County Mayor Mike Foster and five members of the county commission took a trip to Livingston last week to get a first hand look at Overton County’s solid waste transfer station. During Monday night’s county commission meeting, members who made the trip indicated that they were impressed with the operation and seemed to be open to the idea of developing a transfer station in DeKalb County once the current Class I landfill has reached its capacity within the next two or three years.
Under a transfer station operation, household garbage would continue to be collected at local convenience centers across the county, then loaded onto trucks and brought to the transfer station, where the garbage would be separated from recyclables and then loaded onto semi trucks and transferred to a landfill site in another county. DeKalb would contract for the garbage to be hauled out of county and for the disposal of it at a certain price per ton. The recyclables would be baled and sold.
Foster, during the Monday night meeting and in an interview with WJLE Tuesday morning, explained how Overton County’s operation works. “We went up there to look at their transfer station and recycling center. We’re also going to look at two or three others. In Overton County they do about twelve thousand tons a year (household garbage) and we do about fourteen thousand tons a year. They had a building there (for the solid waste transfer and a shed for storing bales of recyclables). They bring their solid waste into a centralized location, dump it and segregate it. The rest of the main garbage they load onto a truck and haul it to a commercial site and pay a fee for dumping it in there. They don’t have the environmental liability of running a landfill. We’re looking at this option due to all the environmental rules we have to go by,” said Foster
“We were impressed with how clean the thing was (Overton County Transfer Station) and how well managed it was,” said Foster. They use some inmate help to go through the materials. They contract with a hauler that backs a semi truck in. The top of the truck sets level with the floor that you dump on to. The garbage is then loaded onto the truck and its hauled away to a landfill site that is contracted to dispose of the garbage”, he said.
According to Foster, DeKalb County would have fewer environmental worries about solid waste, if it had its own transfer station or contracted with some entity or company to provide the service. “Right now (at the landfill) we have to put a 40 mil plastic liner over the entire mound of dirt when you’re through as well as a 60 mil liner underneath it and then you have to put dirt on top of all that. The costs have just gone through the roof in the last three or four years so we’re going to look at the option of doing that (transfer station). We may still want to run a class III/IV cell that doesn’t require that (so many regulations) which would be mainly for construction materials and things like that and not household garbage,” said Foster
“If we do that (develop a transfer station) we don’t have the expense of building a new (Class I landfill) cell which is so expensive because now you have to put a rubber liner under and over it. These environmental issues are overpowering and you have a lot of liability there,” In addition, environmental regulations require the county to monitor old landfill sites for several years after they have been closed.
Should the county develop a transfer station, Foster said it would be situated on about a four acre site somewhere in the county. “Ideally it would be better if it were centrally located but we would have room at the (existing) landfill. We would also probably want to keep a Class III/IV cell for construction materials. We’ve got two or three years to make this decision,” said Foster.
Convenience sites would still be required throughout the county and residents could continue to bring their household garbage there or directly to the transfer station. “We would still have some convenience sites out in the county but maybe not as many. Right now we have twelve sites. We would still have to turn in to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) how much we bring in, how much we recycle, and what we dispose of. We’d probably go to mainly compactor cans (at convenience sites) where you can get eight or ten tons of garbage in one can rather than the open tops. Then you bring it (household garbage) into a transfer station. Dump it out. You have people there that pull out the cardboard, the metal, the plastics, and some of the things that you can recycle and then you dump the household garbage into a semi truck. You pull the recyclables out and put them in boxes and take them to another shed and bale them into bales of about 1300 pounds apiece. Meanwhile the garbage you put in that semi truck, you pay some landfill to take it and dispose of it that way you don’t have to have a Class I landfill. So its hauled and disposed of, then you bale your recyclables and put them into a storage shed until you get enough for a load or two and sell them to some agency or company that buys it (recyclables),” said Foster.
The county commission Monday night voted to seek a grant to purchase a new baler for reclying purposes. “As we talked about Monday night, we’re applying for a grant to get a baler where we can get back into this (recycling) process. Before we had contracted with two different guys, but they fell on hard times when cardboard went to twelve dollars a ton. It costs probably $75 (a ton) to handle it and bale it. We got out of that business because they were supplying the balers. Now that its back up to a good price, I think we can get back into it,” said Foster
In the meantime, Foster said he and members of the county commission plan to visit other counties that have transfer stations. “We’re probably going to go to Crossville soon. We’ll also probably go to Woodbury. Crossville has a transfer station but they don’t own it. Its owned by a subsidiary of Waste Management and they built the transfer station. Cumberland County just brings their garbage there and dumps it. They then pay them (Waste Management) a fee to handle it from that point on. We want to look at both scenarios so we can figure out which one best suits us. Depending on the costs involved, I personally would rather do the subsidiary where somebody else builds the facility and we just carry materials to them. That way we would not be out that initial cost. There’s a lot of good benefits to that. They would have more experience in running that than we would so it just seems like a better fit,” said Foster.

Two men have been indicted by the Grand Jury in separate sex crimes against a child.
42 year old Kenneth Lee Moore of Midway Road, Smithville was indicted Monday for the rape of a child.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Moore allegedly raped his twelve year old niece on November 15th, 2010. The child, who was living with Moore at the time, awoke from sleep to find Moore making sexual contact with her.
Meanwhile 30 year old Joseph Elwood Selby of Jim Garrett Road, Monterey has been indicted on a charge of sexual battery.
Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, July 2nd at Floating Mill Park on Center Hill Lake, Selby was swimming and touched a 12 year old female on the buttocks several times in a sexual manner making her feel uncomfortable and afraid.
These two men will appear for arraignment in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday, December 12.

35 year old Tyrone D. Owens appeared in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to charges of theft of property over $1,000 and two count of aggravated burglary.
Owens received a three year sentence in each case all suspended to TDOC probation except the first year is to be supervised by community corrections. Two of the sentences are to run consecutively for a total of six years. His sentence is to run concurrently with any other sentence against him including a case in Warren County. Owens must serve at least thirty percent of the sentence before his release eligibility date. He must also make restitution in an amount to be determined later.
39 year old Steve Allen Hale pleaded guilty to simple possession and a second offense of driving under the influence. He received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days in each case, all suspended to CPS probation, except for 49 days to serve. The two sentences are to run consecutively for a total of almost two years. Hale must pay a fine of $610. He will lose his license for not less than two years. Hale was given jail credit of 49 days served.
Hale was arrested on Sunday, August 1st,2010 by Smithville Police. He was observed by Officer James Cornelius failing to maintain proper lane of travel. Hale was stopped on the traffic violation and Officer Cornelius noticed that Hale’s speech was slurred and that he was unsteady on his feet. Hale submitted to four sobriety tasks and he performed poorly. Officer Cornelius asked Hale to remove all items from his pockets. Removed were approximately 5 grams of a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana, 20 blue pills, 8 white pills and a pack of JB rolling papers.
51 year old James Adamson pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and violation of the habitual motor vehicle offender law. He received a four year sentence to serve at least thirty percent before his release eligibility date in the aggravated assault case. Adamson got a two year sentence in the HMVO case. The two sentences are to run concurrently with each other. He is to make restitution in an amount to be determined later. Adamson was given jail credit from January 24 to May 24, 2011.
32 year old Carlos Lynn Godsey pleaded guilty to abuse of a child under the age of six. He received a four year sentence in the community corrections program. The sentence is to run concurrently with his parole in a federal sentence against him.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that 25 year old Lois Nicole Cobble had taken her four year old child to River Park Hospital in McMinnville on Saturday, January 1st for another medical reason when hospital staff apparently noticed bruises on the child’s legs, back, butt, and head. The child also smelled strongly of urine.
Warren County authorities and members of the Department of Children Services were called initially. A further investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department revealed that the child had been whipped excessively with a belt and switch.
Both Cobble and Godsey, her boyfriend, were arrested.
Cobble, charged with child abuse and neglect, appeared in criminal court in October and was granted judicial diversion probation for two years.

A combination barn/one bedroom apartment on the property of country music entertainer Billy Dean on Dale Lane off Dale Ridge Road was destroyed by fire Friday afternoon.
County Fire Chief Donny Green told WJLE that a neighbor saw the smoke and called 911.
According to Chief Green, a farm worker, who lived in the apartment, had left around 12:30 p.m. and was gone when smoke from the fire was spotted about an hour later.
Firefighters found the structure fully involved in flames when they arrived. No one was there and no one was injured. The cause of the fire is undetermined.
Chief Green said the barn housed two John Deere tractors, ski boat, and miscellaneous power tools. Again, the structure also housed a furnished one bedroom apartment.
Members of the Liberty, Main Station, and tanker truck of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with the Sheriff’s Department.
Firefighters were called out again on Saturday to James Place in the Lakeview Mountain Estates area where a brush fire rekindled and spread.
Chief Green said Brian Casselberry had obtained a burning permit and had burned some brush on his property. He remained with the fire until it was out and then began cutting some wood. After being outside for a couple of hours, he entered his home to take a shower and discovered that fire had rekindled when he came back out. The blaze spread to the neighbor’s property belonging to Roger Dale Bailey, burning a vacant mobile home and five abandoned vehicles which were apparently inoperable. The fire also burned about five acres of woodland.
Members of the Cookeville Highway, Short Mountain Highway, and Main Station of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department responded along with the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

Members of the Grand Jury visited the DeKalb County Jail and issued the following report on Monday. “Sheriff Patrick Ray provided a tour of the facility and answered all specific questions of grand jurors.”
“The condition observed seemed to be satisfactory. The jurors were told there were 90 prisoners housed in the jail as of today (Monday).”
“Sheriff Ray told the group his department works with the local school system nutritionist to be sure the three daily meals provided are nutritionally sound and meet the calorie requirements required by the state.”
“The Grand Jurors also observed bonds required for all county officials. All seemed to be in order”

The voter registration process will change starting with the 2012 election. Citizens in the State of Tennessee will have to show government-issued photo identification in order to cast a ballot at the polls.
The Upper Cumberland Rural Public Transit System is designed to benefit the entire community. We provide vital transportation for Upper Cumberland residents of all ages linking them to doctors, employment, grocery stores, senior citizen centers, schools and much more.
The Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency (UCHRA) can provide transportation service to the Drivers Service Centers to voters who otherwise would not have transportation. Voters in DeKalb County may call their local UCHRA county office at (615)597-4504 for more information about scheduling a trip and trip fares that apply. For information about the Upper Cumberland Rural Public Transit System, visit www.uchra.com/transit .

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department made two arrests last week in the October burglary of a home on Skyline Drive.
33 year old Ricky Allen Ashford of South College Street, Smithville is charged with aggravated burglary, theft of property over $1,000, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and violation of probation. His bond totals $23,500 and he will be in court on December 1.
Sheriff Patrick Ray reports that on October 15 Ashford allegedly broke into a residence at Skyline Drive by using a credit card to open the door. He allegedly took from the residence gold chains, a diamond ring, a wedding band, and other jewelry all valued at over $1,000. The case was assigned to a detective and the arrest was made on Thanksgiving Day, November 24.
A sixteen year old boy was with Ashford during the burglary and theft. Ashford was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor as a result and the boy was charged under a juvenile petition as a delinquent for burglary and theft
The violation of probation against Ashford was because he failed to pay in full his court costs by the end of his probation date in a previous case. Ashford had been placed on probation after being convicted of two counts of attempted forgery. He received 11 months 29 days in that case. He still owes $904.58 as of November 2, 2009.
39 year old Mary Ann Hale of Sparta Highway, Smithville is cited for driving on a suspended license, violation of the light law, and violation of the financial responsibility law. Her court date is December 14
According to Sheriff Ray, Hale’s vehicle was stopped due to a broken tail light on Friday, November 25. The officer discovered that her drivers license were suspended and she did not have proof of valid car insurance.
24 year old Rodrigo Carrasco of Columbia is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence. He was also issued a citation for no drivers license. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court on December 8.
Sheriff Ray reports that on Wednesday, November 23 a deputy was called to check out a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Highway 70. Reports said that the vehicle was all over the roadway and doing doughnuts. The officer spotted the automobile on the side of the road with its flashers on. A man was behind the wheel. Upon speaking with the driver, the deputy noticed that he had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person and his speech was slurred. He was asked to step out of the vehicle. He was very unsteady on his feet. When asked to perform field sobriety tasks, the man indicated that he could not speak English. Because of this, field sobriety tasks were not performed and no blood alcohol test was taken. A computer check revealed he had no drivers license.

The Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association has received permission from the Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture Julius Johnson to hold a referendum vote on instituting a $.50 per head voluntary state beef checkoff. The vote has been scheduled for December 7th and 8th at Local County UT Extension offices. The UT Extension Office in Smithville will be the voting location for beef producers who live in DeKalb County. The office is located at 722 South Congress Boulevard in Smithville. The office will be open for voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 7th and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 8th.
Every cattle producer in Tennessee will be eligible to vote on the checkoff by signing an affidavit at their local extension office, confirming that they are a cattle producer. If producers vote to institute the checkoff, $.50 will be collected when a bovine animal is sold in the state. Producers would then have 90 days to request a refund from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, if they do not want to participate in the checkoff. The remaining proceeds would then be transferred to the Tennessee Beef Industry Council. The funds could be used to finance a program of research, education, market development, marketing, advertising and other methods designed to promote the increased production, consumption, use and sale of beef products in Tennessee. A producer board will oversee the funds. The board will be composed of 9 members appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture. These members will be nominated by the Tennessee Farm Bureau, the Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association, the Tennessee Livestock Marketing Association and other recognized beef cattle producer associations.
The $1 per head National Beef Checkoff program was established in 1985. Half of this money remains in Tennessee and the rest is used nationally to fund programs like the “Beef, It’s what’s for Dinner” advertising campaign, new products innovations such as microwave ready meals and developing new cuts of beef. The money that has remained in Tennessee has funded programs such as UT Beef Day promotions on the Vol radio network, teaching kits for schools and consumer education programs. Since these funds have not increased since 1985, inflation has dramatically impacted the programs that can be funded with this money.
For more information on the Checkoff program visit www.beefup.org or call the UT Extension office in Smithville at 615-597-4945.

The Alexandria Christmas Parade has been rescheduled for Sunday, December 4 due to rain. The line-up begins at 3:00 p.m. and the parade will get underway at 4:00 p.m. Entries of floats, old vehicles, tractors, 4-Wheelers, horses, etc are all welcome. Anyone under the age of 16 must have an adult to accompany them in the parade. Prizes will be given away on the Alexandria public square after the parade.Crafts and food booths are welcome to set up on or around the square. For more information or entry forms contact Deb McCoy at 615-948-6486, Denise Barrett at 615-948-4829, or the Alexandria City Hall at 529-2171.

What was once a dream is almost a reality! The DeKalb Middle School Fast pitch Softball team began its program during the 2000-2001 school year. Since that time the team has never had a field to call their own. Parents and coaches would transport players across town for practices and games at the Bill Page Field and as of last year the Coach Pitch fields. Coaches have always had to transport their equipment with them because they did not have a storage area.
In May of 2010 talk began about constructing a field on the campus of DeKalb Middle School. Principal Randy Jennings asked the Director of Schools and the school board for permission to build a field on the school property. The board approved the site and the preparations began. A committee of parent volunteers was formed to oversee the project. Professional Engineering Services in Sparta agreed to come and look at the site. Mr. Kyle Hazel, an architect with the company surveyed the site and drew up blueprints that would best suit the area where the field was to be constructed. After several meetings and discussions the plans were finalized.
August 3, 2011 was the “big day.” Road Supervisor Kenny Edge of the DeKalb County Highway Department provided two men who began the process. After approximately 4 ½, weeks the initial dirt work was complete. The next step was to plant grass seed for the outfield. Coach Karen Pelham, players and parents met one Saturday to sow and straw the area. It wasn’t long until the grass seed was coming up and the field began to take its shape.
Workers are currently in the process of fencing the field. Jason Walker (Walker Fencing) is doing the fencing and it should be complete within the next week. Once the field is fenced rock will be placed in the outside ditches and the banks sowed around the field. Sometime in early spring the finishing touches will be made by adding some infield dirt and bases. The field should be completely ready for practices and games for the 2012 season.
Plans are to add lights and a field house/ press box with concessions and restrooms in the future. The score board will be donated by Dr. Pepper Bottling Company. The project is being built in stages as money is raised.. This field is being constructed with fundraising by the players and parents, business donations and volunteer labor.
A special thanks goes to the following individuals and businesses: Kyle Hazel and Professional Engineering Services in Sparta, TN for their donation of surveying, design, and the time that you have given to this project, along with Kenny Edge and the DeKalb County Highway Department, City of Smithville, Middle TN Natural Gas, Tenneco, DeKalb Community Bank, Liberty State Bank, DTC, Southern Landscape Supply, Kwik N Ezy, HBC General Contractor, Graham Services, Hurricane Marina, Ace Hardware, Caney Fork Electric, Avant Funeral Home, Johnnie Cripps, Lyndon Ashburn, Jeremy Trapp, Love Cantrell Funeral Home, Dr. Denise Dingle and the many individuals who have participated in our fundraising efforts.
If you would like to make a donation or volunteer your services please call the school at 597-7987. All donations and support will be greatly appreciated.