Webmasters note: I got a bit behind on these columns, and Mayor Clifton wrote two just a few days apart. The column on this page is from June 2. You can read the June 4 column here .
Sometimes I write these articles and circulate them well ahead of schedule when the situation warrants. And certainly that was true Thursday when I was informed early that morning by Marshal Irwin that one of my former students at Jellico High, Barton Siler, class of 1989, had been reported as killed in a possible accident in Iraq!
I am proud of all my former students who have become contributing citizens as adults no matter what walk of life they have entered. But being a veteran myself, I guess that I have a tendency to be especially proud of those who have served or are serving in the military forces of our wonderful country. Right now I feel a sense of great sadness with the death of Barton - yet I will always remember him with even greater pride.
Not only was he one of my former students and serving in the military - but he was a member of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, US Army/Tennessee National Guard, in which many of us locals have served. And his little girl will hopefully attend Boston Elementary School Early Head Start/Pre-School within the next year or so. The passing of such a fine young man and father who was extremely well liked by staff and students when he was at JHS, is a tremendous loss to his family, his many friends, his former classmates, his community, our state and nation.
And it's for sure that Memorial Day this year will mean even more to those of us who ever had the pleasure of knowing Barton!
I know that I have reported the scheduled activities for this weekend several times previously but if my readers are anything like me, they can always stand reminders. A lot of what will take place will depend upon the weather of course and the weather forecast at the time these notes were written predicted mostly sunny days and comfortably warm temperatures for Saturday, Sunday and Monday (but up to a 40% chance of some scattered thunderstorms. Let's hope they "scatter" to another area.)
(I had not talked with any of those involved in the program but I feel certain that it will be modified to recognize and honor Barton Siler for making the supreme sacrifice for our freedom.)
My sincere thanks to all of our business places that had erected flags by Thursday as I had requested, for this special Memorial Day weekend observances. Wayne Barton placed flags at Ray's Market, Stateline Discount and the Laundry Mat - all in honor of his deceased grandfathers Junior Ramsey who fought in the bloody World War II "Battle of the Bulge" and Ed Barton who faced the fierce resistance of the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre. That was a great way to honor their service and their memory.
Several have prepared some beautiful and patriotic window displays including flags. And how about that great window display in honor of our veterans at "Zecchini Heat and Air"?
(That business had a beautiful Christmas display too that I somehow never got around to citing in my December articles although I had every intention of doing so. But such displays are noticed and they sure add a lot to our downtown.)
The placing of the "seasonal flags" at some businesses along with the American Flags, have brightened things up considerably as well. The more we do to add color and make any number and types of improvements - the better our town looks. So keep it up folks. We're getting there!
Since I have served as Mayor, I have constantly insisted that improving the appearance of our town is as much a matter of attitude as it is hard work. If we develop the attitude that Jellico needs to look better and that we sincerely want it to look better - then we will apply all the hard work that is required. And we like all cities and towns, need a "downtown" that is an acceptable place to go, socialize, shop, etc. "Going to town" is as much an American tradition as apple pie and all who can remember when our downtown was a place of activity with shops, restaurants, theatre, drug stores, etc. still miss it. And our young folks are missing something as well.
Shopping centers, Interstate business districts and other economic development opportunities are great for local economies and bring in business that would not otherwise be obtained. But for many years the trend was to close down businesses in downtown areas and move them to those business districts. That trend now seems to be reversing all over the country. And if anyone doubts that the right kind of businesses providing services that our citizens want cannot do well in our downtown, they only need to look at the still new Stateline Discount Service Station to refute that argument. I have lost track of the locals from Jellico, southern Whitley County, etc. who have commented on how glad they are to have such a convenience available to them.
But better yet, take a look at Knoxville, our nearest city of sizeable population. Some foresighted leaders there too have insisted that the downtown with its once virtually deserted streets, can become alive one again if that area is completely renovated. And like some of the opposition that developed here to making improvements to our downtown to even include the refusal to place some awnings and a bulletin board on our Library/Tourism Office/Community Conference Room, the idea of making improvements did not sit well with some there either. (I have absolutely no animosity toward anyone over the incident, but I don't believe that I will ever forget my first few days in the office of Mayor when I initiated the drive to renovate and revitalize our downtown - and was immediately refused a few hundred dollars for some awnings for that building and the now constantly utilized community bulletin board. And there were even rumblings of stopping construction on the building as well. Yet Tourism Director Jake Bennett said that the building - including the community conference room - two weeks ago was occupied continuously throughout the entire weekend. And there is seldom a time that it is not being utilized for one purpose or another. In fact the City Council was surprised the other night when Librarian Mark Tidwell presented the record for an extremely large usage of the library over the past year. We simply have to be able to see beyond our noses to get things accomplished!)
The renovations along Gay Street and other downtown areas in Knoxville too were continued and now have it looking great. And true to predictions, a large retail store based in North Carolina with stores in South Carolina as well, announced that it is opening a store on South Gay Street in October, 2006 that will be its largest business yet.
According to reports in the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Mast Store President John Cooper expressed his great surprise when a very large crowd gathered for the official announcement of the future opening of that business although he had only expected 50 or so people. And Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam expressed the opinion during that gathering that no matter how high the store's management projections for future business, that they will break those projections. People simply want to shop downtown once again!
One of the most promising developments for the future of our downtown in a long time is the current work being done by the Buck brothers, owners of Buck's Hardware. Robbie Buck recently took me on a tour of that building as well as the more recently purchased adjoining Flower Shop, old Bill's Dollar Store and the former "Tibbies Restaurant building as most of us know it. Much of the work that they currently have underway is not visible to the public.
The flower shop will soon move to the completely renovated old Tibbie's Restaurant and that vacated building too will be improved. And some work is currently being done to the Bills Dollar Store Building, but much more significant renovation of that structure is planned for the future. (It is my understanding openings between those buildings will be created - providing a very large area capable of carrying an extended line of products. That is the type of business that has the potential to really draw shoppers to our downtown who are looking for hardware items, gardening equipment and supplies, tools and other specific items and even more importantly - know that they will be readily available.)
But we still badly need that neat and clean downtown restaurant that has atmosphere, good food and good service. (Although it will be of a much different nature, I greatly hope that our folks - especially including those who work downtown - will patronize the expected new coffee shop. Success there can be a great incentive for someone to open a more formal type restaurant.)
Mrs. Bill (Georgia) Maiden, Williamsburg, called me this week to tell me how much she enjoyed my recent article concerning Beech Tree Manor. In that article I mentioned that Frankie Baird registered the first resident at that facility. And it turns out that Mrs. Maiden's deceased mother, Mrs. Letha Grady, one of the sweetest ladies imaginable, was that first resident.
And Mr. Ted Barton has been so publicly glowing in praise of my writing - calling it the best writing in any publication with emphasis on the any - that I have offered to hire him as my publicist. But he has refused, saying that he loves to do it for nothing. I can't beat the price!
E-mail me at: mayor@jellico.tn.us
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Visit the City of Jellico's Web Site at: www.jellico.tn.us