Oath of Office Ceremony for Newly Elected County Officials Set for August 16

August 7, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

All those elected to county wide and district offices in the DeKalb County General Election who can attend are to receive their oath of office in a ceremony scheduled for Friday, August 16 at 6 p.m. in the county complex auditorium.

County Mayor Matt Adcock will administer the oath. If you have questions, contact County Mayor Adcock.

The ceremony will be specifically for the following public officials who were elected or re-elected last Thursday, August 1:

Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell.

Board of Education (5th District) Megan Moore

Board of Education (6th District) Jason Miller.

Constables as follows:

First District: Tyler Cripps

Second District: Danny Adamson

Third District: Travis Bryant

Fourth District: Lane Ball

Fifth District: Mark Milam

Sixth District: Keith Elkins

Seventh District: Jeremy Neal

County Commission: (6th District-Unexpired Term) Andy Pack

County Commission (7th District-Unexpired Term) Mathias Anderson

The terms for each of these offices begins September 1, 2024

August 7, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

New Tennis and Pickleball Courts?

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the Smithville Aldermen adopted a resolution in support of the city’s application for a $750,000 BlueCross BlueShield Healthy Place Grant to develop up to six new tennis courts and seven pickleball courts on underutilized areas of the golf course.

“This is a $750,000 grant with no local match,” said Mayor Josh Miller. “I have applied every year since I have been mayor but I have not been able to get it. We are talking about changing the scope of the work this time for six tennis courts and about seven pickleball courts,” he said.

The project is contingent upon the city getting the grant.

Four years ago, the city applied for a BlueCross BlueShield Healthy Place Grant to fund a new playground at Greenbrook Park, but it was not approved.

BlueCross BlueShield Healthy Place Grant provides funding to support the development of outdoor recreational spaces that encourage physical activity and community engagement.

August 7, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Smithville Elementary School has undergone a few cosmetic changes.

Principal Anita Puckett said visitors to the school will notice new signage, window clings, a sensory hallway for students, and the sphere bollards (security barriers) out front of the building which were recently given a new colorful look. The work was done over the summer.

Recognizing that the school lacked proper signage, Puckett said she wanted to make some changes to better identify the school and direct visitors into the campus.

“Especially if you are not from Smithville, once you drove onto the campus you really didn’t know which building you were at because there was nothing in front of our vestibule that identified us as Smithville Elementary School,” said Principal Puckett. “We also have two entrances including one which is the pre-K car line and the other which is the main entrance but there was nothing to identify where to go,” she said. “I contacted Chris and Kristy Williams. She is a teacher here and Chris, her husband works for a sign company and has his own shop. Within two weeks they had created the metal main entrance and Smithville Elementary School signs, and we appreciate that so much,” said Puckett.

SES will also soon be getting a new digital marquee sign out front.

To perhaps add a layer of security, Principal Puckett said window clings have been added to the vestibule at the entrance which display the SES wildcat mascot and paws along with the greeting “Where Your Journey Begins”. “We already had the vestibule, but this is another layer of protection,” said Puckett. “I reached out to Matt Holmes at Tennessee Fleet and asked him to check out our windows. When I was at DeKalb Middle School a few years ago, he did the windows and doors there. Here I just wanted primarily the windows done and he offered a bid,” she said.

Out front of the building, the two sphere bollards have a new eye-catching appeal thanks to Principal Puckett and her husband Jimmy.

“I had a vision to do puzzle piece balls, one representing autism and another with primary colors that are bright and vibrant to make it look more like a welcoming campus,” said Puckett. “My husband and I worked very diligently hand stenciling all the puzzle pieces and then we hand painted them,” she said.

Another Puckett vision fulfilled is the new sensory hallway at the school especially for students perhaps experiencing dysregulated behavior and emotional regulation. The hallway floor now features markings for activities like hopscotch with unique names for each section including Sunny Valley, Lava Leaps and Dinosaur Cove.

“This is especially for children who are very upset with high emotions who perhaps can’t express what is wrong with them. They can come into the sensory hallway and do-little activities to help them regulate without affecting the other classrooms. I want to thank Darlene Evans for all her hours of dedication in making this a reality,” said Principal Puckett.

“Thanks to everyone who supported me in making these changes to improve the school especially Director Patrick Cripps,” Puckett concluded.

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