The former Solid Rock RV Park on the grounds of Covenant Life Church in Norris sits empty now after the remaining rec- reational vehicles were removed under a federal court order in late May. The church will not be allowed to reopen the park as the result of a settlement of its lawsuit with the city of Norris last week. - G. Chambers Williams III
Covenant Life Church has agreed to settle its federal court case versus the city of Norris by accepting a permanent injunction that closed the church’s unauthorized recreational-vehicle park, and must pay all court costs associated with the lawsuit.
During a special called meeting last Wednesday evening, the Norris City Council approved a one-page document formally settling the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville last year by the city seeking to shut down the so-called Solid Rock RV Park.
The church opened the RV park, with spaces for up to 16 vehicles, in 2019, without first getting a required zoning change, Planning Commission approval, and building permits from the city for the facility.
Last week’s “memorandum of understanding” settling the case was approved unanimously by the council, and then signed by both City Manager Charles A. Ledford and the legal representative for Covenant Life International, Inc., the owner of the church.
City Council members met in private with the city’s attorneys at the start of the Sept. 9 regular council meeting to discuss the ongoing lawsuit, and later in the meeting agreed to set a special meeting for Sept. 25 to act on the advice it received from its attorneys during the private meeting.
It was that advice that led the council to approve the memorandum that effectively ends the lawsuit and prevents the church from operating a campground/RV park on its campus in Norris.
Odis Phillips, who lives on New River Highway, showed off this water, which he said is the well water his family uses. He advocated for the county to im- prove water quality in his area. - Ben Pounds
A small New River area with five permanent residents and two churches has cloudy and reportedly infected well water.
The Anderson County Commission is discussing how to solve the problem.
At the September meeting, the commissioners passed around a clouded bottle of water that resident Odis Phillips said came from his well. He said no utility has ever extended a water line onto his property, which is on New River Highway.
Commissioner Shain Vowell proposed talking to the Budget Committee about using American Rescue Plan Funds “for any type of assistance that we may be able to use for the water issues in the New River community.”
County Finance Department Director Robert Holbrook agreed.
The Budget Committee will meet at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse.
If the Budget Committee approves any measure to solve the issue, that proposal will go to the full commission.
For now, though, the cloudy well water remains the community’s only water supply.
Phillips said the area with poor water includes himself and his wife and, in another house, his granddaughter, her husband and three children. Phillips said there also are two churches in the area, one with the same bad water and another with no water at all.
Comments from an Oak Ridge resident spurred the Anderson County Commission to discuss the future of its citizen comment period.
No vote on changes took place at the Sept. 16 meeting.
However, Commissioner Joshua Anderson suggested bringing the topic before the commission’s Rules Committee.
Annette Prewitt, Anderson County clerk, said the Rules Committee meeting will take place Nov. 14.
Oak Ridge resident Nathan Mullins spoke during the time for citizen comments, disputing the Republican primary election of Rick Scarbrough for District 33.
Scarbrough was at the meeting to discuss roads, but did not speak about the election.
Mullins also touched on the issue of library books he says he considers inappropriate, a cause he has spoken about during several commission meetings in a row, although the board has taken no votes on that issue recently.
Mullins blamed both issues on the Democratic candidate for that seat, Ann Backus, accusing her of helping Democrats fake voting forms by posing as Republicans and voting for Scarbrough.
Voters, however, do not need to be registered to a particular party to vote in its primary.
“I’ve been a prophet crying in the wilderness exhorting you to take back your children from the High Priest Ann Backus and her leftist sex cult converts pushing gay sex-ed books into your libraries,” Mullins said.
Anderson County Board of Education members Darren Carden, Sherri Beaty and Don Bell, along with Director of Schools Tim Parrott, get ready for a work session. - Ben Pounds
At its coming meeting, the Anderson County Board of Education will vote on special art, physical education, and Americans with Disabilities Act-related fund allocations for schools across the system.
The meeting will be on Thursday Oct. 3 on the top floor of the Robert Jolley building at 101 South Main Street in Clinton.
Other allocations in the group include mulch for playgrounds and teacher supplies.
The total amount of those allocations will be $749,627. They will come out of the school system’s regular budget.
However, they don’t come with many strings attached.
This fund is recurring, and schools get funding based on enrollment.
“All of those go directly out to the schools and the schools decide what to use that for,” Director of Schools Tim Parrott told The Courier News after a work session Monday, Sept. 30.
“I’m glad the board does that and allows the funds to flow out to the schools.”
He said this is the first year the school system is including physical education supplies.
At the meeting, the board will also hear from Briceville Elementary School special education teacher Rhonda Phillips regarding the school system teachers’ Professional Educators Collaborative Conferencing Act petition. It allows employees to negotiate requests involving things like benefits and pay with the Anderson County Schools.
The board will also vote on whether to appropriate or transfer funds to preschool.
Policies up for second reading involve the school system’s emergency preparedness plan, student transportation management, student admissions and student health services.
A forum for candidates for Tennessee state Senate and House of Representatives representing Oak Ridge will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, at Roane State Community College.
“Oak Ridgers are cordially invited to attend these forums where candidates will make opening and closing statements and answer questions from the audience,” a news release from the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge said.
With the recent passing of Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager, county officials are looking for a qualified attorney to fill that position.
Members of the Anderson County Legal Services Advisory Committee have been meeting regularly since early August to discuss the process for moving forward.
In the meantime, the committee and the Anderson County Commission selected former Chancellor James “Jamie” Brooks to serve as special legal counsel for 90 days, beginning Sept. 1.
Last week, the Legal Services Advisory Committee reviewed and approved the job posting for the position of law director. The position will be posted in a variety of public and professional publications and websites for the next 30 days, and Anderson County is now accepting applications from qualified attorneys. For more information, visit Anderson County Government’s website at andersoncountytn.gov/humanresources/currentjobopenings/ .
As of now, the Legal Services Advisory Committee plans to review qualified applications during a meeting that’s set for 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 28, in Room 118A at the courthouse.
Interviews will be conducted in early November. If the committee makes a hiring decision before mid-November, the suggested candidate could be presented to the County Commission that month for approval, and if approved, the suggested candidate could begin work in early December.
If committee members think they need more time to make a referral to the commission, the suggested candidate could begin work in early January.
Yeager was named Anderson County law director nearly 23 years ago. He passed away unexpectedly on July 26.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has again awarded United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) with the Department’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) “Star of Excellence.” The award recognizes UCOR’s commitment to keeping our workers safe as they do high-hazard work.
UCOR’s strong safety culture delivers injury and illness rates that are at least 75% lower than the industry average. UCOR is a multi-year repeat winner of the Star of Excellence. At the event the Voluntary Protection Program Participants’ Association also presented UCOR with its “Safety Innovation Award.” “This is the fifth consecutive year UCOR has won this award,” said Chief Safety and Security Officer Clint Wolfley.
“The award recognized our enhanced fall protection program, where employee input supported a new written, three-step hazard/risk analysis and planning process.”
