Remember that we start our "Jellico Clean-up, Fix-up, Paint-up" this Saturday, May 7th that will run through Saturday, May 14th.. We ask everyone to get involved!
We will soon need to make a decision concerning the request by Indian Mountain State Park Manager Jerome Cummins that the City of Jellico deed to the State of Tennessee some up until now, mostly unused flood plain property at the corner of London Avenue/Black Oak Road and Dairy Avenue. We have already granted permission for the erection of a nice ($ 2,500.00) sign there that is so badly needed for tourists on their way to the Park who often have difficulty in deciding to turn left as they presently need to do, or to continue straight on Black Oak Road which requires them to turn around - no easy task even for skilled drivers.. (Cummins and the Park staff are presently in the process of opening the rear entrance which will allow campers to enter there from Black Oak Road but that will still take some time before completion.)
We have never yet taken a vote on the issue but from general discussions during the meetings, it seems to me that the Council might possibly line up at the present time something like one or two members in favor of the transfer, one or two members opposed and one or two members still considering the matter as I personally have done at length. I certainly will not have disagreement with those members of Council who take either position on the issue and I will only have a vote when the question comes before the Council if there is a tie. But should that happen, I will vote in favor of the transfer of ownership of the property from the city to the state.
There seem to be two issues to be considered. One is the possible use of the land for a little league baseball field and the other is the availability of parking.
We have a lot directly across the road that to me seems to be as good a site for the little league field as that particular parcel of land. Constructing a field there should not be a problem since that is the same side of the road where we already have our two existing fields. And our present fields are surrounded by several acres of available land. We would need to heavily rock and then gravel that area, but doing so would allow almost unlimited parking space.
(I know that the argument can be made that we shouldn't be giving land to the state but it was only three years ago that the state indicated that it would give us the entire Indian Mountain State Park if we would accept it. Thankfully we did not and Cummins since that time has been able to obtain funding that we would not have even dreamed possible during those dark days when the Park was closed and ordered locked to anyone other than security personnel.)
And the funds that Cummins has raised and figures to raise for further improvement of the Park are just too much for me to vote to turn down. If we approve the transfer, Cummins lists the following improvements to be made to the area immediately upon completion of the transaction:.
Improvements that Cummins strongly believes can and will be funded in future budgets include:
To me it is not a question of having a little league field and parking or a great amount of state funded recreation facilities for all age groups. Rather it is a great opportunity to have both! I would be the last person in Jellico to vote to deprive our kids of additional baseball facilities and I am for obtaining a little league field whether the City of Jellico or the State of Tennessee provides it.. If necessary for the City to do so - and if for some reason Cummins should be unsuccessful in his quest for the required funds for such a facility after acquiring the land for the state - I would vote for funding a field across the road in one of our next two budgets. But to date, he has followed through on every single commitment that he has previously made to the city including those that he has indicated were only beliefs rather than binding contracts. And he believes that what has already been accomplished and what is planned, are only the tip of the iceberg in developing recreational facilities on that property - as well as throughout the Park.
A reminder that the Ministerial Association will conduct a "Day of Prayer" in Jellico including prayer for out city and our country this Thursday, May 5th.. Several activities are planned throughout the day including a gathering at the Municipal Building at 12:00 Noon for prayer.
Not only is this Saturday, May 7th the kickoff day for our "Clean-up, Fix-up, Paint-up Week" but it is also the date scheduled for "May Day" activities at Indian Mountain State Park. That activity will start with registration at 9:00 AM and events beginning at 10:00 AM.. No charge!
Age groups for participation will be 5-8 years; 9-12 years; and 13 years and up. Weather permitting events will include Sack Races at 10:00 AM; 3-Legged Race at 10:30 AM; Fifty Yard Dash at 11:00 AM; Relay Race (five person team) at 11:30 AM; Tug of War (ten person team) at 12:00 Noon; The Town's Biggest Tug of War (males versus females) at 12:30 PM; Jump Rope and Sit-ups Contest to follow.
There will be drawings for prizes throughout the morning. Bring lawn chair and picnic lunch. (Contact is Alla Faye Rutherford at 784-3420 during the hours 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM).
Memorial Day is growing closer and I am still hopeful that our downtown businesses will place American Flags on their building fronts and/or the metal awnings in front of their buildings. As I wrote earlier, the flags will demonstrate our patriotism during the current "war on terrorism", add more color and help create a more "busy" appearing downtown.
(I recently purchased a flag at Buck's Hardware identical to the one displayed in front of that business. The entire flag assembly including the pole and mount cost only $ 29.50.. I don't know how many are in stock but that is an exceptionally good price for an attractive display of the red, white and blue. If stocks become depleted, I am sure that the owners will be happy to order more and hopefully have them here in time to purchase, erect and display prior to Memorial Day.)
Mrs. Louise Davis Carroll Walden, who passes this column to others including sending copies to her son John Carroll presently deployed with the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, called to ask me to announce that an American Flag presented to the Fiftieth Year Reunion of the Jellico High Class of 1954 in honor of the late Glen King, graduate of that class who served for forty years in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), will in turn be presented to JHS in a ceremony to take place in front of the "Memorial to Deceased Students" on Saturday, May 21st at 11:00 AM.. (The presentation is being made on the anniversary of that class's graduation date.)
Don Bailey e-mailed to inform me that I can add the (Old) Standard Coal & Coke Company, Newcomb that opened in 1896 to the list of area coal mines after the arrival of the railroads. Don said that he was very interested in my reference to the Pluckney Coal Company in Tannery Hollow. He said that he too has always heard of that company but has never been able to find any concrete evidence of its existence. Rather he says the Tannery Hollow mine that was located in the area of the elementary school is listed in official records as Blue Gym Coal Co..
It is probably one of those cases where the coal company and the mine were known by two different names. My grandfather, John Kasee, worked for a long period of time for Pluckney before returning to Proctor as a "bank boss" and where he later lost his life in a mining accident.
The Pluckney commissary (all mining camps had them) was located at the corner of South Main/Newcomb Pike and Florence Avenue where the car wash is now located. The basement of that structure for a short period even served as "Jellico Campbell County High School" as distinguished from Jellico City High School that was located next to the First Baptist Church and before the two schools were consolidated into a new large brick building on Florence Avenue circa 1917 (present site of the Church of God Tabernacle). My mother's family traded at the Pluckney Commissary for years since it was a standard requirement for employees and their families to trade in the "company store" under the terms of their employment. And more often than not, the commissary charged exorbitant prices and kept miners in the red by maintaining charge accounts to be deducted from paychecks that often couldn't cover the entire amount.
After its closing as a commissary, it was used as a residence and for other purposes. John Dobson (father of Mrs. Ora Dobson Bunch, wife of Rev. Ozell Bunch) ran a store there for many years and Harry Shubert and others had a barbershop in the building as well. It was eventually torn down to make room for a parking lot before construction of the present car wash. (Don is truly a fountain of researched historical information concerning Jellico. He has written records from Dunn and Bradstreet pertaining to many of our turn-of-the-century saloons that included the (in)famous Daisy Saloon.. It's true that in our early rough and tumble days starting around 1881, we were well known throughout the country for our saloons, as well as several houses of "ill repute" - especially in Jellico, Kentucky where the carrying of guns was legal, the hard liquor flowed, and fights were common place resembling a frontier town.)
A recent problem wiped out my accumulated e-mail - some of which I had not yet had opportunity to open. If you e-mailed me between Friday, April 22nd and Monday, April 25th, I would request that you re-transmit the lost message(s). I don't want to miss any of them.
E-mail me at: mayor@jellico.tn.us
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