County gives final okay to training bonus for corrections officers
Good Thursday evening! This is The Weekender, a final look at this week’s news from the Independent Herald. The Daybreaker (Monday) and The Weekender (Thursday evening) are our two news-first newsletters. We publish several other newsletters throughout the week, as well as our regular E-Edition on Thursday and our Varsity E-Edition on Sunday (during sports season). If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) any of these newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so!
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Buckeye Home Medical Equipment. Serving Scott County and several other communities in the Upper Cumberland region, Buckeye is a full-line DME providing home health equipment to its patients.
County Commission gives final okay to training bonus for corrections officers
HUNTSVILLE | By unanimous decision at Monday’s July session, Scott County Commission gave a final vote of approval to a plan to award $400 annually to county-employed corrections officers who complete required inservice training.
The measure, proposed by Scott County Mayor Jerried Jeffers, was forwarded to the full commission by the Intergovernmental Committee earlier this month. It provides for a $400 bonus for each corrections officer employed at the Scott County Jail and the Scott County Juvenile Detention Center who completes 40 hours of in-service training annually.
The award and its amount are authorized by state law. At the request of Scott County Sheriff Brian Keeton, language was added to the resolution stating that corrections officers aren’t eligible for the bonus unless they have worked at least eight months in a calendar year. That is the same stipulation that the state places on law enforcement officers who receive a training supplement.
The money for the payout will come from the sheriff’s annual jail budget.
“Anything I can do to get these guys a bonus or an in-service check, I’m all for it,” Keeton said at Monday’s meeting.
Commissioners were also presented with a proposal earlier this month to offer themselves a supplement for completing required annual training. However, that plan was shelved due to budget concerns.
In other actions Monday:
• State Rep. Kelly Keisling, R-Byrdstown, was on hand to commend Scott County for being one of only 14 in the state to achieve a clean audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024.
• Scott County Family Justice Center Director Christy Harness talked to commissioners about the Red Sand Project, during which participants will pour red sand into sidewalk cracks in a symbolic gesture to make sure victims don’t “fall through the cracks.” Harness said human trafficking affects 50 million people worldwide — including in Scott County.
• The commission gave a final vote of approval to House Joint Resolution 51, proclaiming a statewide day of prayer, which was held earlier this month.
• The commission approved a request by Road Superintendent Kelvin King to establish speed limits of 20 mph on Cowan Lane in the 7th District and 15 mph on Church Sexton Road in the 2nd District.
Mountain People’s Health Councils offers general practice dentistry for all ages, using the latest technology for dental imagery and digital scanning. Sliding scale fees apply! Learn more. (Sponsored.)
Commission approves $20,000 for dump fight
HUNTSVILLE | By unanimous vote at Monday’s July session, Scott County Commission authorized the expenditure of up to $20,000 in the ongoing landfill battle.
The Scott County-McCreary County Environmental Coalition, a group of county and municipal governments formed to combat efforts to establish a landfill and transfer station north of Oneida, has recommended hiring a Middle Tennessee attorney — Lisa Helton of the firm Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison — to represent the coalition, at a cost of $640 per hour. Two of her associates who will join her on the case bill at $500 per hour. Resolutions adopted by each government participating in the coalition also indicate that environmental consultants may be hired.
At issue is a proposed landfill on up to 700 acres of property just east of the existing Volunteer Regional Landfill at Bear Creek, 24 acres of which has long since been permitted by the state for landfill construction. A group of investors based in Atlanta and Chattanooga have entered into purchase agreements on the property, and have applied with the state for a permit to construct a rail transfer station along the Norfolk-Southern Railroad just off Poplar Lane.
In response, the governments of Scott County, Oneida, Winfield, Huntsville and McCreary County have formed a coalition to coordinate a response to concerns each government has about the proposal. It was at the group’s inaugural meeting earlier this month that Oneida Mayor Lori Phillips-Jones suggested retaining Helton, the attorney who successfully led Murfreesboro’s fight against a proposed expansion of the Middle Point Landfill in Rutherford County.
At that meeting, it was indicated that each of the five participating governments would split the cost of retaining legal counsel equally among themselves, although there was some discussion that the payment split should be based on population size.
At Monday’s County Commission meeting, Scott County Mayor Jerried Jeffers said that Winfield has agreed to the one-fifth arrangement and has authorized $20,000, as has Oneida. McCreary County has agreed to the one-fifth arrangement and has not placed a cap on spending. However, according to Jeffers, the resolution adopted by Huntsville stipulates that the town will pay its share based on a pro rata breakdown, meaning the town’s share would be based on population size. Jeffers said that would amount to approximately 7.8%, based on census data. Third District Commissioner Amy Jeffers — the wife of Huntsville Mayor Dennis Jeffers — said Huntsville has authorized $10,000.
The latest developments come as all parties settle in for what promises to be a long fight. While the TN Dept. of Environment & Economic Development approved a 24-acre landfill on the site in 2010, the permit must be re-certified by the state agency before construction begins, based on current regulations — including regulatory changes that have been put in place since 2010.
Knox Horner, the face of the effort to locate the second landfill at Bear Creek, said at the coalition meeting earlier this month that the permit has been re-certified and construction will start in September. However, Horner has only filed for recertification; TDEC has 180 days to respond. According to those familiar with the process, actual construction of a landfill is highly unlikely by September — or for several months after. As part of the recertification process, the landfill team laid out the process for solving ARAP requirements — ARAP stands for Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit — but it is unclear how long that process will take to complete.
TDEC has also yet to approve the application for a transfer station permit.
Construction ready to begin on O&W Road bridge
HUNTSVILLE | A bid has been awarded, and construction will soon begin on a new bridge over Pine Creek on O&W Road.
The road has been closed at its intersection with Toomey Road near the entrance to the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area since the TN Dept. of Transportation condemned a bridge over Pine Creek last year.
Earlier this month, the Scott County Finance Committee approved a bid from King General Contracting to replace the bridge — a single-lane bridge constructed in 1917 as the Oneida & Western Railroad was built, making it one of the oldest in Scott County.
As the O&W Road follows Pine Creek into the Big South Fork River gorge, it crosses the creek four times. All of those bridges were built at about the same time as the railroad was constructed nearly 110 years ago. Two of the bridges over Pine Creek, further upstream towards Oneida, have long since been replaced. With the replacement of the bridge near the Toomey Road intersection, only the final bridge over Pine Creek, which is located within the Big South Fork NRRA near where Pine Creek empties into the Big South Fork River, will remain as an original. The road follows the old railroad grade to the river and beyond, ending where it crosses North White Oak Creek at the Scott-Fentress county line. The remainder of the old railroad grade beyond the creek crossing is a multi-use trail maintained by the National Park Service.
The O&W Road bridge was one of two condemned by TDOT after low inspection scores. Niggs Creek Road in Oneida remains closed near its intersection with U.S. Highway 27 in the High Point community, where it overpasses the Norfolk-Southern Railroad. According to Scott County Road Superintendent Kelvin King, the county is awaiting final approval from the railroad on the design of a new bridge there.
Both bridges are being replaced using state money appropriated by the 2017 IMPROVE Act that increased gas taxes in Tennessee to pay for road infrastructure projects.
King previously told the Independent Herald that construction can begin about 45 days after the bid is awarded, and that he hopes O&W Road will be reopened by winter.
Huntsville Post-Acute & Rehabilitation Center offers short-term or long-term care … on your terms. Learn more. (Sponsored content.)
The Weekend
🌦 Weather: It’s going to be a hot, typical summer weekend, with temperatures near 90° each day and a chance of isolated thunderstorms each afternoon. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page — published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot.
—
📅 Community Calendar
• Friday: The Bandy Creek Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today ($3, or $2 for ages 6-12). Huntsville Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
• Saturday: The Scott County Farmers & Crafters Market will be open from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. — rain or shine. The market is located at 600 Scott High Drive, Huntsville.
• Saturday: The Bandy Creek Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today ($3, or $2 for ages 6-12). Huntsville Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
• Sunday: The Bandy Creek Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today ($3, or $2 for ages 6-12). Huntsville Pool will be open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. today ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
• Sunday: Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step program designed to help with addiction, co-dependency and domestic abuse, will be hosted by Fire & Purpose Ministries from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 27192 Scott Highway in Winfield. There will be food, fellowship, praise and worship. Childcare is provided.
The Community Calendar is presented by Citizens Gas Utility District. Citizens Gas operates natural gas distribution pipelines in portions of Scott and Morgan counties. Visit citizensgastn.com.
—
📢 Programming Note: Watch for our weekly E-Edition later this evening! You can always find our E-Editions here. The E-Edition is published on Thursdays (and on Sundays during the high school sports season) and includes all digital content from the week in an easy-to-read, flip book format.
Scenic Sale!
This week’s sale items at Scenic Foods in Huntsville! The sale continues through Tuesday. Sponsored content.
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be Friday Features tomorrow. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!
◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)