Smithville Presented $25,000 Dog Park Grant

September 13, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A representative of the Boyd Foundation met with local leaders and dog lovers Friday morning at city hall to make the formal presentation of a $25,000 Dog Park Dash grant to Smithville for the development of a dog park.

Randy Boyd, the founder of the Foundation, had planned to be here for the occasion but was unable to make it. Grant Coordinator Harrison Forbes made the presentation on behalf of Boyd.

Smithville was among more than two dozen communities across Tennessee awarded grants this year totaling $900,000 for dog parks.

Plans are for the dog park to be located on property owned by the City of Smithville near the animal shelter behind Tenneco Automotive.

“I am excited. This is something I have been wanting us to have for a long time. I had actually looked at a dog park in Knoxville and found out that Randy and Jenny Boyd of the Boyd Foundation provided the funding for that one through the Tennessee Dog Park Dash program so in the spring I applied for funding through this Foundation to build a dog park here in our community” said Alderman Gayla Hendrix.

After a long-standing relationship with PetSafe® on its Bark for Your Park program, an initiative that awards dog parks to communities around the country through a grant system, a new partnership was formed with The Boyd Foundation to bring the same goal a little closer to home.

The program, called Tennessee Dog Park Dash, is a multi-year commitment toward making Tennessee the most pet-friendly state in America. Through the program, The Boyd Foundation makes a $1 million annual donation for building and enhancement of dog parks in communities across the state.

The Boyd Foundation is guided by Randy Boyd, alongside his wife, Jenny.

“The Dog Park Dash grant program was an initiative started by the Boyds. It is part of the Boyd Foundation. Randy and Jenny own a company called Radio Systems, based in Knoxville which is one of the largest Pet product companies in the world. They sell about 5,000 pet products all over the globe. They had built a dog park about 10 years ago and it turned out to be a huge success so they started a national campaign program with Radio Systems, a nationwide contest called Bark for your Park. It was great and a lot of cities were winning but none in Tennessee so Randy and Jenny decided with the Boyd Foundation to concentrate on Tennessee and the initiative is to build 100 dog parks across the state through the grant program where communities can compete for it. For Smithville, it wasn’t just a gift. They competed against a lot of cities. Its based a lot on how much the community is engaged and wants it. There are a lot of factors that go into picking the winner. Its been great this year seeing all the winners across the state in the different sized communities and Smithville is one of those. We’re really excited and look forward to coming back to be part of the ribbon cutting and opening of the new dog park in Smithville,” said Forbes.

Now that the grant has been awarded, Alderman Hendrix said the next step is to create a design for the park.

“A basic park is divided into two sections, an area for smaller animals usually under 30 pounds and an area for larger animals so they will all be in the same enclosed area but divided by a fence. We need a water source so there can be a water fountain for the pet owners and the dogs as well as shade trees, benches, and maybe some agility equipment for the dogs to play on  such as jumping over hurdles, digging in sand pits and things like that. There are lots of different ways for the park to be designed. I have already started looking at ideas on the Internet. So that is the next process, to look at designs and decide what we want to do and how we want our dog park to be laid out. Once we design it and develop our budget, we can get started and then once its built the city will have to maintain it,” said Hendrix.

Before it opens, rules will be established for the dog park. “There will be a list of rules that will be posted. The owners must stay with their dogs at all times while in the park. The dogs must be on a leash when they are brought in and when they are taken out. Once you’re in the park designated for your  pet, you may unleash your dogs and play with them,” she said.

Joining Forbes for the grant award presentation Friday morning at city hall were Margie Atnip, Alyssa Patterson, DeKalb Animal Coalition Shelter Director Megan Moore, Mayor Josh Miller, City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson, Alderman Gayla Hendrix, Abi Hendrix Wilbur, Emmaly Bennett, and Laura Parsley along with a few furry friends.

September 13, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Afternoon traffic flow is smoother these days at Smithville Elementary School during student pickup time now that changes have been implemented in the way automobiles are allowed to move in and out of the school zone.

With more parents transporting their children to school, congestion had become a problem especially in the afternoons with longer lines of cars and school buses in the pickup lane.

A couple of weeks ago Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins and Director of Schools Patrick Cripps came up with an alternative to help solve the problem.

All cars now line up in the right hand lane of East Bryant Street to enter Smithville Elementary School. Cars picking up K-2 students now enter on Walker Drive and those picking up Pre-K students enter in the front of the school between the SES sign and City Walk Apartments forming two lines that alternate the pickup of students. Anyone picking up children including pre-kindergarten students now exit the school via Walker Drive.

During Thursday night’s monthly Board of Education meeting, Director of Schools Cripps said the new plan seems to be working well.

“We seem to have more people bringing kids to school these days. I want to thank the parents at Smithville Elementary School. We have reorganized the traffic flow. I want to do a shout out to Chief Collins and his officers and the district’s patrol officer Joey Reeder for going out and directing traffic. It is a work in progress but I think it has helped somewhat. I want to thank our parents for being patient in helping us with this venture,” said Director Cripps

Parents are asked to not go into the building at Smithville Elementary to pick up their child after 2:15 p.m. From 2:20 to 3:00 p.m. the school buses have the right of way on East Bryant Street.

“There may be days that the Smithville Police Department cannot be there to direct traffic but these guidelines are still expected to be followed. The safety of the children is of the utmost importance. Thank you for your patience and help during this time,” said Director Cripps.

September 13, 2019
By: Bill Conger

DeKalb West School announces the Students of the Month for September.  Named to the distinction are Savannah Stanley, Kindergarten; Kayla Sebolt, 1^st grade; Bo Hale, 2^nd grade; Ezzy Moore, 3^rd grade; Autumn Crook, 4^th grade; Hunter Ballew, 5^th grade; Hailey Crotzer, 6^th grade; Daniel Stiffler, 7^th grade, and Gavin Cooper, 8^th grade.  Teachers choose students for Student of the Month honors based on their academic ability, character, and other traits that make them an excellent student.

Pictured Back Row (left to right): Assistant Principal Joey Agee, Hailey Crotzer, Gavin Cooper, Daniel Stiffler, Hunter Ballew, and Principal Sabrina Farler

Pictured Front Row (left to right): Kayla Sebolt, Savannah Stanley, Bo Hale, and Ezzy Moore

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