8th grader Brayden Antoniak is this year’s winner of the DeKalb West School Junior Beta service award. He earned the most service hours of any club member with 127.25 from the summer of 2017 to May 5, 2018. Members need only a minimum of three service hours each semester to remain in good standing with the club, and five hours a semester helps qualify students to attend the state convention and spring field trip.

“I want to help around the community and make a difference in my life and everybody else’s life around me,” Antoniak said. It makes me feel better about myself, not that I’m trying to be cocky.

Last summer Brayden helped out on a mission trip to South DaKota. During the year, he has read to students in Mrs. Susan West’s first grade room, participated in church leaf-raking day for the elderly, and church camp at Salem Baptist Church.

His proud parents, 6th grade teacher Jessica Antoniak and Sean Antoniak, have helped instill a strong sense of citizenship in their son.

“We have just tried to teach him to appreciate what he has and understand that there are many less fortunate,” his parents tell Bulldog Tracks. “He knows that it is very important to give to others and the community. We want him to see that there are always opportunities, be they large or small, to help or serve others.

Antoniak is a quiet leader. His actions say more than the words coming from his mouth, earning him the respect of peers and teachers alike.

“Brayden Antoniak is an EXCELLENT student–best of the best,” says 8th grade teacher Karen France. “He works hard each and every day. It is a pleasure having him in class. Brayden is definitely a team player. He works with anyone he is grouped with. He leads by example and is respectful to those around him.”

“His diligence and dedication are evident in his academics,” his parents said. “When a challenge arises, his unwavering persistence sees him through until the resolution. He enjoys sharing knowledge and information with others. He is very kind hearted and tries to see the best in everyone and everything.”

Alexandria Senior Center Director, Sandy Brown, has announced the receipt of funding for DeKalb County residents through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP).

Program funds are used to provide food, in the form of served meals or groceries, lodging in a mass shelter or hotel, one month’s rent or mortgage payment, and/or one month’s utility bill.

The original authorizing legislation, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77), signed into law on July 24, 1987, specifies “sensitivity to the transition from temporary shelter to permanent homes and attention to the specialized needs of homeless individuals with mental and physical disabilities and illness and to facilitate access for homeless individuals to other sources of services and benefits.”

Also in accordance with the legislation, the EFSP National Board encourages Local Boards, the decision-making local bodies, to place special emphasis on identification of, and assistance to, the elderly, families with children, Native Americans and Veterans.

For more information, or to apply for assistance, call the Alexandria Senior Center Director, Sandy Brown, at 615-529-2928. If you know of someone who might benefit from this program, please call! Referrals are always welcome.

Anyone interested in a proposal to improve Highway 56 from State Route 287 in the Green Hill area of Warren County to East Bryant Street in Smithville is invited to a Design Public Meeting hosted by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW TDOT MAP OF HIGHWAY 56 CORRIDOR)

TDOT Plan for Highway 56.pdf

The meeting will be held on Thursday, May 24 from 5-7 p.m. at the DeKalb County Complex at 712 South Congress Boulevard in Smithville to share information and to answer questions about the nine mile project corridor which will be done in three construction segments.

Project plans will be presented for State Route 56 from south of the Warren County line to near Magness Road and for State Route 56 from south of State Route 288 near Magness Road to East Bryant Street in Smithville. A preliminary project display will be presented for the portion of the project on State Route 56 from near State Route 287 in Warren County to near the DeKalb County Line.

The proposed cross sections for the project are as follows:

*From south of State Route 287 to north of Bessie Gribble Road-two 12-foot travel lanes with a 12-foot continuous center turn lane, four-foot shoulders and ditches.

* From north of Bessie Gribble Road to Vaughn Lane-two 12-foot travel lanes with 12-foot shoulders and ditches. There will be left turn lanes at intersecting roadways.

*From Vaughn Lane to north of Morgan Branch-two 12-foot travel lanes with a 12-foot continuous center turn lane, 12-foot shoulders and ditches.

*From north of Morgan Branch to East Bryant Street- four 12-foot travel lanes with a 12-foot continuous center turn lane, four foot shoulders, two-foot curb and gutter, a sidewalk within a 10 foot utility strip on either side.

The meeting will include a presentation followed by a question and answer session. The public is invited to ask questions and make comments during the meeting. Representatives of TDOT will be present to answer questions on any aspect of the project.

Plans are available for public inspection at the offices of:
Robert Rodgers
7512 Volkswagen Drive
Chattanooga, TN 37416
Phone 423-510-1138

or Fredrick Miller
505 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN. 37243
Phone 615-741-0835

The meeting will also request public input on the environmental document. Anyone with questions regarding the environmental document should contact:
Ms. Sharon Sanders
Environmental Division
James K. Polk Building 9th Floor
505 Deaderick, Nashville, TN 37243
Phone 615-741-3655 or email Sharon Sanders@tn.gov