The unknown factor when preparing for any activity is the weather. And the weather certainly played a part in our annual Fourth of July celebration this year.
We awoke to a steady rain on Friday morning that set everything back at the very beginning. However we were well on the road to recovery with our crowd steadily increasing when the potentially dangerous storm arrived in the afternoon. Many left and did not return for the evening activities although we did later experience nice weather.
Saturday morning began with local media, including the TV stations, issuing warnings against the predicted temperature of 96 degrees with very high humidity that actually did drive the heat index factor well above 100 degrees. Unquestionably that affected the size of our crowd.
But the young children sure enjoyed the games; Lynn Creekmore Cox reported 137 blood pressure checks when the storm came (at or above last year's pace); we enjoyed some great entertainment; we had more antique/old vehicles than expected; our concessionaires reported a brisk business; and some of our downtown businesses informed me that they had a greatly increased number of customers.
We did have a very good crowd at the baseball park for the entertainment and fireworks and several commented that the fireworks were outstanding. (But even there, one of the entertainers was apparently overcome by the heat.)
I want to thank the Tourism Director and the Tourism Commission for a great organizational job utilizing Veterans Park Annex and the new stage for the first time; all the volunteers who pitched in and helped; the Jellico Community Hospital for its participation; the exhibitors; the concessionaires; and everyone who participated in any way.
And I want to also be sure to thank City of Jellico Personnel and Jellico Utilities Personnel for the job they did. Without their help, the site would not have been ready in time. They also kept the litter picked up and the area looking good.
The entertainers were all very complimentary of the new stage in Veterans Park Annex. One group from Mississippi that travels extensively throughout the southeastern part of the United States, called it one of the best facilities in any town where they appear.
Arnold Musick designed the stage and he and Bill Partin did the actual construction. Mr. Raymond Creekmore completed the wiring. Ronnie Dabney contributed the circulating fans that were lifesavers during the extreme heat.
Our local veterans were able to order and receive the new flags in time for display. A new American flag and a new Tennessee State flag were hoisted while "Taps" played in honor of deceased veterans including those honored on the monument.
A Coast Guard flag was added to the service flags and a very special flag placed at the front of the monument in honor of our POW's and MIA's. (Our United States Post Office also hoisted the POW/MIA flag in remembrance of those American servicemen whose fate is still unknown.)
I could not help but notice at the baseball field that several men did not remove their caps for the singing of the "Star Spangled Banner". A few individuals, mostly adults, did not even stand - remaining seated during the entire National Anthem.
If we are successful in obtaining the 1.3 acres from Norfolk Southern Railway (basically as a gift to the city), and if I am able to prepare another potential parking area by next year that is within walking distanceof the downtown, we will give serious consideration to moving all of the activities to the downtown area.
I am going to ask Councilman Jim Dobson and Police Chief Ned Smiddy to begin now to develop plans for traffic control should we decide to move everything to Veterans Park for July 4, 2000. Extensive planning and preparation will be required to organize for parking and such a large traffic flow following the fireworks display.
I announced in my last article that the Council had set aside $59,000.00 in money for contracting some badly needed street repairs. That will not be anything like enough to do everything that needs to be done but hopefully it will be enough to correct our most glaring problems.
The worst areas will need to be identified and priorities established; call for bids, and contracts awarded. I will ask Lonnie Vann, Chairman of the Street Committee, along with members of the City Street Department, to make a list of the most pressing needs. The City Council will then need to set the priorities.
So many people have been highly complimentary of the work that has been done in the Veterans Park Annex. And many of them stated that the city needs to black top the parking lot. The rain during our Independence Day celebration created muddy conditions although the gravel had been compacted as much as Morgans Brothers Construction and our city crews could compact it. Blacktopping would correct that problem.
To date, we have had approximately $15,000.00 dollars in donations for that area from W.H. Bowlin and family and Morgan Brothers Construction in the form of money, materials, labor and equipment. But although it is city property, no city funds have been expended there to help develop the area.
I hope that the Council will now take steps to consider appropriating the necessary money for the blacktopping since that property will be used extensively in the future - if all the plans that we have for the area become reality.
Councilman Jimmy Dobson says that he will definitely request the Council to provide money for the badly needed public rest rooms/water fountain/water tap for VeteransPark/park annex. (The tap would allow the Veterans Committee to consistently water shrubs around the monument that usually die during very hot, dry weather.)
The rest rooms would prevent us from having to rent portable facilities and the need for a water fountain on hot days goes without saying.
The community bulletin board will be used to announce upcoming city activities. However if community groups such as churches, scouts, clubs, athletic teams, etc. want to post announcements of events, etc., we will be glad to place them on the board - providing that the city does not have anything to announce at that time.
I was under the impression that deregulation of public utilities is already in effect. But I am told that that is not true of all utilities at the present time. Some states (but not Tennessee or Kentucky) have already enacted the necessary legislation to deregulate all utilities and many expect the federal government to do so within the next few months.
But as I stated in an earlier article, all public utilities will now be the subject of much interest from private business.
Mayor Forster Baird saw the current situation developing while he served as Mayor. He gave permission to Gasco of Zanesville, Ohio to submit a proposal to purchase the Jellico Electric and Water System. The actual proposal was received after I became Mayor and I passed it on to all current members of Council for their information.
I again received copies of the proposal from Gasco dated June 28, 1999 and those copies were passed to members of Council and members of the Utilities Board for study.
In the letter from Gasco, that firm pointed out that their lending partner is "Enrol Capital and Trade", a $ 30 billion company that is a leader in the energy field on natural gas, electricity,and most recently, water utilities. Kenneth D. Magyar, Vice President, Marketing, also requested an opportunity for Gasco representatives to meet with the Council, the Utility Board, or with both in joint session, to discuss the proposal.
I remain very concerned about the problem that we are experiencing with the draft of the final design for our new waste water treatment facility. That design has been rejected by state officials as I previously announced.
In a letter from Wade Murpy, Division of Water Polllution Control, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, to Mike Macindoe of Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon, dated June 30, 1999, the inflow and infiltration problem is described as "so spread out system-wide as to necessitate complete replacement to accomplish any result."
We have no way of knowing what the final outcome of this problem will be but it would certainly be costly to try to replace the entire system at one time should we be required to do so. (The present sewer system is an old one - of which a portion may have been used for as long as the past 90 years.)
Our Utilities Department and BWSC are continuing to address the problem and hopefully a solution can be found that will not require expensive additions to the plan. But that possibility does remain and we are still under the state mandate that can require large fines for failing to take all required corrective action.
But in his letter to BWSC, Murphy states his understanding of the complexity of the problem, "I realize that each of my letters seems to request something slightly different in the way of design data. I apologize for the 'run-around' this may seem to produce. The criteria are too voluminous to reproduce in full in every comment letter, so each letter may include different excerpts or references."
I recently spent some time with Tennessee Valley Authority officials looking at land that might be potential sites for the proposed new industrial development. The TVA is devoting a great amount of man hours in studying our area for the best possible location and all indications are that the project will become a reality. But I again want to point out that no definite decisions have yet been made by TVA, Tennessee State officials or Kentucky State officials.
But it does appear clear that the proposed site would be located in Whitley County and close to the Tennessee/Kentucky state line if a suitable area is located and can be purchased at a reasonable price.
Last Tuesday, July 6th I attended a meeting of the Community Health and Development Team at Gregory's Restaurant along with Campbell County Officials, Jellico Hospital officials and staff, and numerous other interested Campbell County and Jellico officials and citizens.
Special guests for the meeting were Mr. Michael Ross and Mr. Darrell Akins, developers of the proposed "Reserve on Jellico Mountain". And although I had heard their presentation before, I was again completely overwhelmed by what that project is to involve. (Everything is contingent upon approval for an interchange at the 155 mile marker).
As I stated in a previous article, the developers stated that 6,200 temporary jobs (however they may run during most if not all of the entire period of the construction) will be created. And following completion of the project, 300 permanent jobs will be available.
A member of the Advance-Sentinel was in attendance at the meeting and will probably cover the details in an article so I will omit the other data pertaining to the project. However to say that I am excited about the potential for Jellico and our surrounding areas would have to be one of the understatements of the year. We badly need jobs for our citizens, especially our graduating seniors each year. But if the TVA sponsored industrial development and the Jellico Mountain Project both become reality, there should be jobs available for a great number of local people - including our graduates.
I spoke to Mrs. Nannie Sue Davis's "Job Training" class at Jellico Elementary School on Wednesday, July 7th. The class is composed of eighth graders who will enter high school this fall. I pointed out to those students that a large percentage of our local high school graduates have always had to leave this area immediately following graduation in order to find employment. However I told them that I have great hope that the current developments will improve that situation dramatically by the time they are ready to graduate.
And "Jamie's Curtains and Decor" is gradually making the move to our city owned building and we expect that firm to soon begin production if it has not already done so.
We are going to have a problem with the continuation of our recycling program if something cannot be worked out to keep Charles Bruce, Jr. on the job. We will need time to work out a transition with private individual(s) or Campbell County and we are very concerned that there will be disruptions of collections if that action is required.
The program has been very successful to date in saving the city money in landfill charges and was recently complimented by a State Official who inspected the program and all equipment purchased through grant funds.
The earlier reports that the Oswego collection point is nearing completion were erroneous. Mr. Tip Jones, Director of the Campbell County Recycle Program, has informed me and Councilman Bill Barton that it may be as long as 120 days or more before Jellico Recycle items can be accepted at that facility.
However Mr. Jones is going to work with us to try and develop some system to fill in until we can begin utilizing the Oswego site. We may also need to apply for a forklift or bobcat under the recycle grant that we plan to use for a "Tip" trailer. Mr. Bruce is furnishing the scales and forklift that are required for recycling cardboard and those items would no longer be available to us if he leaves the program.
Final Note:
Ronnie Dabney has volunteered to coordinated the activities for "Saturday Nights in the Park" that will start on Saturday, July 17th (8:00PM - 11:00PM). Those activities will utilize the new stage in Veterans Park Annex.
Dabney hopes to have the event every Saturday night except August 7th.
The "Twin Rivers Band" will be available to play all types of music and any musicians and/or singers are invited to participate on a voluntary basis. Those wanting to be involved will just need to report to the stage and schedule a time to perform.
Dabney invites everyone to bring a lawn chair and enjoy the entertainment.
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