Smithville Police Chief Richard Jennings is concerned about a growing traffic congestion problem in the school zone near Smithville Elementary.
Chief Jennings, speaking at Monday night’s city council meeting, said there is a large number of vehicles each day trying to get to the school on Walker Drive, from East Bryant Street and Congress Boulevard and that these automobiles often block eastbound traffic which could cause accidents.
He asked Mayor Taft Hendrixson to appoint a committee to come up with a plan to address the problem. “We’ve received some complaints about the traffic at the elementary school. I’ve been over there for the last couple of weeks in the mornings and afternoons. As you know we widened Walker Drive to accommodate the cars picking up the children in the back of the school. But also, what happens is the vehicles are out on Bryant Street and they go all the way down Bryant Street to Highway 56 and around the corner. Well what happens there is they block the whole eastbound lane of Bryant Street. So when cars are trying to go east, they get over in the westbound lane, and they almost hit head on the cars going west. I’ve seen them have to drive onto the grass of the church to go around and it’s everyday. I think the school zone is actually in the wrong place. There should be lights on Bryant Street and Walker Drive instead of out on Highway 56. That’s where I think the school zone should be. I’d like to ask you to form a committee so we could look at this problem and se if we couldn’t come up with an answer.”
Mayor Hendrixson appointed himself and Chief Jennings to the committee along with Aldermen Jerry Hutchins Sr. and Willie Thomas and Public Works Director Kevin Robinson. The committee will also invite Principal Bill Tanner and Director of Schools Mark Willoughby to join them in the discussions.

The city is making plans to upgrade the forty year old Smithville Water Treatment Plant.
The total project cost is estimated to be $1.4 million dollars, but the city will apply for a half million dollar Community Development Block Grant, which if approved, would help fund part of the costs. The grant program is administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
All five aldermen voted in favor of the resolution authorizing an application for the grant, following a public hearing during Monday night’s city council meeting. Officials say it may be six to eight months before the city hears back on whether the application is approved.
Vantage Consulting Services will prepare all the necessary documents for the completion of the grant application at no charge to the city and will perform all administrative services for the project, should the grant be approved.
Faye Leonard of Vantage Consulting Services says the city has been fortunate to receive several CDBG grants in the past for improvements to the city’s sewer system but the grant program is much more competitive these days with more applications and fewer dollars to go around. “The city has been fortunate to receive four of these block grants in the past for sewer rehab over the last several years and a lot of work has been done on the sewer system as a result, but it’s getting much more difficult. There’s less and less grant money, and it’s becoming more competitive. Just to let you know how competitive this has gotten, this past fiscal year, 2007, there were 150 applications submitted statewide and there was only enough money to approve about sixty of those. So the grant funds are getting less and less and there’s more and more applications so it’s very competitive. We’ll do the best we can with the application. Due to the age of the plant and the need for the project, we hope that it will score well. I’m guardedly optimistic about it. It’s really a needed project but since it is so competitive and there are such few grant dollars, there’s no guarantee. I just wanted to be clear about that. The last grant that was applied for under this program for sewer rehab here was not successful.”
Mayor Taft Hendrixson says the city proposes to fund the local share of $900,000 over a three year period from the Smithville Water & Sewer Revenue Fund. ” This $900,000 that we have proposed here as the city’s share, that will be in three different budget years. It will be in the 2008-09 budget, the 2009-10 budget, and the 2010-11 budget. I talked with the engineer today and he said it will probably be late in the year 2009 before this would be a viable project ready for bid. So it would be approximately $300,000 per year in each of three years. That way you don’t have to come up with all the money at the same time. This water plant is forty years old. We’re doing some emergency repairs on it this year. It’s something that had to be done. There has been very little repairs done on the water plant. There’s not even a back up generator system down there for the intake or the water plant. That’s something that I think is necessary. At least we’re showing the State of Tennessee that we are willing to put money in to get their money. That plant has been good to us for a long time but it’s going to have to be repaired.”
J.R. Wauford & Company will produce a preliminary engineering report for the proposed project at no charge to the city. Should the grant be approved, Wauford will design plans, inspect the construction, and perform other required engineering services for the project.
The total estimated project cost is $1.4 million dollars broken down as follows:
Renovate Filters with New Underdrains and Media- $250,000
Blower and accessories for Air Scour- $40,000
New 40 HP Backwash Pump, Rebuild Existing Pump for Standby- $90,000
Convert Filter Instrumentation including Water System Telemetry- $300,000
Modifications to Existing 1967 Clearwell- $10,000
New Chemical Bulk Storage and Containment- $60,000
Electrical Work- $200,000
New Standby Generator at Intake and at Plant- $200,000
Engineering: Design- $95,000
Construction Administration and Observation- $80,000
Administrative- $23,500
Environmental- $1,500
Project Contingencies- $50,000

A long time member of the Smithville Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals has resigned.
Jimmy Walls was presented a plaque of appreciation by Mayor Taft Hendrixson during Monday night’s city council meeting. “This plaque is presented to Jimmy Walls in appreciation of twenty five years of loyal and dedicated service to the Smithville Planning Commission and twenty years of the same loyal and dedicated service on the Smithville Board of Zoning Appeals. Mr. Walls has been a valuable asset to both the Smithville Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals. His years of service to our city and community have been greatly appreciated. On behalf of the Smithville Mayor and Board of Aldermen, the Smithville Planning Commission, and the Board of Zoning Appeals, we would like to thank you, Mr Walls, for all your hard work and unrelenting dedication. We wish you the best in everything you do. You will be missed.”
Walls served on the Smithville Planning Commission from December, 1982 through December 2007. He also served on the Smithville Board of Zoning Appeals from December 1987 through December 2007.
In his letter of resignation, effective December 21st, 2007, Walls thanked the present and past mayors for their support. “I wish to thank Mayor Waniford Cantrell for appointing me to the commission and Mayor Dewey Love, Mayor Bruce Medley, Mayor Cecil Burger, and Mayor Taft Hendrixson for allowing me to serve my city and community on the planning commission for the past twenty five years. Thanks to the members of the commission, past and present, for electing me your chairman for a total of fourteen years.”
Walls also expressed his thanks for the opportunity to serve on the Board of Zoning Appeals for twenty years.
The aldermen voted five to nothing to approve Mayor Hendrixson’s appointment of Sandra Wall to serve out Jimmy’s Walls’ unexpired term on both the Smithville Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals.

The Alexandria Water System is currently experiencing low water pressure.
The supplier that provides water to Alexandria is experiencing system problems and the supply could be limited reducing the amount of water to supply the storage tanks of the Alexandria Water System.
An emergency plan has been put into place.
If you are experiencing a loss of water supply you may bring containers to the Alexandria City Hall and they will be filled during this emergency.
Everyone in Alexandria is asked to conserve the use of water during this crisis.
For more information, please call 615-529-2171.

A 19 year old DeKalb County man died and two others were injured in a one vehicle crash Friday night in Cannon County.
Dead is Chad Jonathon Reeder of Big Hill Road, Smithville.
The accident occurred around 9:09 p.m. on State Route 281.
According to a report filed by Trooper Monty Terry of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Reeder was driving west in a 1991 Nissan pickup truck when he lost control while negotiating a curve. The truck went into a yaw, ran off the left shoulder, overturned, and struck a utility pole, ejecting Reeder and two passengers.
20 year old Zachary D. Turner of Pea Ridge, Liberty and a 17 year old boy were injured in the accident.
Neither of the three was wearing a seatbelt.
Turner has been charged with not wearing a seatbelt, underage consumption of alcohol, and leaving the scene of an accident.

Sheriff Patrick Ray says if anyone asks you to make a donation so that bullet proof vests can be bought for deputies, don’t contribute. It’s a scam.
According to Sheriff Ray, several people have contacted him in recent days about phone calls they have received, asking them for contributions so that bullet proof vests can be purchased for deputies.
Sheriff Ray says the Sheriff’s Department is not conducting any such fundraiser.
If you should be contacted, obtain as much information as possible from the caller, and then contact the sheriff’s department so that the scam can be stopped and those responsible may be prosecuted.
But above all, do not send money.
Meanwhile, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, since last Wednesday, has arrested one person for theft and forgery, a sex offender, and two people on drug charges.
25 year old Elizabeth (Beth) Chalfant of Hurricane Ridge Road Smithville was arrested on Wednesday for theft of property under $500, seven counts of forgery, and failure to appear.
Sheriff Ray says detective learned through an investigation that Chalfant had stolen checks from a residence on V.L. Wilson Loop Smithville on November 10th. Chalfant then went to the Smithville Wal-Mart where she paid for items with the stolen checks. After she paid for the merchandise, Chalfant returned the items to Wal-Mart. The store then gave her back the cash. Chalfant was also charged with failure to appear after she did not show up for court on unrelated charges.
Her bond was set at $45,000 on the theft and forgery charges and no bond was set on the failure to appear.
Meanwhile, on Friday 48 year old Lloyd Earl Wadsworth of Sparta Highway, Sparta was charged with violation of the sexual offender law.
Sheriff Ray says Wadsworth was convicted in 1990 in Oklahoma for a sex offense against a child. Detectives learned that Wadsworth was living in Ragland Bottom Motel on or before December 21st and had not registered as a sex offender in DeKalb County. Wadsworth’s bond was set at $50,000 and his court date is January 10th.
In another case, county deputies went to 834 Gentry Avenue, Smithville on Friday to execute two violations of probation warrants on 28 year old Jamie Edward Carroll.
Sheriff Ray says when officers entered Carroll’s home, they found 45 year old Edward Judkins in the bathroom of the home. A syringe and a spoon that contained cocaine were also found on the vanity of the bathroom. Sheriff Ray says deputies believe that Judkins was getting ready to “shoot up” or to inject the cocaine into his body.
Officers also found 22 loose percocet pills in Judkins’ pocket and $198 in cash. Also in Carroll’s bedroom were crushed straws, which had been used for crushing pills, and a plate that contained a white powdery residue.
In addition to the two violation of probation warrants, Carroll was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Total bond was set at $4,500.
Judkins was charged with possession of a schedule II drug (cocaine), possession of a schedule III drug (percocet), and possession of drug paraphernalia (needle and spoon).
Total bond for Judkins was set at $11,000.
Both will appear in court on January 31st.
The $198.00 in cash was also seized.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released new Temporary Emergency Food Program products for the 2008 Commodity distributions announced Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency’s Executive Director Phyllis R. Bennett.
Commodities are surplus agricultural items that are given back to American families through government agencies.
In the Upper Cumberland region, the UCHRA distributes commodities in Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Van Buren, Warren and White Counties. “UCHRA holds distributions every other month with several hours of distribution at each location,” said Commodity Director Rebecca Harris.
Recertification must be complete before the 2008 distribution. This recertification process is scheduled for January 2 through January 15, 2008 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at your local UCHRA office located at 527 West Main Street in Smithville.
You are encouraged to bring the appropriate documentation and make arrangements to come by during the above dates. Individuals and families receiving commodities through the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency have to be recertified each year to maintain their eligibility. Those persons who receive either Food Stamps, Families First, SSI, LIHEAP or who live in public housing must bring proof that they participate in these programs, and they are automatically eligible for commodities and/or completion of a signed, self-declaration income statement that the total amount of household income is below 150% of the current income poverty guidelines. Individuals who wish to have someone else do their recertification must send a note with the person authorizing them to do so.
The USDA’s Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program is available to all recipients regardless of race, color, national origin, age, sex or handicap.

A 45 year old Sparta man was arrested on New Year’s Day after running his vehicle into a county patrol car.
Charlie Lee Shockley of Oakwood Drive, Sparta was arrested for DUI and evading arrest.
Sheriff Patrick Ray says deputies were traveling on Highway 56 south when they met Shockley, who almost hit their patrol car. The officers then turned around and went after Shockley who had turned down Seven Springs Road. Shockley continued onto Old Bildad Road where he wrecked in a curve in a ditch. The vehicle was facing the patrol car. After Shockley’s vehicle stopped in the roadway, Shockley floored the accelerator and ran his vehicle into the patrol car and then hit a tree. Damage to the Patrol car was to the front bumper headlight and fender. After hitting the tree, Shockley was placed under arrest.
Shockley’s bond was set at $4,000 and his court date is February 7th.
The wreck was investigated by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The Annual Membership Banquet of the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce is set for Thursday, January 31st at Elizabeth Chapel Baptist Church on Allen Ferry Road, Smithville. The special evening begins with a “Silent Auction” at 5:30 p.m. The dinner and program starts at 6:00 p.m.
The keynote speaker will be popular author and radio personality, Karlen Evins. In addition, the Leadership DeKalb Alumni group will present their winners for “Community Leader of the Year” and “Legacy” awards. Chamber Board Members including the newly elected board members will also be introduced.
Along with entertainment, a meal will be served and a “Silent Auction” will be held. Each Chamber member is asked to donate an item for the Silent Auction. Please contact the Chamber office as soon as possible and let them know what you will offer.
Tickets are $20 per person and may be purchased from any of the 15 board members or they may be picked up at the Chamber office located at 301 N. Public Square, Smithville.

The Smithville Volunteer Fire Department was called out to a New Year’s Day grass fire in the Meadowbrook and Green Acre Drive area Tuesday.
Fire Chief Charlie Parker says the fire came close to some houses, but no structures were damaged and no one was injured. “We responded to a grass fire back in behind Meadowbrook Drive. It started around Green Acre Drive. With the high, gusty winds, the fire spread across the grassy field at a pretty good rate. We called the Tennessee Forestry Division because it was in a grassy wooded area. We got them to help us contain the fire because it was headed toward the back of some houses. We measured it out. It was just a little over nine acres that had burned.”
Parked added “It looked like somebody had started it right beside the roadside. They either threw something out or set it on fire right beside the road. We’re still looking into that to see if we can find any suspects and how it actually did start.”