Workshop Participants Spend Saturday Afternoon Cleaning Tombstones at Town Cemetery (VIEW VIDEOS HERE)

October 20, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

After attending a workshop  Saturday morning at city hall on the proper techniques of cleaning tombstones, members of the Beautification and Restoration Committee of the Smithville Town Cemetery Association with the help of Girl Scout Troop 750 and others gathered there to put what they learned into practice.

The committee’s mission is to restore the cemetery to its once-beautiful state.  The  preservation workshop, led by Dr. Stacey Graham and her associates, was the first step in the campaign. Dr. Graham is a Research Professor for the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation.

(VIEW VIDEO BELOW: Dr. Stacey Graham (left) Research Professor for the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, demonstrates proper technique for cleaning tombstone at Smithville Town Cemetery Saturday)

IMG_2040 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

(VIEW VIDEO BELOW OF DR. STACEY GRAHAM)

IMG_1996 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

“Basically the workshop was divided into two parts. The first part was a presentation style and then I took questions from the audience. I went over a lot of different issues related to cemeteries and shared with them some of our experiences working with other cemeteries across the state. We talked about what you can do as far as helping preserve cemeteries when you have limited resources and  the do’s and don’ts when it comes to maintenance and cleaning.  We also discussed what some of the short and long term goals can be in terms of getting more people interested in the value of the cemetery. The second  part of the workshop and the fun part is when we got to go into the cemetery to scrub the tombstones using the  proper techniques, tools, and cleaning solutions to make them look better. Going forward the participants can now take what they have learned and spread it throughout the county teaching other people,”said Dr. Graham.

Bethel Thomas, Jr., formerly of Smithville, now of Memphis and Chairperson of the Beautification and Restoration Committee, said he would like to see the cemetery become a place where the community would want to visit more often.

(VIEW VIDEO BELOW OF BETHEL THOMAS, JR.)

IMG_1995 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

“After visiting my mom and dad’s gravesite there a few years ago and observing that the fence around the cemetery was in such awful repair, I thought how that we could do better in Smithville. We started talking about a little group of people getting together and raising awareness of the needs of the cemetery with the idea that we would restore and beautify this really special space that is right in the heart of Smithville. Anyone who has relatives buried there is a member of the association but Marsha Darrah, Jane Evins Leonard, Mary Evins Overton, and I started the restoration and beautification committee and are sort of leading the charge to raise money that will allow us to restore the cemetery to its original beauty. Hopefully over the next two or three years we will make a lot of progress and do the fence repairs, put some benches in the cemetery, maybe a walking trail, historical marker, and make it a special place where people really want to go to and hopefully increase pride in Smithville and DeKalb County,” said Thomas.

October 20, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

The City of Smithville has reached a settlement with a landowner in its efforts to acquire property for the development of a parallel taxiway at the airport.

According to Mayor Josh Miller and Airport Manager Joe Johnson, a property owner the city previously could not come to terms with, Eugene Minnear has now agreed to sell his land to the city for $40,755. Minnear had earlier been offered $35,150 (appraised value) for his property, 4.37 acres but Minnear rejected it at that time and made a counter offer of $152,950. Minnear’s property is an overgrowth area that only has an old barn on it. Two other landowners with which the city was in negotiations, Aaron Tippin and Ronnie Mack Davis had already agreed to accept the city’s initial offers; $38,025 for the Tippin property ( parts of four lots) and $1,050 for Davis’ land (part of one lot).

During the last city council meeting on Monday, October 1, the aldermen voted to have Johnson and City Attorney Vester Parsley visit with Minnear again to renew negotiations, but they also voted for the city to begin eminent domain (land condemnation) proceedings if the negotiations broke down.

Now that the city has paid for and taken ownership of all the properties involved with recorded deeds, it can now apply for a 100% federally funded grant of up to $4.6 million to pay for construction of the taxiway project.

The city had already secured grants with a 5% local match for appraisals, survey, and environmental work and to purchase the properties but in order to receive the federal grant to build the parallel taxiway, the city was required to have ownership of all the properties where it is to be located. If all the land were not acquired soon, the city might have missed deadlines for obtaining the grant and could have had to wait another year before making application.

Although Minnear would have been compensated for his property at an amount ordered by the court had the city chosen to proceed with eminent domain, Mayor Miller and Airport Manager Johnson said the city did not want to take that route and they are grateful to Mr. Minnear for his cooperation.

“We were able to get this land without going through eminent domain. Mr. Minnear met with us and was very agreeable with helping the city. We came to a good agreement giving him the maximum amount allowed under terms of the grant for land  purchase. I also want to thank the city council, city attorney, and mayor who all cooperated with me in this effort. I think Mr. Minnear is happy with the settlement and I know the city is happy,” said Johnson.

Mayor Miller said the city made the right call in renewing negotiations with Minnear instead of proceeding with eminent domain right away.

“I want to praise the city council for voting the way that they voted in the last meeting. Our airport manager Joe Johnson has done a great job. I have probably met with Joe ten times over this. I want to give a lot of credit to our city attorney Vester Parsley. I also want to thank Mr. Minnear for coming to the agreement and helping the city. I think everyone is going to prosper from this,” said Mayor Miller.

Johnson said if the city were to receive the $4.6 million federal grant there would be no local match other than 5% of the engineering costs which should not be more than $20,000 to the city. The city must now work on a design of the project to determine the actual costs.

“We have two or three more steps to go through. I have to present the plans at a Tennessee Aeronautics Commission staff review meeting followed by a power point before the TAC commission. We have to do a 30% design on the taxiway. Then we are eligible to apply for the federal grant to build the taxiway,” said Johnson.

Should the city get the federal grant, it will likely be 2020 before construction begins on the project.

The FAA awards airport improvement program discretionary grant funds across the country to primary and non-primary airports for infrastructure projects such as runways, taxiways, aprons and terminals.

Johnson said a parallel taxiway will make the airport much safer and enhance economic opportunity for the city making it more appealing to potential new industry.

October 19, 2018
By: Dwayne Page

Who makes the best chili in DeKalb County?  Find out on Friday, October 26^th when Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County hosts its 15^th annual Chili Cook-off and Bake Sale.

Chili will be served from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the DeKalb Courthouse Lawn.  In case of bad weather, the event will be moved to the DeKalb County Complex.  For a cash donation, eat all the chili you want and vote for your favorite chili and the best decorated booth.  Ceramic chili mugs with the event’s logo are available for $20.00.  Delicious baked goods prepared by members of local churches will also be for sale.  Take out is also available.

“We are looking forward to another great day of good food and fellowship at the chili cook-off,” said Alex Woodward, president of Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County.  “The proceeds from the Chili Cook-off will be used towards building our current house for the Nokes family, so we hope everyone will come out and eat lots of chili for a great cause!”

There are 12 teams competing in the Chili Cook-off this year:  “Cheese Wagon Chili” from DeKalb Transportation Department; “The Bean Counters” from Janney & Associates; “Hot Checks Chili” from Wilson Bank and Trust; “The Courthouse Gang” from the DeKalb County Officials; “DC Health Dept. Heartburn Defenders” from the DeKalb County Health Department; “Brake for Chili” from Federal Mogul Motorparts; “First Bank’s First Chili” from First Bank; “Loan Rangers” from Liberty State Bank; “MTNG Clubhouse Chili” from Middle Tennessee Natural Gas; “Power House Chili” from Smithville Electric System; Smithville Police Department; and “Just Good Chili” from The Inn at Evins Mill.

Last year, “Cheese Wagon Chili” from the DeKalb County Department of Transportation took Top Chili Honors, with “Liberty and Chili For All” from Liberty State Bank coming in second place.  Third place chili honors went to “The Courthouse Gang” from the DeKalb County Officials.  The Best Decorated Booth Award also went to “Cheese Wagon Chili” from the DeKalb County Department of Transportation, with “Team MTNG – Cooking with Gas” from Middle Tennessee Natural Gas coming in second place and “The Bean Counters” from Janney and Associates, CPA’s placing third.

The 2017 event raised $5,300 for Habitat for Humanity.  A “Golden Spoon” award again be given for the team that collects the most extra cash for Habitat at their booth.  Last year, the Golden Spoon Award went to the team “Bobby Ray Detachment 1377” from the Marine Corps League, who raised $143.00 for Habitat in cash donations at their booth.

Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity builds and renovates houses in partnership with volunteers and families in need, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. The houses then are sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged.

For more information on the Chili Cook-off and Bake Sale, contact Tecia Pryor at 615-597-7370.  To contact Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County, call 615-215-8181.

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