Junior Pro football league has a field until November

The County Commission officially granted the Lewis County Junior Pro Football League permission to utilize three acres of land on Progress Drive, off of Hwy 20, on Tuesday morning.

However, the decision was not reached without confusion. Brandon Grady, Michelle Harwell and Brandy Bennett, organizers of the Junior Pro League, met with the Budget Committee during last week's County Committee meetings to ask for permission to use the land on a three-year lease. The group intended on running water and electricity out to the field and eventually constructing permanent bathrooms on the land, but in the meantime all of their equipment including bathrooms and bleachers would be portable.

During the meeting, the Budget Committee agreed with the group and determined the Junior Pro League could use the land immediately as it was not being currently utilized and the group needed a place to play immediately.

The parcel of land in question is also a part of Industrial Park which is intended to draw industrial business into Lewis County.

Economic and Community Development Coordinator for the City of Hohenwald and Industrial Development Board member Helen Ozier alerted the County Mayor on Monday that there could be a conflict if Industrial Park was utilized for non-industrial purposes.

Ozier wrote in an email to the County Mayor, "I have just confirmed with Kirby Lewis, Site Development Director with TNECD... that the chances of the Industrial Park becoming a Certified Site if used for anything other than industrial purposes is 'Zero.'"

A Certified Site is a parcel of land that has already been preevaluated so that if a business were to come into Lewis County, they would not have to spend extra money in prep-work before building on the site. Once the land earns the title of being a Certified Site, the state helps market the land to business owners and gains more interest from business owners.

"In no way am I against Junior Pro having a place to play. I support activities that keep kids and their parents active and involved," said Ozier in an interview, "I just wanted the County to have as much information as possible to make an informed decision."

Ozier also said that the City and the Industrial Development Board had been working on and invested in Industrial Park to make it a Certified Site over the last four years.

After learning this information, Doug Jobbitt, commissioner for the district, took it upon himself to learn about the issue and spoke with Ozier before the County Commission meeting to try and find a solution. Jobbitt proposed that the Junior Pro League be allowed to use the land until the end of their season in November.

"My goal is to make sure these kids have a place to play until the end of their season," said Jobbitt. In the meantime, he asked State Senator Joey Hensley to talk to Mr. Lewis as well to see if Industrial Park could be considered a Certified Site if the Junior Pro kept all of their equipment portable and did not disturb the ground.

Senator Hensley obliged and met with Mr. Lewis and confirmed that Industrial Park would not be considered a Certified Site even if the Junior Pro League's equipment was portable.

"We've been working to make Industrial Park Site Certified for the past four years, so another two or three months isn't going to hurt; especially if it gives the kids a place to play for the remainder of the season," said Ozier after being informed of the decision.

As of now, there is no word of a potential parcel of land that could serve as a permanent field for the Junior Pro Football League.

"There are two pieces of land that the county owns and I saw them," said Commissioner Jobbitt during the Commission meeting, "but they both aren't suitable to be a football field... I'm doing everything in my power to find [the Junior Pro Football League] a place to play."

The County Commission story will continue in next week's edition of the Lewis County Herald