National Park Service raises questions about proposed landfill
Plus: Funeral service planned for former Assessor of Property, Comptroller releases investigative findings involving Election Commission, and TCAT implements welding class for jail inmates
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.
NPS raises questions about proposed landfill
ONEIDA | The National Park Service has waded into the ongoing battle over a proposed landfill at Bear Creek, raising questions about water-related issues surrounding the proposed facility. The land targeted for the landfill drains into Bear Creek, which empties into the Big South Fork River near the Tennessee-Kentucky border, in the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area.
In a letter submitted to the TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation earlier this month, Big South Fork NRRA Superintendent Niki S. Nicholas requests information and clarification concerning the landfill development, which is proposed by Chattanooga-area landfill developer Knox Horner.
Twenty-four acres of the nearly 700 acres of property being purchased by Horner was permitted by TDEC for a Class I landfill in 2010, following a contentious public review process. Nicholas wrote that “the current landfill plan is a significant departure from the original 2010 permit plan,” which was permitted under the name Roberta Phase II Landfill.
Among the changes mentioned by Nicholas is a stream identified in Horner’s ARAP — Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit — as Stream 10.
“There are numerous deficiencies, including French drains replacing streams directly under the landfill,” Nicholas wrote. “The departure from a no-discharge facility to a facility with stream buffers suggests that water has the potential to affect surface water and groundwater regimes that ultimately influence NPS-administered lands and classified waters…”
In a December 8 letter to Roberta Phase II, TDEC formally notified Horner’s group of a number of deficiencies related to its ARAP application, and specifically mentioned Stream 10 that was addressed by Nicholas in her letter days earlier. The letter, written by TDEC’s Mike Lee, also targets the French drain method proposed by landfill developers, stating the agency’s belief that the ARAP proposals do not adequately address permanent stream function loss that would be created through that process.
Nicholas requested that TDEC provide information on six different data points, ranging from water quality monitoring to leachate collection, and also requested clarification on two questions related to engineering plans for the proposed landfill.
In a nutshell, Nicholas’s letter indicates that the National Park Service is attempting to determine whether Roberta Phase II’s proposals would cause water-related issues that would run afoul of the 1974 federal legislation that established the Big South Fork NRRA.
In its subsequent letter to Roberta Phase II, TDEC highlights deficiencies in the ARAP application that parallel the points raised by Nicholas. It calls the November 2025 ARAP application incomplete and requests 15 further considerations from Roberta Phase II, including an additional $2,500 application fee.
In addition to the various requests for additional information or clarification by TDEC, it states that a review will be required by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency due to the possible presence of aquatic wildlife species.
One of the specific points made by TDEC in its letter is a request for Roberta Phase II to list onsite alternatives to the aquatic disturbances it has proposed. The state agency points out that “since the site is 700 acres it would appear that the (landfill) footprint could avoid aquatic resources…”
TDEC informed Roberta Phase II that it will begin its review of the ARAP application after receiving the requested information — meaning it will likely be well into 2026 before the state agency makes its decision on whether the landfill can proceed as proposed.
The agency is currently considering three distinct requests from Roberta Phase II: whether to re-certify the 24-acre landfill permit from 2010, whether to approve the ARAP proposals (which are required for the original 2010 permit to be re-certified, due in part to state laws that have changed in the 15 years since that permit was issued), and whether to permit a rail transfer station on another section of the 700 acres.
The proposed rail transfer station would be located on the northeast corner of the property, off Poplar Lane along the Norfolk-Southern Railroad, inside the Town of Winfield municipal limits, and would be used to off-load trash from railroad cars to trucks that would make the final haul into the nearby landfill.
The proposed Roberta Phase II landfill is not affiliated with the existing Volunteer Regional Landfill, though the two would be located essentially next-door to one another. Volunteer Regional is owned by Knoxville-based Waste Connections. Like Volunteer Regional, the proposed Roberta Phase II would be a regional landfill that accepts trash from outside Scott County as well as inside it. Opponents of Roberta Phase II have argued that Scott County does not need a second landfill, with Volunteer Regional still a number of years away from capacity.
Read: TDEC’s letter to Roberta Phase II —
Read: NPS’s letter to TDEC —
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Funeral service planned for retired Assessor of Property
ONEIDA | A funeral service will be held Saturday evening for retired Scott County Assessor of Property Steve Thompson, who died Tuesday at the age of 75.
Thompson, who followed his father into politics, was the long-time Assessor of Property in Scott County before retiring in 2016. His father, Clifford Josh “C.J.” Thompson, was Scott County’s Trustee for 20 years, from 1970 to 1990. His son, Josh Thompson, is a physician who owns his own medical practice in Oneida. Thompson was also a brother to former Oneida Mayor Jack E. Lay.
Prior to his time in the Assessor of Property’s office, Thompson worked for West Coal Corp. for 25 years.
Thompson is survived by his wife of 53 years, Debbie, and two sons, Jeremy and Josh.
Saturday’s funeral service will be held at 6 p.m. at Four Oaks Funeral Home in Oneida, with Dilbert Terry and Sean Allen Lee officiating. Visitation will begin at 4 p.m. A private graveside service will be held Sunday. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society Memorial Foundation in memory of Steven Thompson, 208 Charlotte Ave., Nashville, TN 37203.
State auditors question travel expenses by Election Commission
HUNTSVILLE | The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has released the findings of an investigation into travel expenses accumulated the Scott County Election Commission, resulting in reimbursements totaling $3,333.88 over a 17-month period.
The investigation was launched as a result of the Comptroller’s Office’s annual audit of county finances turned up what it called “questionable travel expenses.” The results of the investigation were dated Nov. 18.
According to Comptroller Jason Mumpower, the investigation determined that Election Commission employees received “questionable travel reimbursements” for conference travel expenses totaling $3,333.88 from July 2023 through December 2024.
Specifically, the report noted that lodging expenses totaled $3,175.45, at rates above county-approved rates, at conferences taking place in December 2023, May 2024 and December 2024, as well as meals totaling $158.43 at a conference in December 2024. The meals in question were for spouses of employees who attended the conference. The comptroller noted that while those spouses were part-time seasonal employees of the Election Commission, the Election Commission did not pay to register them for the annual conference. Mumpower’s office cited a county policy stating “under no circumstances will charges associated with spouse or dependent travel, meals, and entertainment qualify for reimbursement under this regulation.”
The investigative report states that Administrator of Elections Gabe Krahn — who was not part of the reimbursements questioned by the Comptroller’s Office — told auditors that she was under the belief that Election Commission employees could spend “any amount for travel expenses if the total travel expenses for the fiscal year were less than the authorized amounts in their county travel budget.”
According to minutes from a meeting of the Election Commission in October 2005, the late Richard Smith — then the chairman of the Election Commission — “advised board members present that reservations to include meals for spouses would be paid for by the county for seminars attended by board members.” A motion to approve that matter passed by an unanimous vote.
In her response to the auditors’ report, Scott County Finance Director Ginger Reynolds indicated that confusion stemmed from “conflicting information,” and told the Comptroller’s Office that she had requested that County Commission remove a line from its official Travel Policy to clear up that conflict.
“All employees’ travel reimbursements are verified by the Travel Policy,” Reynolds wrote in her response.
TCAT to add welding program for jail inmates
HUNTSVILLE | Tennessee College of Applied Technology Oneida/Huntsville and the Scott County Sheriff’s Department announced a collaborative effort Monday that will see inmates at the Scott County Jail provided opportunities to become certified welders upon their release from the facility.
TCAT will implement a new night welding program in January 2026, and up to 10 inmates from the Scott County Jail will be enrolled in the program. The program will be located on TCAT Oneida/Huntsville’s main campus in Huntsville, which is located only half a mile from the jail. The instructor will be Chris Chambers, the college’s long-time day welding instructor who has produced multiple national champions in SkillsUSA competitions and who is highly regarded within the industry.
A certified corrections officer employed by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office will be on-site at all times. Because the class is being offered at night, no other students will be present in the welding shop while inmates are present. Inmates chosen for the program will be among those who have received trustee status at the jail, meaning they have demonstrated good behavior while being housed at the facility.
The class will meet three nights each week. Inmates who participate in the program will be eligible to receive the same credentials as full-time students, meaning they can earn certifications as shielded metal arc welder, gas metal arc welder, and gas tungsten arc welder. Upon their release from custody, students participating in the program will be provided an opportunity to complete the 1,296-hour program and receive their welding diploma. TCAT will also work with students to obtain job placement once they’ve finished the program.
“We are proud to partner with TCAT Oneida/Huntsville and President Murphy to provide opportunities for our inmates to work towards improving themselves and completing their goals,” said Capt. Amy Lay, Scott County Jail Administrator. “This program will give these individuals the tools they need to return to the community with purpose, confidence, and the skills to build a better future.”
“We are grateful to Sheriff Brian Keeton and Captain Amy Lay for their leadership and for making this partnership possible,” said TCAT Oneida/Huntsville President Dwight Murphy. “By working together, we’re giving inmates a chance to build a new path forward. The opportunity to work toward a welding certification can make a tremendous difference when they re-enter the workforce.”
Tim Smith, TCAT Oneida/Huntsville Vice President, said the program will be beneficial to the community in two ways.
“This program is an investment in people and in our community,” Smith said. “By reducing recidivism through education and training, we not only have an opportunity to reduce the burden on law enforcement, but we have a chance to strengthen the entire region’s workforce by providing much-needed skilled workers to the community.”
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The Weekend
🌤️ Weather: We’ll see partly to mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low to mid 40s for much of the weekend, then a slight chance of rain on Sunday. There’s a 40% chance of snow Sunday night, with temperatures dropping into the upper 20s. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page — published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot.
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📅 Community Calendar
• Friday: Oneida basketball will travel to Oliver Springs (6:30 p.m.) and Scott High will travel to Northview Academy (6 p.m.). The Oneida/Oz game will be broadcast live on the IH Sports Network, with the Rogers Group Pregame Report beginning at 6 p.m.
• Saturday: Second Saturday night service will be held at Jake’s Branch United Baptist Church at 6 p.m. For more information, see our Church Directory at indherald.com.
• 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. CGUD’s pipelines reliably distribute natural gas to customers across the service area in Scott and Morgan counties. Visit citizensgastn.com.
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📢 Programming Note: Watch for our weekly E-Edition Friday morning! 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.
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◼️ 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)