Smithville Municipal Swimming Pool to Open Soon with Restrictions due to COVID 19

June 2, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Municipal Swimming Pool may open soon but with some restrictions due to COVID 19.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the Aldermen voted 3 to 2 to open the pool once leak repairs are completed and the pool is refilled and treated with chemicals. No specific date has been set but the targeted opening is around June 15.

Aldermen Gayla Hendrix, Shawn Jacobs, and Brandon Cox voted in favor of opening the pool. Aldermen Donnie Crook and Danny Washer voted against it.

The pool usually opens on Memorial Day weekend but the city has kept it closed this year due to COVID 19 restrictions. Attracting enough certified lifeguards has also been a problem.

Pool manager Jeania Cawthorn has been seeking lifeguards for months and continues to do so. Due to the size of the pool, the city must have at least 4 certified lifeguards on duty per shift (2 shifts per day) in order to operate. With 8 certified lifeguards now in place, the pool could open but only on weekends, Friday through Sunday. Cawthorn informed the mayor and aldermen Monday night that up to 4 more potential lifeguards will be available if they complete their certification class in McMinnville this week. At least 15 lifeguards total are needed to keep the pool open 7 days a week.

The other issue keeping the pool closed is a leak problem, which is a yearly concern due to structural defects. Public Works Director Kevin Robinson said repairs are set to begin today (Tuesday) but he isn’t sure how long it will take to complete the work.

“This pool was built in 1974 and it wasn’t constructed very good especially in the corners. We found one corner leaking last year and we injected (repaired) it but over time it has become a problem again with the pool settling every year. The whole corner of the pool is torn out. When we went in there a big chunk came out of it (corner of the pool). Whether it takes a week or two weeks to repair it I don’t know,” said Robinson.

When the pool opens, social distancing guidelines will be observed and no more than 50 people at a time will be allowed in the pool area. Before being admitted, patrons must fill out a form and someone will take their temperature. Anyone age 17 and younger must have a parent or guardian with them to sign the form. Children younger than age 13 must remain in the company of a parent or guardian while at the pool.

The pool will have no chairs, picnic tables, or umbrellas this year. Anyone who wants a chair will have to bring their own. The diving board will be open but the slides will be closed. Patrons may wear masks if they wish but the lifeguards and pool staff will not be wearing masks. Rails and other surfaces will be kept sanitized and 6 foot social distancing will be practiced as much as possible. Pool restrooms will be open and concessions will be available at the pro shop.

Once the pool opens, plans are to keep it open at least part of each week from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. based upon the number of available lifeguards until school re-opens. Admission to the pool will remain at $2.00 per person.

Anyone who would like to become a certified lifeguard and work at the pool may sign up for the class in McMinnville which starts Wednesday, June 3.

“You must pay a fee of $150 up front and pass the test. The city will then reimburse your cost,” said Cawthorn.

“I would like to have at least 6 or 7 more lifeguards at the pool this year. Normally I have about 25 and I usually need that many because some have to quit early due to summer camps, vacations, and other jobs. The year since we may not be open as long I may not need as many lifeguards,” Cawthorn continued.

Report Card Day will not be observed in its usual form this year but Cawthorn said something similar may be held as a special Back to School celebration.

Swimming lessons, which are normally offered the first two weeks of the pool season, will not be available this year but water aerobic classes are planned this summer although there may be limits on enrollment due to the availability of lifeguards. Before the pool opens to the public, Cawthorn wants to set aside an hour for people of any age with disabilities to have access to the pool.

Contact Jeania at the Pro-shop at 615-597-6648 for more information or follow on facebook for the latest updates on the pool and golf course at Smithville Golf Course and Swimming Pool.

June 1, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

Four people were arrested last week for breaking into a Liberty home twice in the same day while another man has been charged in a separate case for stealing a car on Holmes Creek Road.

In the Liberty case, 38 year old Kenneth Adam Wright of Vandergriff Hollow Road, Dowelltown; 34 year old Jonathon David Thomas of Nashville Highway, Liberty; 23 year old Emma Katherine Alverson of Steeplechase Drive, Smithville; and 37 year old Samantha Bee Florida of Turkey Branch Road, Liberty are each charged with 2 counts of aggravated burglary and 1 count of theft over $1,000. Bond for each is $45,000 and they will make a court appearance on June 18.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said deputies responded to a complaint of a prowler around a residence on Old Highway 53 in Liberty and discovered the burglary upon arrival. Detectives were notified and started an investigation which revealed that the foursome had broken into the residence twice on May 29 and stole several items with a total value of $7,395 including an Xbox 360, large red craftsman tool box, record player, paint rollers, 2 trail cameras, plastic tool box, a jump box, samurai katana, DVDs, tea set, hunting blind, Holy Bible vinyl record, shop vac, solar battery charger, antique oil lamp, pots and other miscellaneous items.

Meanwhile in the car theft case, 33 year old Cory Allen Chapman of Sycamore Creek Road, Woodbury is charged with burglary and theft of property. His bond is $15,000 and he will be in court June 11.

Sheriff Ray said that on May 24 Chapman broke into and stole a 2004 Saturn Ion located on Holmes Creek Road. The car was valued at $1,300. The case was investigated by a detective of the sheriff’s department.

June 1, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

Notice of 2020 FSA County Committee Election and Local Administrative Area (LAA) Boundaries

June 1, 2020 Smithville, Tennessee; Donny Green, DeKalb-Cannon County FSA County Executive Director, announced that the nomination period for the 2020 Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee Election is underway. The nomination period continues through August 1, 2020.

“I encourage all producers to participate in the county committee election process by nominating candidates by the August 1 deadline,” said Green. “We are counting on as much participation as possible, because county committees are an important link between the farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We have seen a trend in recent years of increased nominations of minority, beginning farmers, and women producers and we hope that will continue.”

Committees apply their judgment and knowledge to make decisions on county commodity price-support loan eligibility, establishment of allotments and yields, conservation programs, disaster programs, employment and other farm program-related issues. Nationwide, there are more than 7,700 farmers and ranchers serving on FSA county committees. Committees consist of three to 11 members who are elected by eligible local producers. Member serve three-year terms.

To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the local administrative area in which the person is a candidate.

Nominees must reside in Local Administrative Area (LAA) for which they are seeking to be elected. For the 2020 Election, the DeKalb-Cannon FSA County Committee Election will conduct elections in LAA-2 (DeKalb County) and LAA-4 (Cannon County). Below is the description of the LAA’s that will be conducting elections this year:

Local Administrative Area # 2, the portions of DeKalb County described as following:

West of a line where Hwy. 146 crosses the Cannon County line following Hwy. 146 north to Hodges Rd.; thence north to Tabernacle Rd.; following a line from Tabernacle Rd. to Dry Creek Rd.; west of Dry Creek Rd. to Hwy. 70 West; north of Hwy. 70 to Hwy. 96 North (Dale Ridge Rd.); west of Hwy. 96 North to Hwy. 141 (Wolf Creek Rd.);West of Hwy. 141 to Center Hill Dam; thence following the Caney Fork River north/northwest to the Smith County line; thence south of the Smith County line; thence east of the Wilson County line to the Cannon County line; northwest of the Cannon County line back to the intersection of Hwy. 146 and the DeKalb/Cannon County line.

Local Administrative Area # 4, the portions of Cannon County described as following:

That portion of Cannon County that lies east of Highway 53 (a state highway that runs south from the DeKalb County line and north from the Coffee County Line).

Individuals may nominate themselves, or others, as a candidate. In addition, eligible candidates can be nominated by community-based and other organizations in the county where the election is being held before the close of the nomination period, especially groups representing socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. Nominations and elections are open to all eligible candidates and voters without regard to race, color, religion, nation origin, age, sex, marital status or disability. The nomination form (FSA-669A) is available at USDA Service Centers and online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/elections

Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters in LAA’s # 2 and # 4 on November 2, 2020. Completed ballots must be returned, either in person or postmarked, no later December 7, 2020. For more information about FSA county committees, visit the DeKalb/Cannon County USDA Service Center or call 615-597-8225, extension 2.

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