We have just suffered through a trying time with our city's water supply that once again proved the veracity of the old saying, "We don't miss the water 'til the well runs dry". The recent situation was frustrating to all of us since in recent years we have had few interruptions in our highly rated public water supply - and never an interruption to equal our recent problem. And I don't believe that the average citizen understood the gravity of the problem and the situation that our utilities department personnel faced in getting our water back to acceptable state standards.
The record amount of rainfall in such a very short period of time washed massive amounts of pure mud into the lake that supplies us. Additionally the rapidly swelling Elk Creek with its equally large amounts of mud and with great force, broke through into the lake as well. In the meantime, the lightning kept knocking out the breakers to the plant which completely discontinued the output of potable water. (One crucial valve was damaged by the lightning to the point that it was no longer operational and with no time for repairs, the valve had to be operated manually even after the power was restored. Other functions required similar attention and monitoring from utilities personnel, since some telemetry gages, etc. were similarly affected.)
Since water was leaving the storage tank at its regular rate with no replacement water coming into the tank for an extended period of time, personnel had to get water back into the system as quickly as possible once the power again became available to prevent exhausting the quickly dwindling stored supply that would have presented a serious health problem with no water for bathrooms, etc.. However Jackie Owens ran tests around the clock to insure that all water leaving the plant had no increased levels of bacteria. Special precautions in treatment of the water prevented any problem with increased bacterial content and horror stories of "germs" etc. in the water were totally inaccurate according to the reports that I was given. But believing that it was better to be safe than sorry, the water advisory was issued as a precautionary measure.
However particles of matter and other impurities from all of the extremely thick mud that badly discolored the water in some areas, could not possibly all be eliminated quickly due to their huge concentration - and correcting that situation took much more time and settling of the water in the lake and especially water pumped into the settling/treatment tanks.
Utilities Director John Leach, Supervisor Woody Swafford and water system personnel including Owens, Burr Elliott, Jimmy Silcox, Elbert Loudin, Chris Smith, and Keith Blair worked extremely long hours during the entire period.. And Swafford said that Bill Barton and Kevin McGhee doubled up working the system to free up personnel badly needed at the plant.
And they soon had help from the State of Tennessee. I personally made numerous trips to the purification plant where everyone was working feverishly to get us back on line and up to standards. And I was informed by one of the state water purification technologists that he had seen a lot of serious problems but that in all of his years, he had never encountered a problem that compared to the one with which our utilities department had to cope.. He took me through the entire purification process, was extremely complimentary of our utilities personnel whom he cited for their training, experience and dedication and he informed me that he felt very strongly that our sample test results were accurate. But he emphasized that regulations required certification by state laboratories of water samples taken at different times and from different areas before our water advisory could legally be lifted.. Once the water became much clearer, the samples taken and processed by the state and with required water quality confirmed, we received final notification at approximately 10:00 AM on Wednesday, July 27th and the advisory was cancelled.
On behalf of the City Council and our citizens, I want to sincerely thank all personnel at the Utilities Department and everyone involved in dealing so successfully with a problem that we have never before faced in Jellico - and hopefully one that we will never have to face again.
I mentioned in my last notes that the chances are good that we can soon accomplish the work required to close the open ditch on South Main Street since we expect grant funds to be released soon for that purpose. And I have also received some more good news that our longest standing grant application is still alive.
The Council in 1995 was notified that funds would be available for a walking trail starting in the downtown and a contract was signed to that affect.. However the required matching funds were a problem and a contract was re-negotiated by Councilman Alvin Evans in 2000 that allowed us to provide a "soft match". But other problems have continued to delay us in getting construction of the trail underway.
Fortunately I received correspondence dated July 21, 2005 from Neil Hansen, Enhancement Coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, that not only is the grant still active but that funding from the Department has been increased to $ 179, 120.00 or eighty percent (80%) of the total cost of the project with the twenty percent (20%) to come from our matching funds and or services. (Preliminary engineering services provided by qualified city personnel or state approved engineering firms are specifically cited as eligible for meeting the required match.)
The contract calls for:
August 1, 2005 Jellico News/Mayor's Column Page 2
The construction standards for the walking trail are also outlined in the contract:.
(As I stated in my last article, if the walking trail becomes a reality sometime in the future, we will need to add skateboards to the sign prohibiting bicycles.)
And if the trail does become a reality and if the city property located at the corner of London Avenue/Black Oak Road and Dairy Avenue is granted to the State of Tennessee for development by Indian Mountain State Park, a proposed scenic walking trail for that property would tie in beautifully and would enable folks to start in Veterans Park and take a good long walk through our downtown and the south end of town, through the park and then back to Veterans Park.. And as I mentioned once before, an ice cream and soft drink stand located in the caboose would be nice for folks finishing up the hike -and of course add back the calories that had just been burned in the walk. (But let's fact it, that's the fun of it!)
I understand that the remaining sections of the old Spellman Ford property will now be occupied by a new business, D & M Auto Repair. But I didn't know all of the details at the time these notes were written.
Reverend Steve Meeks also informed me that although the proposed new coffee/sandwich shop has encountered numerous difficulties, they are still hopeful of opening within the next few days (if not already open)..
I recently reported the receipt of a grant for our Utilities Department in the amount of $ 240,000.00 for expansion (storage tank for Rarity Mountain). And after talking with Utilities Director John Leach and Rarity Mountain Developer Mike Ross, it appears that that amount will probably provide a tank large enough for Phase I of the development. But additional grant requests will probably be made as the first development progresses and later phases initiated.
According to Ross, since work is now underway on the access road leading to the Stinking Creek Road and with additional state approval expected on a couple of issues, actual construction should soon begin on the development.
Ross continues to fully agree with me that Jellico should be "town" for future residents of Rarity Mountain. And he also strongly supports my proposal made at a meeting of the Campbell County Joint Economic Development Committee that in the future, the road leading from Douglas Lane to the development should be straightened as much as possible, widened and blacktopped to allow for additional access from Jellico and to bring those folks into town - although the Interstate Interchange will be close by for that purpose as well.
Little can be done to the steep grade of that mountainous road but it can be improved a great deal and it can be made into a very scenic drive. Leach says that it will also help in installing and servicing utilities to the development.
We always have a good contingent of Jellico citizens to attend our annual "Back to School Open House" at Boston Elementary School in addition to folks in southern Whitley County. I want to invite them and everyone to B.E.S., recently proclaimed "Elementary School Campus of the Year" for the 50th Congressional District of Kentucky, for this year's activity. Sunday, August 7th 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM.
School starts at B.E.S. and for all Whitley County Schools on Tuesday, August 9th with registration and a full schedule of classes that first day. (Campbell County schools register on August 11th, with 1/2 day of school on August 12th, and first full day of classes on August 15th..
As one of our now deceased citizens who had a very sharp tongue at times once responded to a nosey neighbor who had asked her why someone had done something especially nice for her, "I have friends in this town!" And boy I recently found out that I have them too after I wrote what I did about not having had a blackberry cobbler this entire summer due to the fact that we had no blackberries. As reported, Charlotte Lindsay took care of that in a hurry! Then a couple of other individuals offered to give me blackberries from their personal stock; I had calls wanting to sell them; and several told me where to go to find lots of briars with ample ripe berries-although I never found time to grab a bucket and go 'a pickin'.
But after reading that article, one of the sweetest ladies imaginable, one of the greatest cooks on this entire planet and my good friend since I was a small boy, Mrs. Ann Culver who recently celebrated her 92nd birthday, did better than that. To be sure that I didn't go a summer without a cobbler which would have been a terrible tragedy in her eyes (not to mention mine), she sent her daughter Nancy Heath to my house with some berries.
Now that's a true friend ! With the gifts of berries from both Charlotte and Mrs. Culver and combined with Jenny's expertise in baking utilizing the same recipe as Charlotte, rest assured that I am now well stuffed with cobbler! And it's much easier to face life once again!
E-mail me at: mayor@jellico.tn.us
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