Tourism Business in DeKalb County Continues to Increase

August 29, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Tourism is big business in DeKalb County and getting bigger.

Suzanne Williams, Director of the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce addressed the County Commission Monday night with some good economic news.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, DeKalb County’s tourism dollars increased by 3.16% from the previous year to $49.54 million. That’s up about $1.5 million. DeKalb County generated the third highest amount of tourism dollars in the 14-county Upper Cumberland region behind Putnam and Cumberland Counties.

The report’s findings also show tourism’s value to DeKalb County taxpayers. Travel in DeKalb County generated 330 jobs and about $11 million in tourism payroll, $2,880,000 in state dollars, and $6,440,000 in new local tax dollars in 2018. Without tourism, each DeKalb County household would have to pay an additional $885 in local taxes and $400 in state taxes each year. Those tax dollars support education, health and human services, public safety, business and economic development.

“Tourism dollars are vitally important to DeKalb County’s economy. We are so fortunate to have Center Hill Lake, Edgar Evins State Park, Appalachian Center for Craft, and our many diverse businesses that fuel our tourism revenues including our annual events such as the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival, DeKalb County Fair, Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour, and other local music and art events. Our small-town charm, friendly people, and scenic beauty make DeKalb County a desirable place to live, work, play, and raise a family and all these factors keep our visitors coming back year after year,” said Williams.

As Tennessee’s No. 2 industry, tourism has had another exceptional year, continuing to break visitation records and exceed economic impact numbers year over year. Tennessee’s skyrocketing growth is due in great part to key tourism partners throughout the state who invest in new attractions, groundbreaking expansions and important improvements. Those partnerships and efforts are reflected in our Annual Report and Economic Impact reports.

Tennessee saw 119 million domestic visitors in 2018, up 5.1 percent from 113 million the previous year and hit a record-high $2.2 billion in domestic and international travel spending. Travelers in Tennessee spend an estimated $60 million per day. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Mark Ezell made the announcement at the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Tennessee’s growth is outpacing the nation in all areas of travel; including tax revenue, expenditures, payroll and employment. “From our thriving cities to our beautiful rural landscapes and everything in between, Tennessee has solidified its place as a leader in tourism across the country,” Governor Lee said. “Our booming tourism sector is outpacing the nation in every category.”

“Tennessee’s diverse cities and small towns offer quality tourism products and remarkable brands that drive visitation,” said Commissioner Mark Ezell. “We would not have these numbers if it weren’t for renovations, capital investments and passion shown by tourism partners across the state. The record-breaking millions who come here discover the music, history and culture, family experiences and scenic beauty that make Tennessee ‘The Soundtrack of America.

In response to Governor Lee’s first executive order to better serve rural Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development received state budget funding to create the Office of Rural Tourism and Outreach, led by Assistant Commissioner Melanie Beauchamp. The new office will provide outreach and resources specifically to help at-risk and distressed counties.

The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development works with the Tennessee Tourism Committee, local convention and visitors’ bureaus, chambers of commerce, city and county leaders, tourism attractions and the hospitality industry in all 95 counties to help bring travelers to the state.

August 29, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Within minutes after receiving a 911 call, emergency responders will spring into action this morning (Thursday) enroute to the scene of a tornado touchdown on King Ridge Road near the DeKalb County Main Fire Station and at Green Brook Park. It won’t be real but the exercise will give all agencies involved a chance to test their readiness in the event of an actual disaster.

Central Dispatch will issue the following statement at 10 a.m. today (Thursday):

“As part of the disaster exercise a tornado warning has been issued for DeKalb County until 10:30 am”

Five minutes later, a call will be made to advise Central Dispatch of a touchdown on King Ridge Road near the County fire station.

“As part of the disaster exercise, we will simulate a tornado touchdown by the DeKalb County Fire station on King Ridge Road with several injured people in the parking lot. Per protocol Central Dispatch will send out an all call page to notify all emergency responders and to request their assistance in gaining access to the area and also to look for victims. Upon arrival responding personnel will survey the scene for safety hazards, and attempt to locate and identify victims. Responders may be requested to help locate patients or assist in moving them to a safe area for transport,” said Charlie Parker, Coordinator of the DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency.

A second call will be dispatched at 10:15 a.m. alerting agencies of another touchdown at Green Brook Park.

“As part of the disaster exercise, we will simulate a tornado touchdown at Green Brook Park by the NHC Health Care Center on Fisher Avenue with trees and power lines down along with several injured people around the park. Central Dispatch will alert emergency responders,” said Parker.

“This is just an exercise so we will not be running emergency traffic responding to the scene. They may turn their warning lights on when they arrive for scene safety but we will not be running any emergency traffic during the exercise,” Parker continued.

“What we’re looking at is how well we do our job. We have to do a disaster exercise annually. One of the primary reasons for this is for the hospital to get their joint commission accreditation but we also do it locally to practice certain protocols of our emergency responders and other agencies,” said Parker.

“Today we will be simulating a tornado event. We try to keep it realistic as far as things that might actually happen in our area. We have had several tornadoes here within the last few years,” he said.

Exercises such as these, organized by the DeKalb County Local Emergency Planning Committee, provide not only enhanced training for the local agencies and organizations involved but help provide a sense of coordination that can only be achieved by practicing a scenario on a larger scale.

“We have practiced different things in the past from staging hazardous materials incidents, bus wrecks, and even a plane crash. It allows us to see how well our agencies work together and communicate with each other during times of crisis including law enforcement, fire departments, rescue, EMS, and 911 Central Dispatch. After the exercise we review our plans and look at ways we can improve to make things work better if we should have something happen in real life,” Parker continued.

The injured and deceased in the drill will be treated and evacuated from the scenes and transported to the hospital where staff there will test their readiness in handling a patient surge of this kind.

Parker said today would also be a good time for industries, businesses, and others to put their emergency plans of action into practice in conjunction with this exercise.

“I would encourage each agency to enact their current response plans as if this were an actual disaster and practice the amount of time it takes to notify and or relocate people in your facility of an approaching tornado,” Parker said.

The following are some questions business and industry owners should ask themselves in the event of a tornado warning:

1. At your location do you have a reliable way (or multiple ways) to be notified of tornado watches or warnings during normal hours?
2. What about after normal business hours such as second or third shifts?
3. How long does it take to notify employees and move them to a secure place?
4. What if there were a loss of power? Are there back up notifications?

The following are some other concerns to keep in mind if the electricity is out:

1. Do you have the ability to continue to function?
2. Can you communicate internally in your agency or location?
3. Can you communicate with the outside world?
4. Could you call for help by means and in multiple ways other than a regular phone?
5. Can you account for everyone at you facility?
6. What If your facility were impacted by the tornado?
7.Could you offer assistance to the community? How? How can you communicate this?
8.Would you have multiple ways to make outside contact during or after a tornado if your normal phone line was down? Examples such as portable radios, cell phone, text, or other means of communication. (Do you have the correct contact information, backup generators, batteries?)

The purpose of the Local Emergency Planning Committee is to analyze, plan, prepare, and mitigate for disasters both natural and manmade that could potentially occur in our county. The Local LEPC is comprised of the combined efforts of city and county elected officials, law enforcement, emergency management, fire departments, EMS, Rescue Squad, hospital, nursing home, utilities, business, industry, media, Red Cross, school system, churches, and civic organizations. This committee meets on a regular basis to work on plans, share information and conduct exercises to make a safer and stronger community.

August 28, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Who wouldn’t love a guy like Wilson?

Wilson, a 3-4 year old neutered lab mix, is the WJLE/DeKalb Animal Coalition featured “Pet of the Week”.

Megan Moorre with Wilson from dwayne page on Vimeo.

“Wilson is a perfect gentleman. He gets along so well with other dogs that he is the shelter ambassador. Our gauge as to how new dogs interact. He absolutely loves toys and likes to play chase with his human friends. Wilson has been patiently waiting for his new home since February. He isn’t a fan of small livestock. They seem too fun to chase but other dogs and kids are great! Wilson is looking forward to meeting you soon. Please call or visit the shelter to make his acquaintance. Phone 615-597-3647 . Our temporary shelter hours are Friday 12pm to 4pm and Saturday from 10am-12pm until we have a new employee,” said Shelter Director Megan Moore.

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