concern to us since alcohol tax has been one of the mainstays of income in our budget for many, many years.. And as expected, that source of revenue has been cut and is expected to be reduced even more in the future - which has created fears of a short fall in our current 2004-2005 budget ending in June.
However Finance Director John Davenport and City Recorder Linda Meadors do not feel that the effect of the loss of customers at many of our local businesses has as yet affected us quite as badly as it was originally expected. In fact the six months financial statements showed all city departments operating within or very close to budget. And revenue collections have been good due to the increased amounts of property and other taxes coming in at the present time - which of course will not continue at such a higher than usual level in the upcoming months.
But to date, the City Council has done an excellent job managing the city's finances while facing that possibility of the loss of a sizeable amount of income from the reduced local consumption of alcohol. And it is good to know that we are still in very sound financial condition.
As I continue to announce, we have scheduled the week of May 7-14 for our annual "Clean Up, Fix Up, Paint Up Week" and I have asked everyone to get involved. And I have been informed of several plans for possible improvements that will begin either during or prior to that time. Jerome Cummins, who manages Indian Mountain State Park, has informed me that some improvements will be made to that facility that should greatly improve the appearance of North London Avenue/Black Oak Road.
The back entrance to the park will be expanded to allow for safer campground entry; much of the underbrush and other growth will be cleared in that area; and Redbuds and Dogwoods will be planted along both sides of the road. Additionally a new trail is planned that will start at the Indian Mountain Road Bridge and run along side Elk Creek it entire length to Black Oak Road. (Some more trail bridges are also in the planning stage.)
As I have stated several times in the past, Jerome and his staff are doing an excellent job with our park. (I use the term "our" since we take such great pride in that facility - although its popularity continues to steadily increase among folks from out of town and out of state..)
We are glad that our town can serve as alternate routes for southbound Interstate traffic that decides to get off in Williamsburg and comes through our downtown on US-25W and continues on to Lafollette as well as the percentage that leaves our interchange and takes the route through Newcomb, Elk Valley, etc. to Caryville. But some of us are keeping our fingers crossed that our streets and roads can hold up under the tremendous added weight of such an unaccustomed volume of traffic. Thank goodness we had some break from freezing and thawing temperatures.
A new helicopter medical evacuation service is really growing and expanding throughout the central part of the U.S. and now has a center in Middlesboro. "Air Evac Lifeteam" representative Rich Buntin plans to attend our March meeting of the Council to describe the helicopter service that is now available in the Jellico area and will answer any questions that may arise.
Some Jellico residents who were either friends or former students of Paul Bostic, were shocked to learn of his recent tragic death in an automobile accident. Paul served as principal of Jellico Elementary School for several years before moving to Clinton where he eventually rose to the position of Superintendent of Anderson County Schools.
During the years that Paul lived in Jellico, he ran our summer baseball program for youth and many is the time that I have seen him hauling his car filled to capacity (and then some) with young boys either on their way to the park for games or taking them home afterward. In addition to his numerous duties in overseeing the program, he also coached the Kiwanis Club -one of the teams in the league. He literally worked tirelessly from dawn to very late at night with the field lights on. And for very little financial reward.
I attempted to play on that Kiwanis Club team although some who can still remember those days may insist that I am using the term "play" extremely loosely. Although I sure could not hit very well from the right side of the plate, I was always attempting to bat from the left side. After one such attempt and upon returning to the dugout, Paul gave me a very dubious compliment. He stated in no uncertain terms that I was one of the great switch hitters that he had ever seen and that he could tell no difference when I struck out batting left handed than when I struck out attempting to bat right handed. (I still sometimes run that one through my mind.)
Paul was a wonderful individual and he will certainly be missed by the folks in Anderson County as well as all of us in Jellico who knew him so very well - and especially those of us who were so used to seeing and talking with him and his wife at Tennessee home basketball games.
The recent reelection of George Bush dealt a serious blow to the custom of taking "exit polls" and then predicting winners from the results of those polls.
But that didn't stop Ted Tye at the post office the other morning from taking his own version of an "exit poll" among patrons of the postal service as to whether Buss Peterson should be retained as basketball coach at Tennessee. (Ted is a BIG Peterson supporter.)
I hung around long enough to determine that the majority who were responding were almost totally in favor of retaining Peterson - a fact that Ted insisted I make known to the powers that be in Big Orange Country. After much coaxing I agreed to pass the results of Ted's poll to the office of Athletic Director Mike Hamilton.
Upon returning home I called Rita Wilson who works in Hamilton's office and a lady that I have known since the days when she was secretary to former Athletic Director Bob Woodruff and I was a Graduate Administrative Assistant on the staff of then Head Football Coach Bill Battle. Rita since that time has received several promotions and currently holds the position of Assistant Senior Administrative Services Director on Hamilton's staff. She stated that she would be more than happy to pass Tye's poll results directly to AD Hamilton.
So Ted, your poll results should currently be safely in the appropriate hands! Now let's just hope that they are much more effective than the ones taken during the last presidential election! (Developer Mike Ross said that he would pass them on as well. Now THAT might do good!)
There is no good alternative to growing old. But the advancing years can sure do damage to a person's memory as a humorous story now running on the Internet clearly points out. There have been reports recently of women in the early, mid and even late fifties giving birth to babies. And according to the story on the Internet, a woman 65 years old had a baby that drew tremendous attention and of course everyone was extremely anxious to see it.
And again according to the story, friends, relatives, etc. came to the home to view the newborn shortly after the mother and child arrived there. But the new mother explained that it would be awhile before they could see it. Time passed and she informed them that they yet could not see it! And this went on and on for some time! Finally those in attendance became very impatient and asked when and if they were going to be permitted to see the baby. The mother emphatically replied that they would see it as soon as it cried.
That of course evoked the question, "Why when it cries"? And to that - following the story - the mother replied, "To find where it is! I forgot where I put it!"
As if often insist, I don't make 'em up! I just repeat 'em!
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