The Anderson County Commission is encouraging the Anderson County Water Authority to pursue state or federal funding for a new water well in the Rosedale community, located in the county’s New River area.
Commissioner Michael Foster made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Chad McNabb, to support ACWA’s efforts. The motion passed unanimously during the commission’s meeting Jan. 20.
The Rosedale community is named after the former Rosedale Elementary School, which once served the area.
“These are hard-working people,” Commissioner Tim Isbel said of the residents. “They don’t have anything. They don’t have the necessities of life like clean water.”
Commissioner Shain Vowell, who represents the area, said residents would appreciate knowing that the entire commission supports the effort.
“I think it would mean a lot to the people over there,” he said.
The Anderson County Commission has voted to ban roadside soliciting for money in unincorporated areas of the county.
The measure passed by voice vote during the commission’s meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, with only one “no” vote, from Commissioner Jerry White.
Commissioner Chad McNabb made the motion, and Commissioner Michael Foster seconded it.
“We’re one of the few places that still allow this,” McNabb said. “I really think this is a safety issue. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from the community. It’s overwhelming that they don’t want it anymore.”
Foster noted the ban will apply only to unincorporated areas of the county. Rocky Top will still be allowed to permit this type of activity, which is approved by the City Council.
Discussion during the Operations Committee meeting, which recommended the measure to the full commission, focused on the intersection of Edgemoor Road and U.S. 25W in the Claxton community.
“We’ve had a major problem at Edgemoor Road for some time,” McNabb said.
The Anderson County Commission unanimously passed a resolution asking the Anderson County Water Authority to develop a system that will handle customers’ sewer complaints more quickly.
The resolution asks the ACWA to establish a contact system for customers to make complaints about sewers and for the ACWA to address them.
County Commissioner Tim Isbel made the motion, and Commissioner Chad McNabb seconded. It passed unanimously at the commission’s Jan. 20 meeting.
The item came from the commission’s Operations Committee.
McNabb, who is on that committee, said customers in Mountain View Park had been complaining about sewer smells in their area “for quite some time.”
A new system for receiving complaints, he said, would make it easier for customers to get faster responses.
McNabb said the commission did not, however, have much oversight concerning ACWA, and that the suggestion was general for that reason.
A few ducks brave the cold to hang out in a snowy field last weekend at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris. - Museum of Appalachia
After teasing us with the threat of a major winter storm the previous weekend, Mother Nature came back to town this past weekend for real, bringing as much as five inches of fresh, white snow to some areas of Anderson County.
Across Clinton, snow began falling mid-afternoon on Friday, and by Saturday morning, there were two or three inches of the white stuff on the ground. In some areas, including parts of Norris, Rocky Top and Andersonville, some people reported that it had reached the five-inch mark.
Road crews seemed slower to respond than they did the previous Saturday, when most of Clinton, Norris, Andersonville and the surrounding county areas got not much more than a dusting of snow, and little to no ice – sparing us from the terrible onslaught of ice that Middle Tennessee and Nashville suffered.
This past weekend, area residents woke up to bitter cold Saturday, Sunday and Monday – with the Monday morning temperature hovering at 4 degrees just after daybreak.
But the sun broke out Sunday and helped melt away much of the snow, even though the temperatures remained just below freezing.
• Jan. 13 — a Clinton man reported a burglary from a motor vehicle on Baxter Avenue. The case remains active.
• Jan. 14 — Police responded to a vandalism and assault call at a Frank’s Mobile Home Park address. The incident was cleared by arrest.
• Jan. 15 — A South Clinton business near the 500 block of Clinch Avenue reported theft of property. No suspects were named. The case remains active.
• Jan. 16 — A West Broad Street resident reported a fraud and scam involving theft of property by false pretenses. A subject has been named and the investigation is active.
• Jan. 17 — Police investigated a motor vehicle theft reported at a residence on Forrest Avenue. The case remains active.
• Jan. 18 — Officers responded to a call on Fowler Street that resulted in an arrest for violation of an order of protection.
• Jan. 18 — A theft of property involving a stolen or lost firearm was reported at a Woodmont Circle residence. The case remains active.
At the County Commission’s Operations Committee meeting, Commissioner Shain Vowell, right, proposed sending a resolution to the Tennesse General Assembly requesting a mental health facility in the Anderson County area. Stephen Verran, left, made the motion and Ebony Capshaw seconded. The three of them are shown here at the Jan. 20 County Commission meeting, during which the full commission approved having Anderson County Law Director James Brooks draft the resolution. - Ben Pounds
The Anderson County Commission plans to send a resolution to the Tennessee General Assembly requesting the construction of a mental health facility in the county.
The commission approved the measure in a unanimous voice vote during its meeting Saturday, Jan. 20. Commissioner Robert McKamey made the motion, which was seconded by Commissioner Chad McNabb.
Commissioner Tim Isbel said Anderson County Law Director James Brooks will draft the resolution, which will be sent to the area’s state legislators.
Isbel also said the county might work with neighboring Knox County, which could benefit from such a facility as well.
Commissioner Sabra Beauchamp, a member of the Budget Committee, said the county jail has effectively become the county’s mental health facility.
“We don’t have a lot of areas to send them,” she said of individuals with mental health issues.
“Where we do send them, they keep them for a few days and send them back,” Beauchamp said.
“It’s a revolving door.”
The idea originated from the commission’s Operations Committee, where Commissioner Shain Vowell proposed it.
Commissioner Stephen Verran made the motion, and Commissioner Ebony Capshaw seconded it.
