NEWS
PAGE 6A v INDEPENDENT APPEAL
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013
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Commission purchases property: ‘Ready to get the show on the road’ By Jeff Whitten Head News Writer
The McNairy County Commission voted to purchase the Pickwick Electric Cooperative property once it moves into its new headquarters last Monday. The vote was subject to an acceptable purchase agreement being brought back to the commission by county attorney Craig Kennedy. Terry Abernathy will be negotiating the contract on behalf of his client, PEC. PEC is moving to a new location on Highway 142 sometime around the fall of next year. Their current location is on Mulberry Ave. in Selmer. The commission also voted to have the main part of the Henco property on Industrial Park Drive in Selmer appraised for possible purchase. Budget committee chairman Jim Rickman said that existing buildings there would probably have to be torn down. Once Strata Solar acquires the remaining property at the Industrial Park on the bypass, the county will not have any property for industry to locate, Rickman said. The Henco property is 20 acres. Spectrum now leases the Henco building. “It’s not a lot, but it’s got all the infrastructure. It’s got wa-
ter, sewer, gas, electric,” Rickman explained. The initial cost for tearing down the building has been estimated to be $1.25 per square foot, though that possibly could be offset by salvage value, County Mayor Ronnie Brooks said. “It’s right in a prime place,” Brooks said. The Tennessee Valley Authority will help the county put a virtual building online, so the county will not have to go to the expense of building an actual building without knowing what type of building any industrial prospects may require, Brooks said. Rickman said there were possible sites for industrial development, with one of them being near a railroad, though part of this site is in a flood plain. Access roads leave something to be desired,” Rickman said. Rickman said he was unsure what utilities are available for this property. In other economic development news, Brooks said he anticipated that Monogram would close on the old Midwest Woodworking building on Dec. 17. Rickman said he anticipated that Monogram would start moving in to the building January of next year. The new GE french door refrigeration
unit would be built there, Brooks said. Brooks said the large employer reported earlier is looking at us and 10 other areas, but at this point we do not have the necessary acreage for them. “We can’t rule it out,” Brooks said. “What we need to do is start looking for some land,” said Commissioner Keith Jernigan. Brooks said the Environmental Protection Agency will help us search for property. Jernigan suggested that we could partner with an adjoining county on an industrial park. “I’m ready to get the show on the road,” Jernigan said. “I think we all are,” Brooks replied. On the recommendation of the Beer and Entertainment Committee, the commission approved an ordinance requiring any adult entertainment establishment be located at least 1,000 from any residence. Since this is an ordinance, it requires two readings for it to become law. “We can’t keep an establishment from being established, but we can make it more difficult for it to be made,” said committee chairman Troy Moore. “We can’t zone anything, so this is about the best process we can do,” Brooks added.
Monogram Refrigeration donations aid victims of Typhoon Haiyan By Jeff Whitten Head News Writer
Helping those in need is nothing new for the employees of Monogram Refrigeration in Selmer. A couple of years ago, they collected supplies for tornado victims. Now they are raising money for victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which killed 3,600 and injured more than 12,000 in the Philippines on Nov. 10. One of their employees, Desiree Pratt, is originally from Tacloban, which bore the brunt of the storm. Monogram workers have been doing internal fundraising and did a bake sale, according to Christina Rhea of Monogram. An account has been set up at Regions Bank in Selmer where donations can be sent and then wired to Philippine banks. The account is named “Desiree Pratt’s family.”
“Desiree’s family and friends there have no food, water, or shelter. We here at Monogram really feel that we are a family and a community and would like to do whatever we can to help the survivors,” Rhea said. About $700 has been raised so far, Pratt said. Her family escaped the storm unharmed, but of the four houses they lived in, all but one was destroyed. The one still standing is a three-bedroom house that Pratt and her husband helped family members buy. This one was built sturdier than the others, which were only huts. “I’m really grateful that they’re doing this...It was unexpected and really nice of them to do that,” Pratt said. Pratt has worked at Monogram for the past 18 years. “We have a Community Involvement Team and they are doing a lot,” Pratt said about her employer.
Among its other community service projects, Monogram also participates in Relay for Life each year. “This time they’re going farther. I told somebody, ‘They’re going global,’” Pratt recalled. Pratt came here in 1988. “That’s a long story. You would have to use the whole paper,” Pratt joked. Pratt said due to the storm disrupting communications, it took four or five days before word came that her family was not hurt. Cell phone communications are still intermittent. “Between day one and four, it was really the worst heart-wrenching feeling anyone could have, not knowing if they were alive,” Pratt said. Pratt’s family told her they have to travel for five or six hours to do their grocery shopping and banking.
“Everything is gone in that area,” Pratt said about Tacloban. Pratt said that the typhoon, with its 190 mph winds, lingered in the area for four hours, amplifying the destruction. Her family is very poor and do not have insurance. “I’m just thankful that they listened to the warnings. They evacuated. Otherwise, it would have been worse,” Pratt said. “The first few days when I didn’t know if they were okay, I felt like someone had their feet on my stomach,” Pratt said. Pratt was elated when she found out that her family escaped unharmed. “It makes you think about what is important in life,” Pratt said. “They’re just trying to pick up the pieces,” Pratt said about those affected by the storm, and she said that her coworkers have been very generous in their giving.
Bethel Springs approves water bill sponsorship deal with Bethel Bar-B-Que By Christen Coulon Managing Editor
The Bethel Springs Board of Aldermen met for a relatively short meeting last Monday night. The abbreviated legislative session was due, in part, to the board’s lack of a quorum at last week’s working session which left the board with little as far as new business. The meeting began with the board’s approval of November’s minutes and its bills with a minor amendment adding Alderman Shirley William’s name on a vote where it had be inadvertently omitted. Alderman Sherry Smith was the lone no vote on both measures. The board then discussed the process of clearing storm debris from right of ways. Currently the town has been addressing problem areas at the discretion of its employees or based on the direction of the board as funds became available. Williams commented that she would like to see a coordinated effort with plans to clear all of the debris. In the water report the town reported 15 percent water loss. The slight increase in water loss was credited to two leaks last month which have now been fixed. The water report was approved by the board with all members but Smith voting yea.
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The board then discussed an offer from Lew Perrigo to sponsor the town’s water bills. Perrigo’s offer to the town would require the town to place a sponsorship message from Bethel Bar-B-Que, in the space available in the town’s notes section of the month’s bill. Perrigo committed to $50 per month to cover paper costs when the sponsorship message appeared on the bill. Smith then questioned if such a sponsorship would be available to all citizens and businesses who approached the town. “If you got 50 bucks I guess you could,” Alderman Gary Bizzell Jr. said. Mayor Kay Cox said that the town was considering this offer because Perrigo specifically brought the idea to them. Bizzell proposed that the board create a schedule allowing other businesses to sign up if they wanted. The board ended up allowing Perrigo to purchase the sponsorship for three months when space is available with Smith registering the only no vote. There was then an extended discussion over a motion charging a base fee on the water bill for customers who are disconnected but whose homes are still inhabited. This conversation evolved into a philosophical discussion over the role of government with respect to utilities. The board voted to table this motion and examine the legality of
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such a measure as well as the wording of the current ordinance dealing with the base fee. The board then discussed looking at switching pumps at the water department to a new manufacturer when old pumps needed replacement. Bizzell said that Liberty pumps would save the town a significant amount of money on initial costs and repairs. However, they decided to wait until the next meeting to take up this vote. In a final piece of business, Alderman Shirley Williams reported that the Bethel Springs Senior Center had grown to 25 members in just a short time. The group, which is a satellite of the Selmer Senior Center, is housed at the New Bethel United Methodist Church at 74 Wright Street in Bethel Springs. Meetings are on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. with members contributing $1.25 each for lunch. Williams encouraged additional members of the community to join them at the next meeting.
The Selmer Park and Recreation will be accepting bids for the 2014 Sports Seasons for team pictures. You may pick up the bid packet at the Selmer Community Center from 8 a.m. 9 p.m. Monday thru Friday. We reserve the right to accept or decline any and all bids. Bids must be turned in by 12 noon on Friday, December 13, 2013. They must be sealed and will be opened at 1 p.m. Bidders may be present.
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