Commission accepts new proposals; addresses rumors

The Lewis County Board of Commissioners met in regular session Monday night, April 17. After the pledge and prayer, roll call was made. Commissioners Aren Ragsdale was absent.

Before opening the floor for public input, Mayor Jonah Keltner addressed an heroic act by a trustee working at the Lewis County Transfer Station by presenting him with a certificate of appreciation. See the story on page A-4.

Once the floor opened, Twila Pigg, Lewis County 911 Dispatcher, addressed the commission regarding rumors she had heard about adding a new ambulance service. “Our concern,” she stated on behalf of the dispatch office, “is as 911 dispatchers, why hasn’t anyone contacted us to see what it would take if they added a new ambulance service. That would mean extra personnel and training, and we would have to get certified as EMD. The liability of that is a big concern. And we have a good working relationship with EMS now. If you bring in someone else, who knows.” Twila presented research and cost approximations she had gathered by speaking with surrounding counties regarding their ambulance service additions. “The thing that concerns us most,” she continued, “is y’all are not considering the radio towers. The tower communication in this county is poor, and we feel there is no concern of the loss of life in this county.”

Commissioner Kyle Bobo responded with, “We are simply looking around right now, and no decisions are being made. We aren’t leaving Dispatch out of this process. We need to get details to come to you with, and we would absolutely address you when we have something to address you with. You’re a direct insider in this concern, so your input matters. And, to say that we do not care is a little much in my opinion. I believe us looking into all our options proves otherwise.”

Commissioner Caleb Feichtinger addressed the issue as well, saying, “Do you think the current health care situation in Lewis County is good?” to which Twila responded, “it’s better than some, but no.” Feichtinger went on to say, “And we agree, which is why we are looking at our options. To grow, you have to start somewhere. Please take comfort in knowing that we have everyone, including dispatch, in mind. We are looking. In the future, don’t just listen to the word on the street. These meetings are open to the public, and you can contact any of us at any time. Our main concern is making healthcare, as a whole, better in Lewis County.”

“Also, to address the towers issue,” he continued, “we have been seeking out a bid for the last six months, and have one right now for about a million dollars. We are actively trying to get grants and have even bought land already for them. It’s simply a process, and it takes some time to do it properly.” Twila ended with, “We were concerned, because we had not heard anything about this from anyone on this board, and we feel helpless. Thank you for the clarification on the matter.”

The board moved on to the regular agenda, and the report of the committee of the whole was approved by all.

During the quarterly report of the County Mayor, it was reported that the general fund currently has $4,310,296.25, and the solid waste fund has $534,664, “which is excellent for this time of year,” said Mayor Keltner. Notable expenditures for the first quarter include: $2,462.28 for supplies to build an ADA Ramp for the bleachers at the grandstands at Memorial Park, $13,168 to the city of Hohenwald for water line repair work at the landfill, $2,551 for airport building roof repair, and over $2,000 in expenditures regarding the Buffalo River Blueway. It was also noted that Lewis County has the second lowest overall tax burden in South-Central Tennessee, as well as the fourth lowest property tax rate in all of middle Tennessee (over 30 counties). All approved to accept the report, and the Commission moved on to the next item on the agenda.

During the report of the Director of Schools, Dr. Tracy McAbee informed the commission that, “at this point in time, we are at 53% and very much on track with our general budget. Commissoner Feichtinger asked for an update on the high school building project. “I met with architect Mr. Martin over spring break,” McAbee responded, “and he said we are the priority and feels confident that we can stay on our timeline. If we can get it out to bid and brought back in in 30 days, we can award that in the summer and be on track to have it built by the following August.” Kyle Bobo raised the inquiry regarding two key members leaving the school system and asked if he wanted to address that. Dr. McAbee replied, “No. But we will need two notaries approved tonight as they were both notaries. So, Mrs. Vickie Tiller and Mylie McKissack are on the agenda to be elected as such.” All commissioners approved the report as well as the school’s budget amendments.

Danny Atkinson gave the report of the EMA Director in which he requested more personnel as soon as possible as we are working to upgrade all equipment. “We have been working on the storm of March 31-April 1 for the last two weeks with five homes destroyed, 21 with major damage, and 15 with minor damage.” He went on to say, “we have also been working with the school system as well as the 911 Board on a system for an upgraded dispatch center to add altered center, monitor the school hall 24/7, and may be able to monitor the court house and rooms if need be.

Newly appointed Kerry Cagle gave the report of the Highway Commissioner. He requested a 25 foot extension to the area of storm damage debris removal. This will allow the county to assist in the clean up in areas such as Metal Ford Road, where houses and landscapes were completely demolished. The commission approved.

During the report of the Lewis County Librarian, Crystal Nash publicly commended the Friends of the Library for being presented the 2023 Friends of the Year by the Tennessee Library Association, statewide. She went on to invite the public to visit the Depot to experience the traveling exhibit, The Maps of Lewis and Clark. “We are only one of two locations east of the Mississippi River. St. Louis and Lewis County, Tennessee are the only two locations on the eastern side of the nation to host this exhibit. In conjunction with the exhibit, the Library is hosting lectures at 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays.” She goes on to inform the room, “We have had folks from Michigan, Alabama, and North Carolina drive to Hohenwald to visit this exhibit.” She ended with, “When you come down to the library, we aspire to help you be the best version of yourself. We make it our mission, and we are thankful for the opportunity.” All commissioners approved the report.

Don Barber began the report of the park conservation board by commending the community for attending the Hope Hohenwald Easter Eggstravaganza even though the weather was not cooperative. It was noted that the stripes were being painted next week for the remodeling of the tennis courts into pickleball courts. He went on to inform the commission that they are running on a tight budget and will have to request more money for the park budget this year, something that has not been done in 12 years. We’re in the busy season of the park and are looking forward to the farmer’s market beginning as well as the events that will be taking place in conjunction with the 100th year anniversary of the South Central Area Fair, stated Barber. All commissioners approved the report.

During the report of the Sheriff, Dwayne Kilpatrick informed the commission of the concern of the sewer lines. The commission requested they be presented with bids for the work. When asked about the progress of the jail build, Sheriff Kilpatrick replied, “We’re about another two months out. We’ve got a lot of exterior work left to do. The camera systems were installed today. All we lack to move into the new offices is having the phones installed. We’ve gutted the highway patrol building and made a training room out of it. All that work was done by inmates, and they did an excellent job installing the bathrooms, flooring and painting.” Commissioner Brian Peery brought up the concern of lack of parking, to which Kilpatrick replied, “We absolutely will need more parking.” He went on to commend the trustees for their work in the community. All commissioners approved the report.

Regarding new business, Lewis County Government recently advertised a request for proposal regarding the hauling and disposal of household-type garbage from the Lewis County Transfer Station. The current provider, Waste Haulers, as well as Waste Management, each submitted proposals. The commission accepted the $54.50 per ton bid rate from Waste Haulers that may save the county $13,000/year, when compared to last year’s costs. The new service provider will take its position May 1st.

Lewis County Government also advertised a request for proposal regarding recycling of various materials from the transfer station. Clayton Family Recycling was the only vendor who submitted a proposal to recycle aluminum. “We are proud to have this service go to a local company,” said Mayor Keltner of the winning bid.

Pratt Recycling won the bid to recycle the cardboard and plastic from the transfer station.

At the close of the meeting, Mayor Keltner made announcements, including the statistics from the 2020 census. Lewis County had only grown by 796 residents since the last census in 2010.