Benchmarks 2019 | Section B | Government

SECTION B

GOVERNMENT

BENCHMARKS EDITION March 15, 2019

www.g reenevillesun.com

Page 2

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

Clerk And Master Lawsuit Costs Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars

BY STAFF Greene County Clerk and Master Kay Solomon Armstrong’s legal battle against Greene County government continued in 2018 and into early 2019.

The last 12 months have seen a trial, a judge ruling in Armstrong’s favor, appeals of the ruling from the county government, a second lawsuit filed by Armstrong and a settlement agreement reached between Armstrong and Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison to halt that second lawsuit.

It’s all underscored by more than $400,000 in legal fees expended in the fight, which a judge has ruled Greene County must pay.

2018 TRIAL AND RULING In August 2017, the Greene County Commission declined to budget staff positions requested by Armstrong, who indicated additional personnel were necessary for the operation of the office, prompting the filing of a first lawsuit, naming then-County Mayor David Crum as defendant, covering the 2017-18 budget year.

After legal wrangling, Chancellor John C. Rambo presided over a trial in spring 2018 wherein Armstrong argued her need for more staffing and the county’s attorneys argued that Armstrong doesn’t run her office efficiently and does not need the additional staffing.

Greene County Chancellor Douglas Jenkins, Armstrong’s supervisor, recused himself from the case, prompting the state Administrative Office of the Courts to assign it to Rambo, of the 1st Judicial District in Washington County.

Rambo, in his May 2018 ruling, ordered the county to fund six full-time positions in Armstrong’s office, in addition to funding for part-time positions. In addition to Armstrong, the office currently employs five full-time deputy clerks, plus some funding for part-time workers.

Both Rambo in his May 2018 ruling and several county commissioners have criticized Armstrong for how the clerk and master’s office has been managed in the past. Called into question have been hours the office is open and accessible to the public. Rambo has said that the office being closed to the public on Wednesdays and during a lunch hour each day “represents an unnecessary inconvenience to the public.”

Armstrong has since said her staff was still working during those times, but public access to the office was limited.

Rambo also criticized Armstrong and her staff failing to properly fill out time sheets, which later surfaced as a finding in the Tennessee Comptroller’s annual audit of Greene County government.

Still, Rambo awarded the extra position to Armstrong and in October 2018, and ruled that Greene County should pay for its own attorney fees, along with $180,000 in fees for Armstrong’s attorneys.

Greene County’s government appealed both rulings.

An appeals court upheld Rambo’s decision on the attorney fees, but the appeal of his original ruling on staffing levels remains in the hands of the state Court of Appeals, and a ruling may not come until late this year or 2020, attorneys have said.

SUN PHOTO BY SARAH R. GREGORY

Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison, left, and Clerk and Master Kay Solomon Armstrong look over emails they sent to each other in late February while reaching a settlement agreement in a lawsuit Armstrong brought against the county.

SUN FILE PHOTO BY KEN LITTLE

John C. Rambo, chancellor for the 1st Judicial District Chancery Court, presided over a four-day civil trial that ended in April 2018 involving Greene County Clerk and Master Kay Solomon Armstrong, who filed a lawsuit in 2017 against then-County Mayor David Crum to secure funding to hire additional employees for her office.

SUN FILE PHOTO BY KEN LITTLE

Lawyers Matthew Grossman and Kevin Dean, from left, sit next to Greene County Clerk and Master Kay Solomon Armstrong in April during a civil non-jury trial pitting Armstrong against Greene County.

SECOND LAWSUIT, SETTLEMENT After the trial, ruling and appeal of the first lawsuit, the Greene County Commission in 2018 did not include funding for court-ordered additional positions for the clerk and master’s office in its 2018-19 budget. That prompted a second lawsuit

by Armstrong.

But in early March, the judge overseeing the second lawsuit approved a settlement agreement — initiated

by Morrison and agreed to

by Armstrong — that would dispose of the second lawsuit and allow the first lawsuit to continue down the appeals process.

Senior Judge Don R. Ash, of the 16th Judicial District in Rutherford and Cannon counties, approved the agreement during a telephone

hearing on March 6 that included lawyers for Armstrong and Greene County, along with county Morrison and Armstrong herself. The telephone conference was held in lieu of a scheduled court hearing on the case in Knoxville.

“We had a hearing by phone and basically presented the judge with the proposed agreement,” Matthew Grossman, one of Armstrong’s attorneys, said the day of the hearing. “We went through some revisions on the judgment but nothing really substantially changed.”

The only revision to the agreement made by Ash was a sentence stating that lawyers representing both sides orally approve the agreement, Grossman said.

As of publication of this story, the Greene County Commission must still ap-

Benchmarks B Advertiser Index Clerk And Master Lawsuit Costs Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars .......................... 2 Morrison Victorious In County Mayor Race ................................................................... 3 Daniels Wins Close Re-Election Bid For Greeneville Mayor.......................................... 4 Mosheim, Tusculum Voters OK Grocery Store Wine Sales ............................................ 4 GLPS Exploring Options For Broadband Service ........................................................... 5 New Airport Authority Takes Off Running In 1st Year................................................... 6 Work Toward Central 911 System Continues ................................................................. 6 Highway Department Addresses Fine, Permit Violation ............................................... 7 Baileyton Preparing For Town Recorder Transition ...................................................... 7 Downtown Redevelopment Plan Unveiled ..................................................................... 8 Mosheim Police Department Begins Patrols .................................................................. 8 With Progress On Several Goals, Town Of Mosheim Looks For More Improvements ........9 Jones Convicted In 2 Girls’ Deaths, Mother’s Trial Is Pending ........................................... 10 New Business, Other Developments In Tusculum ................................................................11

prove funding court-ordered positions in Armstrong’s office. That aspect of the second lawsuit to provide interim funding was tentatively agreed upon by Morrison and Grossman.

Armstrong agreed that the budget she submits for the 2019-20 fiscal year will be comprised of only the staffing positions and salaries set forth by Chancellor Rambo and also be subject to any cost-of-living adjustments implemented by Greene County for all its employees.

Resolution of the second lawsuit has no bearing on the case before the Court of Appeals, Grossman said.

“One has nothing to do with the other,” he said.

Morrison and Armstrong reached the agreement Feb. 27 after Morrison sent a proposal to Armstrong by email.

The agreement will pro-

vide funding for staff in the Clerk & Master’s office for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 fiscal years, in accord with Rambo’s ruling.

Ash had ordered mediation between the two parties to take place before April 1. According to the Feb. 27 email Morrison sent Armstrong, a trial date had been set for May 2, with depositions scheduled to begin on March 21.

The day he and Armstrong reached the agreement, Morrison said that the agreement allows for the first lawsuit to run its course in the appeals process.

The agreement stipulates that the county will provide funding for the additional staffing equal to fiscal years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 201920.

Armstrong praised Morrison, who contacted her about the proposal in an email on the morning of Feb. 27. By mid-afternoon, Armstrong had accepted.

“The mayor’s email was an answer to prayer,” Armstrong said. “I’m thankful and grateful for Kevin Morrison, and I am looking forward to working with him and the [Greene County] commission. I can’t express what relief I feel that the taxpayer is going to no longer be burdened with issues with this matter as far as the second lawsuit goes.”

Morrison said he had been considering offering an agreement for several days.

“I took the last few days and prayed and contemplated, and through much sort of supplication and meditation, wrote Kay a letter this morning essentially making an offer to the fund the positions that Judge Rambo ordered in the first lawsuit,” Morrison said Feb. 27.

He said the biggest benefits to the agreement are that taxpayers won’t be on the hook for even more legal fees, and Armstrong can run her office with the staffing she believes is necessary.

In the more-than-yearand-a-half legal dispute, Greene County taxpayers have been footed with a legal bill of over $400,000, and that amount will likely increase as more attorney fees become due.

Morrison said attorneys on both sides of the issue — including Greene County Attorney Roger Woolsey, who recused himself early in the legal dispute — were aware Morrison was working on a settlement agreement, but they did not participate in helping craft the agreement.

“I’ve done it on my own,” he said.

Since the Greene County Commission is the funding body for the county, Morrison said there’s a chance commissioners may not agree to the future funding obligations for Armstrong’s office, or challenge Morrison’s settlement offer. “Could they come against me? Possibly,” Morrison said when asked about the possibility. “I suppose. I don’t think there’s any appetite for that.”

Morrison said both sides — Armstrong and the county commission — have something they want in the agreement. The county will continue its appeal of Armstrong’s first lawsuit — which the current commission has voted to do twice — and Armstrong gets the funding for staffing.

“Everybody gets something out of this,” he said. “Because we included the 2019-20 fiscal year, [Armstrong] then no longer has to worry that she won’t have the funding to run her office if the appeal hasn’t been heard in that timeframe.”

“We have an (agreement) with the mayor that this will happen at least through June 2020,” the end of the 201920 fiscal year, Grossman said.

Armstrong had originally asked for the addition of two full-time deputy clerks to the office, but Rambo, in his May 2018 ruling, only granted one full-time addition.

CRITICISM FOR BOTH SIDES Rambo’s May 2018 ruling criticized Armstrong for aspects of how her office was run but still awarded her more funding for staff positions. His October 2018 ruling on attorney fees also hit against both sides, criticizing both for how they litigated the case.

“In this case, every step of the litigation left the Court with the impression that the County Mayor and Clerk and Master approached this case with the assumption the Greene County budget could support a trial and litigation strategy unmoored to the traditional financial constraints a private individual would encounter in litigation,” Rambo wrote.

He continued later: “The County Mayor and Clerk and Master voluntarily placed themselves in an intense and expensive legal battle. They splurged on all manner of expensive litigation tactics, as if it is of no consequence that they work in the same courthouse for the same taxpayer constituents, alas the bill for their indulgences is now due.”

Later in his judgement, Rambo wrote: “The animosity apparent in Court, and the expenses incurred by Greene County as a result of the litigation between the County Mayor and the Clerk and Master were blunt and costly. The statutory provisions allowing the official to initiate the suit, the low threshold that allows the parties to litigate the proper number of deputies in office, and the seemingly lost concern for the taxpayers who are paying the legal bills for both county government officials, are an unintended growth of a legislative creation. … Our courts have invited the General Assembly to limit the role of [the] judiciary in these disputes, and this case, yet again, reveals the merit in exploring options other than the present statutory framework for the resolution of these county disputes.”

Benchmarks B Advertiser Index Automotive Guide................................................................................................................. 5 Bulls Gap Guide .................................................................................................................... 3 Greeneville Light & Power System ....................................................................................... 7 Greeneville Water Commission...........................................................................................12 Heating & Cooling Guide..................................................................................................... 11 Insurance Guide ................................................................................................................... 9 Town of Mosheim ................................................................................................................. 8

Subscribe Today!

423-359-3185

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 3

Morrison Victorious In County Mayor Race Holt Unseats Incumbent Sheriff

Lawing. Dabbs and Bowers had previously served on the commission.

Three commissioners are elected in each of the county’s seven districts to make up the 21-person board.

FINAL TALLIES

BY STAFF

Greene County voters elected Republicans to the County Mayor and Sheriff’s posts in 2018.

Republican Kevin Morrison bested seven competitors in the May 2018 GOP primary and moved on to the August 2018 general election, where he defeated David Foulks to be named Greene County Mayor.

Tallies at the Greene County Election Commission on election night Aug. 2 showed Morrison beat Foulks, the Democratic candidate, 9,843 votes to 2,077.

Meanwhile, Republican Wesley Holt unseated Democratic Sheriff Pat Hankins in the Aug. 2 election, 6,371 votes to 5,973.

To compete against Hankins in the vigorously challenged sheriff’s race, Holt earlier defeated three other GOP challengers.

Several other countywide offices on August’s Greene County General Election ballot were uncontested.

Greene County Trustee Nathan Holt ran for re-election and gained 9,797 complimentary votes.

Greene County Clerk Lori Bryant was re-elected with 10,460 complimentary votes after winning the Republican primary in May. Circuit Court Clerk Christopher Lee Shepard attained 9,599 complimentary votes. He defeated several others in the May Republican Primary.

Greene County Register of Deeds Joy Vader Nunnally got 9,587 complimentary votes after winning her primary challenge in May. Road Superintendent Kevin B. Swatsell achieved 10,278 complimentary votes after defeating incumbent David Weems in the May Republican Primary.

MORRISON ELECTED TO TOP POST Morrison’s four-year term as Greene County’s top executive began with his swearing in on Sept. 1, 2018. He succeeded fellow Republican David Crum, who did not seek re-election.

Morrison was elected to the Greene County Commission in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.

He was appointed to the commission in 2016 for six months, with failed bids for Greene County Mayor in 2010 and the commission in 2016 in between.

“Eight years ago, I undertook to do the same thing and the outcome wasn’t the one that we were hoping for,” Morrison said in August. “This means to

The final tallies were as follows in the seven County Commission districts.

Names in bold indicate winners for that district.

1st Commissioner District Kathy Crawford (R) — 1,052; Dale R. Tucker (R) — 890; Charles “Tim” White (R) — 859; Darrell Wayne Key (D) — 448; SUN FILE PHOTO

Newly elected Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison was accompanied by his wife, Stephanie; daughters Jessica, 15, Ashley, 18, and Emily, 19; and son, Tyler, 12, at his swearing-in ceremony on Sept. 1, 2018.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Wesley Holt, left, is sworn in as Greene County Sheriff by General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Kenneth Bailey Jr., right. Holt’s wife, sheriff’s Detective Sgt. C. Michelle Holt, holds the Bible, at center.

me that the desire that I have to put everything back into the community that I love, that I’ve grown up in, and to potentially do something very positive for our residents, our citizens, our employees — that, to me is just extra special and there’s not a day that goes by that I do not think about the vision that I have for Greeneville and Greene County to prosper and grow, and to be absolutely the best place to live, work and play.”

After besting a crowded field in a hotly contested May primary, Morrison was grateful for the support his campaign gained throughout the election cycle. The primary race ended up becoming a horse race, with Morrison and Brett Purgason neck-andneck. Ultimately, Morrison won by 106 votes.

“I’m just so thankful and blessed to have the supporters that I’ve had throughout this journey. Their support, their confidence, their vote, has in large part been unwavering, and it seems to continue to grow. And I’m just sort of overwhelmed at the level of support that I

have,” Morrison said after winning the August race.

“If I live several lifetimes, I would never be able to repay the kindness and hard work and determination of the people that have supported me throughout this journey, and I just want to say thank you to everyone.”

Upon election, Morrison said his focus would be on economic development and improving education and other government services.

“My number one priority is going to be economic development for Greene County, to try to continue the positive trend to attract business and industry, restaurants and retail to our area, to be the ambassador that sells our community, again, as the best place to live, work and play, so that we can grow our tax base, so that people can have decent jobs that pay a decent wage that they can raise a family and enjoy the life that God has provided for us here in the greatest place, I believe, on earth,” Morrison said in August.

“Obviously, there’s looking to improvements to education, to continue

to deliver the best government services we can, particularly for our volunteer fire departments and for EMS, our solid waste, the types of services that our citizens deserve and should demand, while at the same time keeping an eye to keeping our taxes low and affordable and maximizing the use of our taxpayer dollars to deliver those services,” he said.

HOLT DEFEATS HANKINS FOR SHERIFF For Holt, his August win over the incumbent Hankins to become sheriff was another step in a career that’s seen him rise through the ranks of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

Holt was serving as administrative captain and was already a 28-year veteran of the department at the time of his election.

He rose through the ranks after first working as a corrections officer at the county jail, then as a patrol deputy.

Holt wore a broad smile after the results were announced on election night in August.

“I’m just elated. I’m so happy and I’m thankful for my family and I’m thankful for all my supporters, and I’m thankful for all the officers and fire department (members) who supported me,” Holt said. “I had a lot of support (from) emergency services.”

Holt and Hankins had pledged to run a race with no negative overtones, and both candidates followed through.

“The race was a clean, decent race. There was no mud-slinging,” Holt said.

Holt, who is also chief of the St. James Volunteer Fire Department and is former chief of the Greene County Association of Volunteer Fire Departments, had a strong base of support within the firefighting and first responder communities.

He was also a member of the Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad and a parttime county 911 dispatcher.

He said during the primary race that he was running as a Republican but would represent everyone in Greene County as sheriff.

“Whether they are Republican, Democrat, conservative or independents, I’m listening to their concerns and speaking to everyone,” he said in May.

NEW COUNTY COMMISSIONERS A new, almost-completely-Republican Greene County Commission took office in September following the August General Election.

All of the newly elected commissioners are Republican except for Democratic Commissioner John Squibb Waddle Jr., a 6th District incumbent.

New commissioners elected in August were Kathy Crawford, Kaleb Powell, Clifford “Doc” Bryant, William “Bill” Dabbs, Lloyd “Hoot” Bowers, Jeffrey Bible and Teddy

2nd Commissioner District Joshua Arrowood (R) — 1,046; Brad Peters (R) — 1,147; Kaleb D. Powell (R) — 859; Steve Schultz (D) — 427;

3rd Commissioner District Clifford “Doc” Bryant (R) — 810; Jason A. Cobble (R) — 1,244; Robin D. Quillen (R) — 1,184; J. Clement Allison (D) — 575; Dollie Boyd (D) — 348; Melissa D. Willet (D) — 497;

4th Commissioner District George Clemmer (R) — 1,133; William “Bill” Dabbs (R) — 1,141; Lyle Parton (R) — 965; Mary Lynne Potter Nicholson (D) — 394; Ryan Rowlett (D) — 211; Donal J. Sexton (D) — 300; and,

5th Commissioner District Lloyd “Hoot” Bowers (R) — 1,283; Pamela B. Carpenter (R) — 1,284; Gary Shelton (R) — 1,468;

6th Commissioner District Jeffrey Bible (R) — 832; Josh Kesterson (R) — 940; John Squibb Wadle Jr. (D) — 481; James Secrist (I) — 374;

7th Commissioner District Paul F. Burkey (R) — 861; Teddy L. Lawing (R) — 868; Butch Patterson (R) — 810; Peter Higgins (D) — 515.

Bulls Gap Guide BULLS GAP DRUGS 412 Hwy. 11-E Bulls Gap, TN 37711 (next to post office)

Great Values with Fast & Friendly Service

Gifts and Greeting Cards • Photocopier & Fax Service • Kodak Photo Kiosk • Key Making • Flex Cards and Most Insurance Accepted • Family Owned & Operated 9:00-6:00 M-F Closed Sat. & Sun. Phone 235-6263 Public Fax 235-4792 Pharmacist/Owner - Bradford S. Campbell, PharmD 272 Hwy. 11-E, Bulls Gap, TN

ned Old Fashio n Hometow Pharmacy

Phone: (423) 235-4600 Fax: (423) 235-5755 Monday-Friday 9 am-6 pm Jama Burkhart Bos, Pharm. D pharmacist/owner

Crystal Jessee Attorney at Law P.O. Box 1537 | Greeneville, TN 37744 cgjlaw@jesseelawoffice.com | (423) 638-4006 (p) www.jesseelawoffice.com

Here for all your legal needs!

- FREE LOCAL DELIVERY www.campbellshometown.com

Town of

Bulls Gap Home of Archie Campbell 139 S. Main St. Bulls Gap, TN 37711

423-235-5216

Page 4

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

Daniels Wins Close Re-Election Bid For Greeneville Mayor

BY STAFF Incumbent Greeneville Mayor W.T. Daniels was elected for another term after a close, highly contested race in the Aug. 2 Greeneville Municipal Election.

Election night tallies showed Daniels defeating Jim Warner, former town recorder, by a margin of 297 votes. Daniels received a total of 1,673 votes, 56 percent of the vote, with Warner receiving 44 percent of the votes, or 1,376.

The Greeneville native was first elected mayor in 2010 after serving for 20 years as an alderman representing the 2nd Ward.

“I am very appreciative of people that went to vote,” Daniels said after the results were announced. “I am proud of the team that we have been able to put together, and the things the town has been able to accomplish. I am looking forward to working on downtown redevelopment, improving the airport and other projects.”

Daniels said he was excited to be able to continue to work with the town’s employees. “I would put the employees of the Town of Greeneville up against any other municipality,” he said in August.

Daniels is a member of the Industrial Park Agency and is former president of the Greene County Area Chamber of Commerce, which became part of the Greene County Partnership in the 1990s. He is also past chairman of the Greeneville Regional Planning Commission and the Greeneville Light & Power System Board of Directors.

Warner was running for his first elected office. He served for 21 years as the town recorder,

working for the town for a total of 29 years.

“When I began my campaign for Mayor of Greeneville several months ago I announced that I was running to give the people a choice,” Warner said in August.

“The majority of the people voting in the Greeneville election decided that they were pleased with the leadership here, and I respect that decision.”

“I want to thank all the people that voted for me and all the many people who helped me In this campaign in many significant ways,” Warner said. “I am most grateful for their support.”

Both candidates’ campaigns focused on their governmental experience, with Daniels highlighting his time as mayor and Warner touting his overall experience in town government.

Issues that arose during the campaign included the town’s finances and past audits, the town’s debt and allocations to the schools.

Daniels received the most votes in the early voting period, 882 to 770, and in the ballots cast on election day, 735 to 546, according to the results from the Election Commission. Warner led in the absentee ballots, 60 to 56.

In the four precincts inside Greeneville, the closest tally was at Greeneville Middle School where Daniels edged Warner by two votes, 205 to 204. The largest margin was at Tusculum View precinct, where Daniels received 701 votes to Warner’s 508.

Also in the Aug. 2 Greeneville Municipal Election, 2nd Ward Aldermen Jeff Taylor and Sarah E.T. Webster were named the two top vote-getters to return to

SUN FILE PHOTO

Circuit Court Judge Tom Wright administers the oath of office to Greeneville Mayor W.T. Daniels while his wife, Andrea, looks on during a September Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting. Daniels was re-elected in the Aug. 2 Greeneville Municipal Election.

the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Peter Higgins was also on the ballot, wherein the top two vote winners were named to the board. Taylor garnered the most votes, 754; Webster received 650; Higgins got 518.

Incumbent Dr. Craig Shepherd was unopposed on the ballot in his bid for re-election to the at-large seat on the Greeneville City Board of Education. Shawn Tweed mounted a write-in campaign and filed to have ballots cast with his name written-in counted. Shepherd received 2,244 complimentary votes. A total of 354 ballots with names written-in were tallied.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Jeff Taylor, right, congratulates Mayor W.T. Daniels, left, on his re-election in August. Taylor was also re-elected to represent the 2nd Ward on the Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Mosheim, Tusculum Voters OK Grocery Store Wine Sales

BY STAFF Voters in Greene County’s smaller municipalities of Baileyton, Mosheim and Tusculum did not have contested races to consider in 2018. But Mosheim and Tusculum voters did answer referendum questions about wine sales in grocery stores.

Municipal elections in Baileyton and Mosheim were held Aug. 2, 2018. The Tusculum Municipal Election was Nov. 6, 2018.

Candidates in Baileyton and Mosheim had no challengers.

In Baileyton, Andy Pierce and Chris Weems received 60 and 62 votes, respectively, for their positions on the municipality’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Michael Starnes also received 62 votes to fill an unexpired term as alderman on the Baileyton board.

In Mosheim, James Foshie received 284 votes to fill an unexpired alderman term from the town’s 2nd Ward.

Longtime Mosheim Alderman Harold Smith, who also serves as the town’s vice mayor, ran unopposed for another term in the 1st Ward. Smith received 305 complimentary votes.

Alderman David Myers was also unopposed for his seat in Mosheim’s 2nd Ward. Myers received 314 complimentary votes.

In Tusculum, commissioner Mike Burns was re-elected to a second term with 652 complimentary votes.

On Nov. 6, 2018, voters in both Mosheim and Tusculum were asked to vote either in favor of legal sale of wine at retail food stores or against the sale of the alcoholic beverage in grocery stores.

In the Town of Mosheim, 407 people voted in favor of wine sales in grocery stores and 190 voted against, according to election day results reported at the

Greene County Election Commission Office.

In the City of Tusculum, 583 ballots were cast in favor of the wine sales and 245 voted against the sales.

Mayors in both towns said they expected the change to be a boost for economic development within their corporate limits.

“This is another step forward for retail recruitment,” Mosheim Mayor Tommy Gregg said in November 2018. “Hopefully it will be a positive in recruiting good businesses to the town.”

“We are thankful to the voters for having the faith in us to put in ordinances into place so that it won’t cause any issues,” Tusculum Mayor Alan Corley said in November 2018.

“This helps us to be more effective in governing retail development.”

Both municipalities have one grocery store each currently located in their boundaries — Food Country in Mosheim and Aldi in Tusculum.

Voters in the Town of Greeneville approved a similar referendum to legalize the sale of wine in grocery stores and retail markets within that town’s limits in 2016. The referendum followed the passage of a state law earlier in 2016 allowing wine to be sold in grocery stores in a community that allows liquor-by-the-drink if a majority of the voters in that community first approved the proposal in a referendum.

In the November 2016 election, Tusculum residents approved a referendum to allow the legal sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption and to allow retail package stores. During the same election, voters in Mosheim approved a referendum to allow the legal sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption.

PHOTOS GET RESULTS Add a photo and we guarantee your merchandise will sell quicker.

Call for details 638-4185

SUN FILE PHOTO

From left, Mosheim Mayor Tommy Gregg swears in Mosheim Aldermen Harold Gregg and David Myers, who were re-elected to new terms, and the town’s newest alderman James Foshie, who was elected Aug. 2.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Above, Tusculum Mayor Alan Corley swears in Commissioner Mike Burns during a December 2018 Board of Mayor and Commissioners meeting.

SUN FILE PHOTO

At left, Greene County Election Commission Chairperson Peggy McCamey reviews the signed petition for legal sale of wine at retail food stores in the Town of Mosheim ahead of the Nov. 6, 2018, elections.

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 5

GLPS Exploring Options For Broadband Service

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER Greeneville Light & Power System has spent 75 years building a power distribution network to provide electricity to Greene County.

Now, the utility is investigating what it would take to build a similar fiber optic network capable of providing broadband internet service throughout the community.

After months of study in 2018 by the power company, the GLPS Board of Directors approved a plan in February 2019 that will result in a greater investment into fiber optics for the utility. Whether that investment includes providing high speed broadband internet service to residential customers in the future remains an unknown.

As a first step, GLPS began seeking proposals from firms with expertise in designing fiber optic networks to assist as it plans a fiber optic backbone that could be expanded in the future.

That backbone is the first step to extend fiber optic cable to all the GLPS substations and other equipment, improving efficiency and possibly reducing the duration of power outages, utility officials have said.

The second step is to provide fiber optic access to Greene County Schools. The third step is to provide access to industrial and commercial customers as an economic development tool. The fourth, and most expensive step, is to provide broadband service to residential customers.

In telecommunications, broadband refers to highspeed transmission of data and signals by several means, including fiber optic cable.

Regarding high speed inter-

SUN PHOTO BY EUGENIA ESTES

Jaime Espinosa, business development manger for Corning, shares information about options for funding the construction of a fiber optic network during a work session in September 2018 with the Greeneville Light & Power System Board of Directors.

net connections, the Federal Communications Commission has defined broadband as a minimum download speed of 24 megabytes per second and a minimum upload speed of 3 megabytes per second.

“A ‘yes’ vote will point us in what I believe to be the right direction on one of the biggest issues we have faced,” Carroll told the board before it voted in February 2019.

“This plan is very flexible; its pace can change, it can be amended or it can be stopped at any time.”

While fiber optics and broadband would bring value to the community, this issue is one of the most difficult Carroll has faced at GLPS because it is outside the power industry and could involve a great deal of expense, he told the board. To provide the entire county with broadband service would take an estimated $85 million, according to feasibility studies.

“Throughout this decision-making process I found it encouraging to remember

that some 75 years ago, a group of public servants took a big risk by creating GLPS,” Carroll said. “Their vision in doing so brought value to our community. Albeit slowly and deliberately, let’s take this risk and bring this value to our community.”

STUDY BEGINS GLPS’s exploration of broadband began with a free feasibility study conducted

by Graybar with assistance from Nokia and Corning.

That study focused on the resources and expenses that would be involved in extending broadband service to residential customers.

Michael Brayen, senior director of community broadband for Nokia explained to the board in its August meeting that Corning provides the fiber optic cable, Graybar focuses on logistics and Nokia specializes in technology.

Brayen recommended that if GLPS decides to provide residential broadband

service, it be implemented in phases, which would allow recouping of the investment into the existing network and funding of the next phases.

If GLPS decides to provide broadband service to customers, the broadband venture has to be operated separately to the power operations under state regulations and the power company’s contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Seventy-five percent of the expense for providing broadband would be construction and labor costs for installing the fiber optic cable and other equipment necessary for providing the high speed Internet, Brayen said.

Jaime Espinosa, business development manager at Corning, told the board that providing broadband could help spur economic development in the community.

“A fiber optic network can last 50 to 75 years,” he said.

“Decisions you make about broadband can impact three generations in the community.”

In September 2018, the board approved the hiring of Sonepar/Irby to conduct a second broadband feasibility study. Carroll said the second feasibility was not a reflection on the first study or the companies conducting it and likened the situation to facing surgery.

“We would like to get a second opinion,” he said. “We are being careful. We are not running headlong into it or running away from it so far.”

TRANSITION TO ENERGY AUTHORITY As part of the feasibility studies, options about financing have also been looked into, including finding partners in the venture, which would lessen the risk for GLPS. In November 2018, a process to change the utility’s administrative structure began. The change will help the power company be better able to enter such partnerships.

Carroll approached the

Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen in November 2018 about changing the utility’s administrative structure to a municipal energy authority. The primary benefit would be the ability to adapt to future demands in the power industry or enter new ventures, such as broadband service, he told the town officials.

“It would give us the flexibility to do things we can’t do right now,” Carroll said. “It would give us the ability to work with partners that we don’t have right now.”

Later that month, the city board authorized formation of the Greeneville Energy Authority and approved its articles of incorporation.

The incorporation has been approved by the Tennessee Secretary of State, which also authorized continued use of the business name “Greeneville Light & Power System.”

The change, set to formally take effect July 1, 2019, does not change any daily operations or customer rates, Carroll said.

“On a day to day basis, this will not change anything at all, but becoming an energy authority will give us more flexibility to do things we could not do previously,” he said.

In January 2019, the GLPS Board took another step in studying broadband, giving its permission for the power company to seek proposals from firms to conduct marketing research to determine the level of desire and need within the local community for broadband service.

Through the feasibility studies, the utility has learned that the Federal Communications Commission considers Greene County well served in regards to broadband access.

Automotive Guide

Double D Tire Alignments • Brakes • Suspension Repair

2019

639-1402

9:00-5:00 Mon.-Fri. 9:00-1:00 Sat. 403 Bernard Avenue Greeneville, TN

Your Locally Owned Tire Store providing quality workmanship and the same lower labor costs since 1995!

Rusty Ottinger Rusty Ottinger Owner Owner

• Exhaust Systems • Axles • Brakes • AC/Heater • 2-4 Wheel Alignment • Clutches • Turn Drums & Rotors • Engine Diagnostics • Farm Tractor Tires

Dave Hughes Service Manager

1044 W. Summer St. | Greeneville | 639-7447

“We Doze - But Never Close!”

24 HOUR HOUR SERVICE 24 SERVICE

423-639-6671

2019

Local & Long Distance Service Available Lock Out Service Available

207 Seaton Avenue, Greeneville, TN 37743 hopetowing@hotmail.com

East Tennessee Collision Greeneville’s First Quick Lube Service Facility

2019

COMPLETE AUTO BODY PAINT - FRAME REPAIR + ALL INSURANCE WELCOME

Eco Friendly BASF Re¿nish PRODUCTS Troy Kiser, Owner/Operator

638-1345

5455 Andrew Johnson Hwy. E Afton, TN 37616

Here’s What We Do...

• Oil change & lube • Filters • Transmission service • Check fluid levels • FREE 14 pt. inspection 2019 • Check tires, exhaust • Clean windshield NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY • Fast service You Can Trust The Pros!

• Low prices • Most major brands motor oil

QUICK LUBE, INC. 635 E. Andrew Johnson Hwy. • 636-1244 Mon-Fri 8 am - 5:30 pm • Sat 8 am - 2 pm

- Computerized Diagnostics Domestic & Foreign - AC Repair & Service - Brakes & Tune Ups

448 Fairgrounds Road Greeneville, TN 37745

- Major & Minor Repairs

Owners/Operators:

Bobby & Rebecca Sentelle ASE Certified Technician

2017

Page 6

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

New Airport Authority Takes Off Running In 1st Year

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER In its less than a year of existence, the Greeneville Municipal Airport Authority took off running and has not slowed down.

The new authority started its oversight of the former Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport by taking on a major runway improvement project that necessitated the facility’s closure for part of the year. It also started processes to get the airport on the path to financial self-sufficiency.

The Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved an ordinance to create the new Municipal Airport Authority in April 2018 as part of the process for the town to assume full management of the airport.

That process followed action taken in fall 2017 by the Greene County Commission to end a prior partnership with the town for the facility’s operations.

Appointed to the new authority were Jimmy Collins, Roger Gray, Sherry Hensley, Jeff Hollett and Paul McAfee. Members were administered their oaths of office in early May 2018, and the new Municipal Airport Authority became an official entity that month when its charter was approved by the Tennessee Secretary of State.

A number of steps were needed to transfer the facility’s assets to the new board, taking several months to accomplish. These included an agreement between the town, county and the previous board, the Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport Authority, to transfer assets and terminate the governing entities’ joint venture agreement.

By July 2018 that agreement was approved, but one element in the agreement became a sticking point between the town and county — legal liability for any future lawsuits concerning occurrences from the period when the joint venture was in place.

As part of the agreement, the town accepted the responsibility for the airport’s debt service and to meet any grant require-

SUN FILE PHOTO BY EUGENIA ESTES

Crews work to strengthen the base under the surface asphalt of the Greeneville Municipal Airport runway. Both the runway and taxiway were repaved and the apron area was repaired and repaved in 2018.

ments. However, the town wanted the county to share in legal liability in any future lawsuits arising from the period when the facility was operated as a joint venture. While the County Commission originally did not agree with accepting the legal liability, the agreement was approved after further negotiations.

Once the agreement was approved, the transfer of the assets was completed by the fall 2018.

NEW RUNWAY IMPROVEMENTS In May 2018, Smith represented the town and the airport authority in presenting the application for an $8.1 million Tennessee Department of Transportation grant for runway improvements.

The required local match of $405,000 was included in the Town of Greeneville’s 2018-19 fiscal year budget.

During its June 2018 meeting, the authority learned that the grant had been awarded to repair compaction issues in the ground underneath the central third of the runway and provide two inches of paving overlay for the two ends of the runway. In addition, the grant funded work on the taxiway, including moving a crossover to improve traffic flow and repairing the main apron.

However, the good news was tempered by the estimation of a 150-day

shut down to complete the work and a need to begin as soon as possible to avoid inclement weather.

With concerns expressed by airport users about the closure, the Airport Authority explored possible options to keep the facility open, such as splitting it into phases or using the taxiway. However, none were possible either due to Federal Aviation Administration regulations or the expense involved.

“It is not ideal,” said Roger Gray, chairman of the Airport Authority, said during discussions. “I know we can work through this together.”

Summers-Taylor Inc. was approved as a contractor and the construction schedule set to begin in mid-August 2018. The Airport Authority asked that work begin on the taxiway, which would allow a skydiving event by JumpTN to continue as scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 17-19.

JumpTN had organized the event several months in advance and had made an investment to bring in a large plane for the event.

JumpTN, and many of the other tenants of the T-hangars at the airport had to find temporary places for their businesses or their planes while the runway was closed. The Airport Authority delayed the start of construction for a week from the point it could have begun to give tenants more time

to make arrangements if they wished to move their aircraft. No rent for hangars was charged while the runway was closed.

Although crews had to contend with frequent rainfall, the project remained ahead of schedule and the airport reopened on Dec. 12, 2018, about a month ahead of schedule.

AIRPORT MANAGER SEARCH Another of the airport authority’s initial tasks was beginning the process to hire an airport manager to oversee daily operations and further develop the facility.

In May 2018, the authority approved a job description for an airport manager and the town began advertising the position, receiving several applications.

During the process of interviewing the top two candidates, the authority found that there was not enough budgeted to cover salary and benefits for the airport manager position, and the authority voted to ask the town for $50,000 more to cover the benefits of the position. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved that request in August 2018, with aldermen expressing their support for the airport and its importance to the growth of the town.

After interviewing the two top candidates, the

position was offered to the top candidate, but it was declined.

The Airport Authority responded by taking time to further review the qualifications and description for the position and discuss whether any changes needed to be made. During those discussions, the Airport Authority were of a consensus the airport manager should have project management skills and operate in an oversight capacity of many of the daily operations at the facility.

In late fall 2018, the Airport Authority interviewed two other candidates for the airport manager position and offered the position to the top candidate.

However, that candidate declined the offer.

As 2019 began, the board decided to wait on starting another interview process until it further develops its mission and value statements to provide greater guidance for the airport manager.

HANGARS, LEASES As it assumed responsibility for the airport, the authority learned that the airport’s previous governing body had been in negotiations with Sky Night LLC in regard to its lease of the office building and adjoining large hangar.

During its June meeting, the Airport Authority was presented a proposal from Sky Night to purchase the

three-story office building and adjoining corporate hanger at the airport, with the facilities reverting back to the town after 40 years as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Sky Night owner Scott Niswonger explained if the authority allowed Sky Night to purchase the building, the company would complete needed improvements to the facility.

The building has significant needs to be addressed, Niswonger said, including upgrading the roof over the hangar and installing an efficient heating and air system for both the office facility and hangar. A rough estimate of these improvement costs is probably between $100,000 to $150,000, he added.

About $20,000 in landscaping work was completed around the building, he said, and Sky Night made roof repairs and painted the corporate hanger that is across the office building, which is commonly known as the Austin-Malone hanger.

The authority approved a lease with Sky Night to pay $7,000 a month for the office building and large hangar at the airport, which the company and the Niswonger Foundation currently occupy. The company also agreed to pay the utilities for the building, which were previously paid by the airport, and fund needed repairs and upgrades.

Also that month, the authority approved PDC Consultants as the firm to provide engineering services to the facility. The contract with the firm was finalized in February 2019.

One of the first projects for the firm is investigating the cause of broken and uneven pavement at the T-hangars and recommending a solution. After hangar tenants brought the pavement issues to the attention of the authority, the area was patched by the Greeneville Public Works Department to provide a temporary solution.

The engineering firm was also to begin work on another priority at the airport, creating an instrument approach for Runway 23.

Work Toward Central 911 System Continues

BY STAFF Emergency officials are seeking a federal grant to fund a new call-taking system for Greene County 911 as work toward a central system to handle all local emergency communications continues.

If the U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development dollars aren’t awarded in September 2019, however, the federal agency may be able to assist with the over $400,000 cost by offering a loan package.

A new call controller system is one component of a new central dispatch system being implemented at Greene County 911.

Central dispatch will combine those who take calls at Greene County 911 along with dispatchers at the Greeneville Police Department and Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

The total number of dispatchers needed to staff a central call center and how to fund those positions are to be resolved in the months ahead.

Training, identifying job candidates and hiring processes also have to be undertaken before the new central dispatch can become a reality.

In January 2019, the 911 board hired one additional full-time dispatcher, who could eventually be incorporated in to the central system. The hire brought the total of full-time Greene County 911 dispatchers to 10, and directors were told there are two part-time dispatchers available at certain times. The full-time hire of a “floating shift” dispatcher was needed to fill-in shifts needing additional manpower or when another dispatcher needs sick leave, board members determined.

Jerry Bird 911 Director

COMPUTER-AIDED DISPATCH Meanwhile, work to set up a computer aided dispatch system, or CAD, for emergency communications continued throughout 2018, one component needed for the multi-agency central dispatch system to be operational by the end of 2019.

In November 2018, officials expressed disappointment with the existing CAD service provider, TriTech Software Systems, prompting a suggestion by first responders that the board look at other companies offering similar services.

“Rollover” calls to 911 that may have to go through several people before the caller gets the help requested was one concern raised. Customer assistance from TriTech, which had been sold several times since 911 Dispatch entered into a service agreement with the company, is another.

“TriTech is not supported as it originally was. It’s hard to get user support (assistance),” county Mayor Kevin Morrison said in a November 2018 meeting, where it was also pointed out

SUN FILE PHOTO

Dispatcher Kevin “Bucky” Ayers takes a call at Greene County 911.

that several other vendors used by surrounding counties offer similar CAD software.

After the board starting looking into other options, seven vendors expressed interest in providing equipment for the CAD system.

That list was whittled down to four that could fit Greene County 911’s needs. Estimates were being prepared for review in March 2019, and the 911 Board of Directors in February indicated that equipment could be installed at 911’s Union Street headquarters

by May 2019.

Additionally, computer equipment for the fourth and fifth call stations that will be used in the central dispatch setup was on-order in early 2019. Three operational stations have been in use at county 911 dispatch.

Another issue being considered

is how to handle backup for the computer aided dispatch system.

Greene County 911’s dispatch system “piggybacks” off the Greeneville Police Department’s system. If that system goes down, however, backup capability is limited, which could cause gaps in 911 call reception, directors said in September 2018.

However, in late 2018, Bird determined that an in-house server for the CAD system would not be feasible for Greene County 911’s budget with a price tag of more than $200,000.

Steps are being taken to increase backup capability at the GPD, 911 board members were told in September 2018, and Bird said Greene County 911 has a strong backup system should the server lose power.

“Financially, it’s not feasible,”

Bird said of the in-house server for Greene County 911. “Right now, the problem is the power.

They don’t have a backup system like we do so if the power goes down, it takes the CAD down.

We’re just trying to prevent anything from happening down the road.”

Personnel at 911 handle dispatching and radio traffic for Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Services, Greeneville Fire Department, the Greene County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, 15 volunteer fire departments, air evacuation responders and animal control agencies. They also transfer law enforcement calls to the Greeneville Police and Greene County Sheriff’s departments and Tennessee Highway Patrol.

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 7

Highway Department Addresses Fine, Permit Violation As soon as taking office in September, Greene County Road Superintendent Kevin Swatsell was confronted with permit violations and safety issues.

That week, Swatsell learned that regulators at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation found his department in violation of permits regarding operation of its asphalt plant. An inspection also showed the “overflow” or “spill” buckets buried underground at the department’s Hal Henard Road facility — meant to contain spill or leaks from underground fuel storage tanks — were damaged and needed to be replaced.

Swatsell also learned that one road in Greene County had not been paved evenly or completely and needed immediate attention for safety reasons.

made out of plastic.

The new buckets are metal and should last much longer, Faulkner added.

When the old buckets were removed, Faulkner explained that water was pumped through them to test the durability. He said the plastic was undermined and had started to allow leaks.

“There was no evidence of any fuel leaked here,” he added of the site where the bucket was removed.

TDEC conducted an inspection at the Greene County Highway Department on Aug. 23.

Regulators found that the containment “overflow” or “spill buckets” that surround the facility’s two underground fuel storage tanks were damaged and needed to be replaced, TDEC Deputy Communications Director Kim Schofinski told The Greeneville Sun in September.

ASPHALT PLANT

PAVING

BY MICHAEL S. RENEAU AND BIANCA MARAIS

In December, TDEC fined Greene County $1,500 for exceeding production limits on its asphalt plant.

The fine was a relatively light penalty for several months of overages, since the state could have fined Greene County as much as $25,000 per day it exceeded permit limits.

TDEC granted a Conditional Major Operating Permit to the county’s asphalt plant in 2012.

A condition of the permit states: “Production rate for this source shall not exceed 140 tons per hour on a monthly average basis and 60,000 tons during all intervals of 12 consecutive months.”

An Aug. 7 inspection found that the plant had exceeded the maximum output of asphalt by nearly 3,000 tons in one 12-month period. Follow-up inspections revealed more overages.

In its December letter notifying Greene County of the fine, TDEC noted six rolling 12-month periods in which Greene County exceeded its production limit: • May 2017-April 2018: 60,434 tons • June 2017-May 2018: 60,048 tons

SUN FILE PHOTO BY BIANCA MARAIS

Half of Ottway Road was paved by the Greene County Highway Department before Kevin Swatsell took office as road superintendent on Sept 1. This photo of the unfinished paving job was taken Sept 7.

• August 2017-July 2018: 62,725 tons • September 2017-August 2018: 69,422 tons • October 2017-September 2018: 67,360 tons • November 2017-October 2018: 66,355 tons The first four instances occurred when former Greene County Road Superintendent David Weems was still in office.

Weems said he did not know about the overages when asked

by The Greeneville Sun on Aug. 30, his last day in office. He was aware that a TDEC inspector had come to the plant but was not present for the inspection, he said.

“You try to track it every day but sometimes you miss it,” Weems said.

Swatsell, who defeated Weems in a May Republican primary election and was unopposed in the county general election in August, learned of the overages his first day in office.

Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison said in December that

the Highway Department continued producing asphalt into October in order to finish projects begun by Weems previously but not finished. That included a half-paved Ottway Road, which presented safety risks for motorists.

Once those last-minute projects were finished in the fall, Morrison said the asphalt plant was shut down for the winter.

The Highway Department typically does not produce asphalt or pave in the winter months since asphalt must remain around 275 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

“It’s been well publicized that TDEC has not been happy that we had those overages going on,” Morrison said. But he credited Swatsell and his department for finishing half-completed jobs early in his tenure. “Kevin Swatsell has done a great job, and the Highway Department boys have done an excellent job of remedying the unfinished business and the safety issues we found expeditiously.”

The asphalt plant’s operating

limits are overseen by TDEC’s Division of Air Pollution Control.

Production is regulated because of the air contaminants created during asphalt production.

In September, just after taking office, Morrison said it’s hard to understand how the production overages could have been missed.

“Not just a little bit, not just, ‘Oh my goodness.’ No, it was significant,” he said then. “It wasn’t something that should take anybody by surprise.”

OVERFLOW BUCKETS In October, the Greene County Highway Department replaced the degrading overflow buckets under the county asphalt plant’s fuel tanks.

Jim Faulkner of RBM Company Inc., a Morristown-based petroleum company, replaced the 5-gallon buckets.

He explained that the old containers were not sturdy enough to withstand pressure in an emergency, since they were

Another problem the new administration faced when taking office was that one lane of Ottway Road was paved around the latter half of August, but the other was not, which occurred when Weems was still in office.

Crews eventually fixed the hazard in September by paving the other half of the road.

“The county’s striping crew has gone to Ottway Road because it does have an elevated portion that’s higher than the other side of the lane,” Swatsell said in early September. “‘Uneven Lane’ signs have been posted for safety reasons.”

Swatsell explained that the county’s paving crew applied a “leveling coat” to one side of the road but didn’t finish the other side before the new administration took office. The uneven surface was a safety hazard for motorists.

“I don’t know motivations or reasons. I need to finish it just as soon as I get cleared on my Clean Air Permit,” Swatsell said in September. “It keeps me awake at night.”

“There’s a significant safety problem,” Morrison said.

Baileyton Preparing For Town Recorder Transition

BY LORELEI GOFF SUN CONTRIBUTOR Baileyton Town Recorder Barbara Tilson will retire in April after 15 years of service.

Tilson succeeded former Town Recorder Sheila Bledsoe in 2004. She also serves as the town’s city municipal financial officer, a certification she received in 2011, and has been treasurer of the Baileyton Community Chest since 2005, a duty she said she will most likely turn over to incoming Deputy Recorder Jessica Brown in two to three years.

Tilson will continue to work two days a week for the next two to three years, after taking a much deserved break, in order to continue assisting Brown in getting settled into her position. Baileyton Mayor Tommy Casteel expressed appreciation for Tilson’s commitment to the two to three year transition period to ensure a smooth turnover for the town.

“Through the years you learn as you go and the knowledge that I’ve accumulated is tremendous,” said Tilson, who looks forward to passing that knowledge on.

Casteel said Brown became the top candidate for deputy recorder from “a lot of really good applicants” and is pleased she accepted the position.

Tilson expressed confidence in Brown.

“I think Jessica is really going to do well,” she said.

“She’s a people person and that’s what you’ve got to be is a people person. She catches on really fast. She’s going to be good for the town.”

For Tilson the good of the town has been her main

focus as recorder.

“In this position I’ve seen more (than the mayor and aldermen) see,” Tilson explained. “I’ve heard more than what they hear. You know something is right and you try to convince people. It can be difficult like that. But for the most part, the mayor and I have gotten along well and worked really well together for the good of the town, for the good of the people.

That’s what we’re here for, to serve the people. We’re public servants.”

Tilson worked at the Baileyton branch of Greene County Bank for 13 years before taking the town recorder position, where she said she got to know many people in the community and earned their trust.

Tilson said that although she’s dealt with “a few incidents over the years with people who wanted to cause trouble,” for the most part, “the people in Baileyton are great.”

“We have a good community here,” she said.

Although Tilson may miss some things about serving as town recorder , she looks forward to her semi-retirement.

“My first plan is to take back my garage,” she said, laughing. “There are things that I want to do. I’m just playing it by ear.”

Among the things she’d like to do, travel ranks high on her list.

“I want to take some road trips,” she said. “I definitely do want to go to the beach.

I love the beach. I’d love to stay for about a month but I know I can’t do that.”

Tilson also hopes to spend more time with her five grandchildren.

“I’ve missed out on a lot,” said. “They’re growing up so fast and I want to do

PHOTOS GET RESULTS Add a photo and we guarantee your merchandise will sell quicker.

Call for details 638-4185

things with them.”

Much of Tilson’s time will continue to go to help caring for her nearly 94-year-old mother, a labor of love she shares with four other family members.

“I’ve been doing that for about 17 years,” Tilson explained. “She’s had two major strokes. Her second

husband died about six years ago, so we had to start staying full time with her around the clock.”

Tilson said she’d also like to find more ways to work in the community and help people out, though she doesn’t know yet what that will be.

Brown, who is married

with two children, brings a variety of experience in finance to town hall. After graduating from Milligan College, she began her career in the Greeneville City Schools system in payroll. She then worked in accounts receivable for Wellmont Health System and Greene County

Skills before taking a staff accountant position in accounts payable at Tusculum University.

Brown enjoys playing the fiddle and describes herself as a ball mom. She likes working with the public.

“I look forward to serving the residents of Baileyton,” Brown said.

Got Power?

What happens when you don’t?

“Meeting the challenges of heavy rains, high winds, severe storms, or deep snows - our crews are working around the clock to provide you with dependable electric service!”

110 N. College St. Greeneville, TN 423.636.6200

Page 8

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

Downtown Redevelopment Plan Unveiled Design Work Begins

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER Revitalization of downtown Greeneville took significant steps forward in 2018 and early 2019 with the unveiling of a redevelopment plan and design work for the initial phase getting underway.

In June 2018, the Town of Greeneville’s conceptual Downtown Redevelopment Plan was unveiled to the community, providing recommendations in four key areas — streets, public spaces, green spaces and parking.

Proposed are development of a portion of Depot Street into a “festival” street, the addition of public gathering places including an alley park, the construction of parking garages, creation of a linear greenway along Richland Creek, sidewalk widening for pedestrian traffic and downtown business use, and recommended low cost, high impact projects to act as catalysts for redevelopment.

Town officials expressed excitement about the plan, emphasizing that, as a conceptual plan, it could be adapted according to public input and needs.

“I am really excited,” Greeneville Planning Director Logan Engle said of the plan. “I have seen some documents that have been created and then not used.

The Toole Design Group were committed to keeping the plan rooted in reality.

This is a document that we could run with as it is.”

As a next step in the process, funds for design work for Depot Street were added to the Town of Greeneville’s 2018-19 fiscal year budget. Vaughn & Melton Consulting Engineers LLC were selected for the project and began the surveying involved during the winter.

Streetscape designs were also developed, and a preliminary design for blocks of West Depot Street were presented to property owners for their feedback in February.

An open house for the general public was scheduled in mid-March to present the preliminary designs with changes made after hearing property owner feedback. Construction drawings will be be created as the next step, using the preliminary designs as a basis, Engle said.

SPECIAL TO THE SUN/TOWN OF GREENEVILLE

A photo simulation from the Greeneville Downtown Redevelopment Plan illustrates a concept for how Main Street would appear with widened sidewalks and added landscaping.

PLAN UNVEILED The conceptual plan was unveiled to a standing-room only crowd in June 2018.

The plan, developed by the Toole Design Group for the Town of Greeneville, was funded through a grant received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and based on community comments in public workshops.

Main and Depot streets are the focus of the plan’s recommendations for improvements in streetscapes.

Those recommendations include reallocating space within the existing rightof-way to create wider sidewalks, adding streetscape features, and using materials that highlight the street itself. The plan calls for creating a “festival” street along Depot Street between College and Irish streets to give a better sense of place and a distinctive look for festivals and other events.

One of the comments that Toole Design indicated it heard many times from the public was the need downtown for more public, family friendly spaces. The plan proposes the creation of flexible spaces, outdoor gathering spaces for events, outdoor seating and public restrooms.

The creation of an alley park that could connect Church Street and Summer street utilizing dilapidated buildings on Depot Street is one proposal in the plan.

The park proposed for both sides of Depot could include such features as outdoor seating and dining spaces, public art displays along alley walls, string lighting, shade trees, and a water wall to provide white noise.

Downtown should also become more green, according to the plan. Specific green spaces proposed include a park at the corner of North Main and Church streets and a greenway along Richland Creek.

In regards to parking, the Toole Design Group recommended two principal approaches with an immediate need for a new parking strategy. One of the approaches would involve parking policy changes and the other the construction of parking structures. In the long range, the plan calls for the construction of three parking garages.

The policy changes include enforcing limits only during business hours, clearly articulating parking limits on street signage and creating a parking hierarchy with shorter time limits for spaces in the core of downtown and longer time limits for those on the outskirts.

PARKING CONCERNS RAISED One of the recommendations regarding Depot Street that has received some of the most feedback regards parking — reducing spaces to only one side of the street to accommodate the widening of the sidewalks.

At the unveiling, Tim Teague, chairman of the Parking Authority, asked if the Toole Design Group had access to a study from the 1980s that called for making Depot Street a one-way street with angled parking, which would increase the number of spaces along the street. He expressed concern about the plan’s call

Mosheim Police Department Begins Patrols

BY LISA WARREN STAFF WRITER Officers with the Mosheim Police Department began their first patrols throughout the town on Jan. 11, 2019.

Mosheim had been the only municipality in Greene County without a police department.

The Mosheim Board of Mayor and Aldermen gave final approval to establish the municipality’s police department at its July 2018 meeting.

For Mosheim Mayor Tommy Gregg, the milestone was something that had been in his 10-year planning goals for quite some time.

“It’s something that I think is due,” Gregg said.

“The time is right. The times are changing, and the people are changing.”

At the time of the town board’s approval, it was announced that former Greene County Sheriff Steve Burns was serving as a consultant to aid in the department’s setup.

Burns was later named the first Mosheim Police Chief. Burns had previously spent 37 years in law

enforcement, including 16 years as Greene County Sheriff.

The police department’s headquarters is now located in the former Mosheim Funeral Home building on Mosheim’s Main Street, next door to the Child Advocacy Center of the 3rd Judicial District.

The town purchased the building in 2017 with $112,000 from its general fund. The total cost to set up the police department was around $200,000.

The Mosheim Police Department currently has five part-time officers: Randy Christy, Thomas Culler, Ronnie Kinser, Anthony Pruitt and Nick Milligan.

Using this five-officer pool, a Mosheim Police vehicle can be seen on patrol throughout the municipality at least 50 hours per week, Burns said.

Anyone in the Mosheim

municipality who is in need of a law enforcement officer should call the Greene County Sheriff’s Department for non-emergencies at 798-1800 or Greene County 911 for emergencies.

When a call is made for assistance within the Town of Mosheim, the sheriff’s department dispatcher contacts the Mosheim Police Department if there is a Mosheim officer on patrol. During times when a Mosheim officer is not on patrol, then the Greene County Sheriff’s Department dispatches its personnel to respond to the call.

Burns said he feels honored to be part of the newly formed department.

He thanked the Mosheim Board of Mayor and Aldermen and Mosheim Mayor Tommy Gregg for making the department a reality.

PHOTOS GET RESULTS Add a photo and we guarantee your merchandise will sell quicker.

Call for details 638-4185

for taking away the parking spaces from one side of the street to be able to widen the sidewalks.

At that same meeting, local businessman and philanthropist Scott Niswonger, who owns 15 properties downtown, said that what is called for in the plan could be good for Greeneville, but unless the parking issues are solved, redevelopment efforts would not be successful.

“I have continued to say for about 20 years that parking needs to be addressed,” he said. “It is not feasible to spend any more for development downtown until there is a parking plan in place.”

The lack of parking availability has caused the General Morgan Inn to not book some large events, said Niswonger, who owns the hotel. He also noted that a company was looking at leasing a building in downtown Greeneville in the past year, but when 12 parking spaces it needed could not

be obtained, the firm located in Johnson City instead.

DESIGN WORK UNDERWAY The town’s 2018-19 fiscal year budget was approved in June with $200,000 appropriated for the design services for the initial phase of the Downtown Redevelopment Project.

However, once the project was bid out, the lowest estimate that was received was more than $100,000 above that amount, and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen directed town officials to discuss the project with Vaughn & Melton to see what could be changed to bring it within budget.

Engle told the board during its Nov. 20, 2018, meeting that she, City Administrator Todd Smith and Public Works Director and Town Engineer Brad Peters had discussed the project with Vaughn and Melton, and the group decided that

the design work should focus on two blocks in the core of downtown, from College to Main and then Main to Irish streets at a fee cost of $264,000.

“We felt like this would allow the town to get a better bang for its buck,” she said.

Dean Helstrom, senior project manager for Vaughn & Melton, said the decrease in cost came in part came from reducing the scope of the geotechnical survey and a reduction in costs for utility design, which will be provided by the local utilities.

However, after discussion, the board voted to fund design for the stretch of Depot Street from College to just beyond Cutler, which is called for in two separate phases in the plan, at a cost not to exceed $356,225.

In discussion, Alderman Jeff Taylor said he had heard from people who were interested in the section between Irish and Cutler and asked what the additional cost would be to do that section taking into account the reductions involved with the utilities.

That amount would be around $356,225, Helstrom calculated.

“We want to be good stewards of the public’s money,” Taylor said. “If we can stretch it over two fiscal years, we need to go ahead and go to Cutler. We need to take advantage of the momentum we have.”

Alderman Sarah Webster agreed. “If we do just the two blocks, I think we will be disappointed.”

Looking forward to the next budget year, construction for the initial phase has been introduced to the board as a possible capital project to be funded.

Construction for the initial phase is estimated to cost $2.5 million, and tax incremental financing program may be a possibility for the downtown redevelopment project, according to Smith.

The total cost for all phases of the project is estimated at $8 million.

Mosheim Welcomes

Business & Industry

I

n Mosheim we’re ready to assist, develop and grow with Greeneville, Greene County and our industrial prospects and their projects. Infrastructure is readily available and includes water, sewer, gas, and electrical. Mosheim is a progressive community that is growing and a desirable location for families and new industries to locate.

Come out! Look us over!

Join us in our future growth and progress.

James Foshie ALDERMAN

Thomas L. Gregg, Jr. MAYOR

Dave Long ALDERMAN

David Myers ALDERMAN

Harold Smith ALDERMAN

More and more people and businesses are choosing to locate in Mosheim.

Town of

Mosheim

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 9

With Progress On Several Goals, Town Of Mosheim Looks For More Improvements

BY LISA WARREN STAFF WRITER The Town of Mosheim welcomed 2019 with the opening of its municipal police department and progress toward planned property developments at Interstate 81’s Exit 23.

Those are just two of several accomplishments and plans made by the town officials in the last year.

The establishment of a police department within the municipality has been a major goal for Mayor Tommy Gregg for some time.

“This is something that has been on my 10-year planning list for years now,” Gregg said.

Officers with the Mosheim Police Department began their first patrols throughout the town on Jan. 11, 2019.

In addition to the police department, the town also implemented a city court, which was expected to begin hearing cases on a monthly basis once the court management system’s software installation and training are completed in spring 2019.

Greeneville attorney Linda Woolsey has been hired by the town to serve as Mosheim’s municipal judge.

Woolsey also serves as the municipal judge for the City of Tusculum and the Town of Baileyton.

Town of Mosheim employee Stephanie Wallin was appointed to serve as the Mosheim court clerk, and she is working toward become certified for that role.

In other accomplishments during the past year, the Tennessee Department of Transportation began work

SUN FILE PHOTO BY LISA WARREN

Mosheim Mayor Tommy Gregg said he has crossed several things off his “to-do list” this past year, including the establishment of a Mosheim Police Department. The mayor said he is focusing on new goals for the town.

in February 2019 on traffic safety upgrades at two intersections along West Andrew Johnson Highway/US Highway 11E near Mosheim Town Hall.

The upgrades are something that the Mosheim mayor has been working closely with TDOT officials on for the past couple of years.

The construction project includes the addition of turning and acceleration lanes at the Railroad Street/ Dulaney Road intersection as well as at the nearby Spring Street intersection.

Railroad Street will become a right-turn-only street once the construction is complete.

In other happenings in Mosheim during the past year, painting and resurfacing work was completed on the town’s water tank. Additionally, work got underway on construction of a building for the town’s maintenance and water department. The maintenance building is scheduled to be completed by mid-April 2019, Gregg said. The town allocated $114,500 for the construction of the 2,400-squarefoot, pre-engineered, metal building, located behind the Mosheim Police Department building on Main Street.

The town is also in the process of upgrading its sewer system pumping

stations. The mayor has applied for a community development block grant to help fund the upgrades at one of the Mohawk pumping stations, which, he noted, is one of the older pumping stations in the town’s sewer system.

Other happenings for Mosheim during the past year included the adoption of a new town seal, which was designed by Mosheim Police Chief Steve Burns.

The seal shows the Mosheim Town Hall building in its center with the town’s establishment date of 1974 and the motto “Past, Present, Future.”

New faces were also added

to the town’s board and planning commission during 2018.

In August, James Foshie became the newest member of the Mosheim Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Foshie was elected to the seat that was vacated by Audrey Fincher, who did not seek election to remain in the position.

Fincher became the Town of Mosheim’s first female alderman following her appointment to the board in 2017 after the resignation of R.L. “Tom” Carpenter due to health reasons. Carpenter later died on Jan. 24, 2018.

“Audrey has done us a good service. We’re proud to have had her,” Gregg said.

Other new faces with the Town of Mosheim during the past year included a new member to the Mosheim Planning Commission.

Jason Brantley was appointed to fill the seat vacated

by Michael Gregg, who announced his retirement from the planning commission in July 2018. Gregg had served for more than seven years the planning commission, including as chairman.

The new chairman of the Mosheim Planners is Jesse Lowery.

Also during the past year, Greeneville attorney Douglas Payne was hired as the new Mosheim town attorney. Payne replaced Ed Kershaw in that role.

FUTURE GOALS With several things crossed off Gregg’s to-do list, what is next?

“One thing that needs to be worked on is the widen-

ing of Main Street — and possibly the addition of some sidewalks,” Gregg said.

“That’s really going to be a chore,” he said. “The street is so narrow, and the properties are so close that it could be a problem, if it ever happened.”

The first step, the mayor said, would be for the town to apply for a grant to pay for a feasibility study. Such a grant, however, would not pay for the actual construction, so additional funding sources would need to be sought for a project to move forward.

Another project Gregg hopes to work on in the coming year is establishment of a school zone along West Andrew Johnson Highway near West Greene High School from the Mosheim Post Office to Midway Road.

In speaking with state officials about placing a school zone there, Gregg said he was told that, since West Greene’s driveway does not connect directly to the state highway, the state cannot do the work. However, the mayor said he was told by Tennessee Department of Transportation officials that the town could pay for a school zone project, if it chooses.

Gregg said the school traffic is directed from West Greene Drive onto the highway. An acceleration lane is also needed at the end of West Greene Drive going onto the highway, the mayor added.

The Town of Mosheim provided funding for the other school zones within the municipality, Gregg said.

GUIDE State Farm Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710

Angel Waddell, Agent 409 E. Bernard Ave. Greeneville, TN 37745-5122 Bus 423-639-3276 Fax 423-639-0556 angel@angelwaddell.com

Greene County Farmers Mutual

• Fire • Wind • Lightning • Hail Liability Insurance for Your :

• Farm Machinery • Barn • Residence • Modular Home

921 W. Main St. 638-3652

Home Commercial

Auto Life & Financial

Serving Greene County and All of East Tennessee!

Your Hometown Agents:

Teresa McKinney

mckinnt7@theyatesagency.com

Deborah Hayton

haytod1@theyatesagency.com

430 E. Bernard Ave. Greeneville, TN 37745 (423) 639-4390 www.theyatesagency.com

PEAKE INSURANCE AGENCY DAVID B. PEAKE, Owner Auto • Home • Business • Life 913 TUSCULUM BLVD. GREENEVILLE, TN 37745 423-639-0288 • Fax 423-639-3806 dbpeake@comcast.net • www.peakeinsurance.net

When it comes to insurance

2017

Itʼs good to have options

McInturff, Milligan & Brooks, Inc. Corporate Office 237 W. Summer Street Towne Square Shopping Center Phone: (423) 639-5171 Fax: (423) 639-7129

Tri-State Claims Branch Office 200 East Main St., Suite 200 Kingsport, TN 37662 Phone: (423) 230-2247 Fax: (423) 245-3912

www.mmbinsurance.com

Trey Youngblood - LUTCF Agency Manager

Greene-Greeneville Agency 1431 W. Main Street, Greeneville, TN 37743 Phone: 423-639-7212 Fax: 423-639-7215

Page 10

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

Jones Convicted In 2 Girls’ Deaths, Mother’s Trial Is Pending

BY STAFF One person has been convicted in connection with the 2014 deaths of two small girls, and another defendant was scheduled to face trial in spring 2019.

In September 2018, a jury in Greene County Criminal Court convicted Erick Eugene Jones Jr. on charges related to the December 2014 deaths of 14-month-old Kynsleigh Easterly and 2-month-old Trinity Brooke Tweed in a North Hardin Street house.

The girls’ mother and Jones’ co-defendant, Kendra Lashae Tweed, is set to go to trial on May 13, 2019.

Jones is not the biological father of either victim.

Jones, then 25, was sentenced in November to serve 50 years in prison in connection with the deaths of the girls, along with an additional six years for an unrelated offense.

The prosecution put on more than 20 witnesses and sought the death penalty for Jones in a trial that cost nearly $40,000.

At trial, prosecutors never wavered from their contention that Jones was the person responsible for the little girls’ deaths.

However, Tweed raised the children in an environment with alleged drug use and drug sales, prosecutors said after her 2015 arrest.

Jones could have faced the death penalty had he been convicted on the first-degree murder charges filed by the District Attorney General’s Office.

He was instead found guilty of two counts of facilitation of first-degree felony murder during the perpetration of aggravated child abuse and two counts of facilitation of first-degree felony murder during the perpetration of aggravated child neglect.

Criminal facilitation generally refers to knowingly assisting another person in the commission of a crime.

The jury also found Jones guilty of facilitation or knowing of aggravated assault of both Kynsleigh and Trinity and facilitation of aggravated child neglect of each girl.

The counts reflected different theories of the crimes, and some of the charges were merged by Greene County Criminal Court Judge John F. Dugger Jr. at sentencing.

Dan Armstrong, 3rd Judicial District attorney general, said after sentencing that he respected the jury’s decision to convict Jones on the lesser facilitation of first-degree murder charge.

“Basically, (Dugger) gave him 25 years for each child at 85 percent (release eligibility) and ran those (convictions) consecutively,” Armstrong said. “It was always the state’s theory that he was the one who killed the children.”

The state’s more than 20 witnesses testified about the violent nature of injuries that caused the girls’ deaths, offered an estimated time frame of when the girls died on Dec. 17, 2014, showed five statements by Jones alternately implicating Kynsleigh’s biological father and Tweed, produced mobile phone records and highlighted observations of police and other first responders who rushed to the house on that morning.

The bodies of the little girls were found in the living room of the North Har-

SUN FILE PHOTO

Erick Eugene Jones Jr., in the orange jail overalls, listens to proceedings with his lawyers during a November 2018 sentencing hearing in Greene County Criminal Court. From left are J. Russell Pryor, Louis Ricker, Jones and Douglas L. Payne.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Flowers and stuffed animals from a grieving community cover the Liberty Hill Cemetery graves of 14-month-old Kynsleigh Easterly and 2-month-old Trinity Brooke Tweed, who died in December 2014.

Kendra Lashae Tweed

din Street house that Jones shared with Tweed, the two girls, and a then-3-year-old daughter of Tweed’s who was not home the night of Dec. 16-17, 2014, when the deaths occurred. That child was not injured.

Prosecution witnesses at Jones’ trial said that autopsies determined that both Kynsleigh and Trinity suffered separation of their spinal cords from the bases

Ear n money with your own business.

aper Deliver the newsap day. for a few hours

ay!

Routes are available, tod

The Greeneville Sun

Kynsleigh Easterly

Trinity Tweed

of their brains. Their bodies were also covered with bruises and abrasions.

A pathologist at East Tennessee State University’s William H. Jenkins Forensic Center testified that, over decades of experience, he had never seen the type of violent trauma injuries the two girls suffered except in victims of auto crashes and other outside accidents.

At issue throughout trial was the credibility of Jones, who gave five conflicting statements to investigators from the Greeneville Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and district attorney general’s office.

Jones implicated Tweed as the person responsible for her children’s deaths in several of the statements.

At the conclusion of

for Retired and looking t jus or do to ra ext something ra ext wanting to collect some re mo ng rni lea ile wh income an ing about the community? Be rier car per spa new ent independ . nce erie exp ing ard rew can be a vide The Greeneville Sun will pro ich wh on ers tom you with cus per spa new ly dai r to begin you ilable route. Extra money is ava te. rou r you upon building

Call the Circulation tails.

Department for more de

638-4182

Jones’ trial, the six-man, six-woman jury, drawn from Hamblen County residents, through its verdict expressed apparent doubt as to who was directly responsible for the deaths of the toddler and baby. They deliberated a little more than five hours.

The remaining defendant, Tweed, has been held in the Greene County Detention Center and did not testify for the prosecution at Jones’ six-day trial. At the time of Jones’ November 2018 sentencing, Armstrong said no plea deals had been offered to Tweed.

She is set to go to trial on May 13, 2019. The state has not indicated whether the death penalty will be sought, should she be convicted of the murder counts.

Tweed was charged in November 2015 with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated child endangerment and two counts of aggravated child neglect.

The charges fall under a

statute known as “Haley’s Law,” named after a Campbell County child who suffered serious injuries after enduring severe abuse. The law, passed in Tennessee in 2004, carries enhanced punishment.

Tweed was a home health care aid who was looking after an elderly woman in Greeneville several miles away on the night of Dec. 16-17, 2014.

Jones said in at least two statements given to police that he called Tweed and told her Kynsleigh had a seizure and she returned home during the night, became upset and violently shook both of the little girls. Trial testimony showed Kynsleigh had no medical history of seizures.

T. Wood “Woody” Smith, Tweed’s lawyer, said after Jones’ September 2018 sentencing that conflicting versions of events that night given to investigators undermined any credibility he may have had.

Tweed is not responsible for the deaths of her daughters, Smith said.

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 15, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 11

New Business, Other Developments In Tusculum

BY KEN LITTLE STAFF WRITER Tusculum saw growth and positive change in 2018.

In April 2018, a new Aldi supermarket opened at 3800 E. Andrew Johnson Highway in the city. The discount grocery chain currently has more than 1,600 stores in 35 states, serving more than 40 million customers every month.

Citizens eagerly anticipated the Tusculum store opening. A large public turnout marked the first day of business on April 26, 2018.

City officials hope the Aldi store will help attract more business development along the commercially zoned strip of land along East Andrew Johnson Highway in Tusculum.

In November, voters in Tusculum approved a referendum to allow wine sales at grocery stores within the city’s limits. The Aldi store is the immediate beneficiary, but Tusculum officials said it is hoped the measure allowing wine sales will provide an additional incentive for food retailers to locate within city limits.

The city is also continues to market available commercially zoned property on U.S. 11E in Tusculum.

WALKING TRAIL, GREENE VALLEY SITE Dog lovers received good news in July 2018, when the Tusculum Board of Mayor and Commissioners

modified the town’s code to allow dogs on part of the Tusculum Linear Trail.

Leashed dogs can now accompany their owners along the area of the walking trail that begins from the east side of the pedestrian bridge over the Tusculum Bypass to the east end of the trail, or the section of the Linear Trail between the two trail parking lots on Edens Road.

The proposal was first suggested earlier in 2018

by Vice-Mayor Barbara Britton. It was endorsed by a number of Tusculum citizens and quickly gained momentum.

Many dog owners now take advantage of the approved section of the walking trail. City officials said dog owners have acted responsibly in cleaning up after their pets. No adverse issues have been reported since the trail was opened to dogs.

City officials continued to take an active interest in 2018 in the the future of the former Greene Valley Development Center property, which lies within Tusculum’s corporate limits.

Finding a use for the property remains “a primary concern, and the city hopes to have some input into those decisions,” Mayor Alan Corley recently said.

Corley, along with other municipal officials from Greene County, met with Gov. Bill Lee in Nashville in February 2019 about possible future uses of the property.

RELIABLE • COMFORTABLE • CLEANER AIR brought to your home, office or daycare locally by

Air Pro

Heating & Cooling Heating & Air Conditioning Made in USA

147 Mason Street (423) 639-5557

Mike Davis & Keith Harrison - Owners NFIB Member

INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS Improvement of a busy intersection in the city was planned to begin in 2018, but is now scheduled to get underway in 2019.

A Tennessee Department of Transportation project to improve safety at the intersection of U.S. 11E and Erwin Highway was rescheduled to begin in May. The state-funded project includes installation of metal support poles and intersection roadwork to improve lines of sight for motorists.

The intersection will also have improved traffic signals. Wooden poles and strain wire currently in use will be replaced with steel poles and mast arms to hold the signal heads.

The TDOT project will include installation of LED signal lights that are brighter than the ones in use.

REDS AT PIONEER PARK, TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY, MORE The Cincinnati Reds organization began operation of a minor league baseball team at Pioneer Park beginning with the 2018 season.

Meanwhile, structural repairs and other improvement were made in 2018 at Tusculum City Hall at 145 Alexander St. Tusuclum officials follow progress closely at the college bearing the city’s name.

Tusculum University

SUN FILE PHOTO

Aaron McNeese, an employee in the IT department at Chuckey-Doak High School, checks out a map of the Tusculum Linear Trail during a recent bicycle ride. A section of the popular walking trail is now dog-friendly.

formally completed its transition from Tusuculm College to university status in 2018.

An official sign unveiling took place in June, and the formal transition from college to university was completed on July 1, 2018.

“The name will officially become Tusculum University in the 2018-2019 academic year,” Tusculum President Dr. James Hurley said at the time.

“The change will be primarily in regards to status,

College campus in years.

The Meen Center for Science and Mathematics houses some of the new academic programs that are part of the institution’s transition to a university.

Built on a small rise along the Erwin Highway, the four-story structure covers about 100,000 square feet with wings for biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, environmental science, and undergraduate and graduate nursing.

Heating & Cooling Guide

2017

NOLICHUCKEY HEAT & AIR

BIRD’S

ELECTRIC HEATING & COOLING Installation & Repair of All Major Brands

Electrical & Sheetmetal Work Sales & Service Michael Roberts All Brands of Units Cell (423) 329-5620 • Shop (423) 639-0033

Over 55 Years of Experience 501 E. McKee St. Greeneville, TN 37743 Robert Bailey Owner

HVAC License # 00038449

(423) 636-8409

ENERGY SAVING TIPS FOR SUMMER In Summer, set cooling thermostat at 74-760.

helping to distinguish Tusculum from the community college programs that have gained widespread attention through initiatives such as Tennessee Promise,” Hurley said, adding that the decision to transition to university will provide the right structure for new programs.

The 2017-18 academic year at Tusculum University saw the integration to academic service of one of the most striking visual changes to the Tusculum

Weather-strip and caulk around windows & doors to save 2-4% on electric bill.

Unplug phone chargers & other electronics when not in use.

Add insulation if needed to attics, crawlspaces, and basement ceilings.

Install LED lamps. They use 75% less energy.

DENNIS BIRD Universal Technician RSES and ARI Certified (423) 639-5979 Cellular 552-4327

3010 Fairlawn Drive Greeneville, TN 37743

Lamb’s

Heating & Air “Greeneville’s Factory Authorized Carrier Dealer” Sales • Service • Installation TVA approved, ACCA and NATE Certified

798-9559

LICENSED, BONDED, INSURED

Page 12

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Friday, March 15, 2019

GreenevilleSun.com

Like most states, Tennessee suffers from aging infrastructures.

A

bout 45% of the annual sewage flow treated in wastewater facilities originates from groundwater or rainwater leaking through deteriorated sewage pipes, joints, or manholes.

This clear water leakage is generally called Inflow and Infiltration (I/I) and represents the most significant and fundamental problem for sewage treatment and sewage collection systems.

The effect of I/I is to steal capacity from treatment facilities and piping systems. It also may cause or exacerbate sanitary or combined sewer overflows, releasing untreated or partially treated sewage to watercourses and the environment.

Finally, this additional flow results in both increased capital and annual O&M costs.

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT I/I O&M COSTS ARE ABOUT

$217 MILLION

ANNUALLY IN TENNESSEE.