Commissioners hear concerns from local citizens

by Amanda Curtis,

Staff Reporter

The Lewis County Board of Commissioners met in regular session March 20, at the newly renovated board room in the Historic Court House on Park Street. Kyle Bobo opened the meeting in prayer, and Caleb Feichtinger led the attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance. During public input, following the approval of last month’s minutes, it became clear why there was standing room only.

On the agenda was the appointment of a new Lewis County Highway Commissioner, and the court room was filled with people there to express their support for candidate, Kerry Cagle. “With 20 years of experience, nine of them being with our Highway Department, Kerry Cagle is the right choice,” stated Joyce Holt who retired from the position just three months ago. After several others spoke on his attention to detail, experience, and ability to maintain a positive work environment, the commissioners took turns asking both candidates, Kerry Cagle and Richie Carroll, a series of questions. Once finished, a vote was taken, and Mr. Cagle won the appointment and was named the Lewis County Highway Commissioner.

Public input continued. Residents showed up hoping to convince the commission to instill a noise ordinance in the county. This comes after decades-long residents spoke on the noise due to Summertown Metals starting up operations before 7:00 a.m. “The jobs are good, and the tax benefits are awesome, but waking up to rumbling earth before 7:00 in the morning isn’t,” said one resident. Another, Mr. Brancewicz, approached the commission on behalf of the 35 homeowners from Country Ridge Estates who also wanted to make known their noise complaint. “We are grateful for the productivity and benefits of the business being in our area. We are simply requesting a noise ordinance from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. While the commission agreed to discuss the matter, commissioner Bobo reminded, “We need to be cautious and careful in this. We cannot hold them accountable for anything we did and do not have in writing.”

Once the floor closed to the public, the commission moved on to the agenda.

In a prior meeting, the commission approved a resolution eliminating the transfer station garbage pick-up site at Ridgetop/Cathey’s Creek. Unforeseen issues caused the matter to come before the board again, and the resolution was rescinded, re-establishing the pick-up site. Feichtinger made a plea to revisit the issue, saying, “this fixes it for the moment, but it isn’t finished.

Summertown Metals didn’t stay out of the light for long. Daniel Jobbitt, Industrial Park property owner, approached Summertown Metals about purchasing his property near theirs. Because Mr. Jobbitt has yet to begin constructing a building on his property within the 18 months stated in the clause, the resolution was passed, allowing Summertown Metals 18 months to build and 24 months to operate from the date they close on Daniel Jobbit’s property, should they purchase it, at the Industrial Park on Summertown Highway.

For $21,000, the Commission approved the purchase of 409 North Oak Street from Marcella Kelly beside the newly installed dog park. For many years, the Lewis County Government has been pursuing the purchase of the property that borders Memorial Park on North Oak Street, in order to be used for the future expansion of the park. The funds will come from the Federal ARPA Grant money.

Also approved for purchase using the ARPA Grant money is a drone. This purchase will be used for the Property Assessor to access properties that are gated or are located on rough terrain, as well as for EMA as a heat seeker to help search for people lost in thickets and waterways. The drone, as stated in the resolution, must also be made available to emergency personnel and first responders during emergency situations or training activities. The total cost must not exceed $20,000.

The board accepted the bid of $18,716 from MapleTronics for the hardware, three year security licensing, support and labor regarding a Firewall computer system in the Lewis County Jail. The funding will come from the account previously approved to pay for incidental items regarding the Jail Addition/Renovation project.

Also regarding the jail, the commission approved the purchase of new commercial laundry equipment as it is “an absolute necessity.” Captain Moore has been authorized to spend up to $35,000 in grant money for this purchase, with the balance coming from the Administration of Justice Projects fund.

The final order of business included skid steer purchases. The Lewis County Transfer Station used to have two skid steers that were used daily to push the garbage off the floors of the lower and upper building into the trailers, scoop up trash that had been thrown over the garbage trailers, and more. Both machines were old, broke down, and auctioned off on GovDeals, leaving the Transfer Station in need. The commission accepted the proposal from Thompson Machinery to purchase a brand new, 2023 236D3 Skid Steer Loader, with a 2-year, 2000-hour warranty, for $47,774.51. Funding for the purchase will come from the county’s Federal ARPA grant money.