A work crew installed a 249-ton hydropower rotor today at Center Hill Dam, culminating weeks of safety preparations to lift and maneuver the heavy load into position to generate hydroelectricity.
With the safe installation of the rotor, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District and contractor Voith Hydro expect to finish rehabilitation of hydropower unit two in mid-July once its final assembly and load testing are complete.
Jerry Lee, project engineer for the Center Hill Turbine Generator Rehabilitation Project, gave props to Steve Rodriguez, the crane operator responsible for moving the rotor from the power plant’s gallery and placing it into the hydropower unit.

“This is not something we do every day. This is the largest component in the turbine generator. It’s a capacity lift for this crane,” Lee said.
Lee explained that installing the rotor is very challenging because there’s only a nine-sixteenth inch gap between the rotor and the stator, which is a very tight fit.
“It’s got to go back in precisely. The parts that we’ve rebuilt are very expensive. We’ve spent millions of dollars here and you don’t want to bump them or damage any of the stuff going back in,” Lee stressed.
Because of the heavy load and the precise operation, the Corps of Engineers and the contractor made safety the number one priority throughout the lift and install.
Martin Parker, site manager for Voith Hydro, said the team definitely focused on the safety requirements and described the installation as “tricky” because of the tight fit. Installing the rotor into the stator without bumping or rubbing is important to prevent damaging the components, he said.
“The rotor went in nice and even and went down with a good air gap – didn’t have any problems,” Parker said. “Now they’re just bolting it up and it’s looking really good.”
Since the project began in September 2015, the contractor has rebuilt the generator’s rotor, overhauled the shaft, and replaced the stator, stator coils, wicket gates and turbine, which now features an aeration capability designed to add oxygen to the water to benefit the aquatic life downstream of the dam.
“Now we put the upper bracket in place, we do our alignment checks, and hopefully we should have it ready for wet testing by the second week of July, ready to run,” Parker said.
The hydropower unit at Center Hill Dam is the first of 28 units at nine projects that will be rehabilitated. The Nashville District awarded a $47.25 million contract to Voith Hydro in June 2014 to rehabilitate three Center Hill Dam hydropower units. The contractor mobilized to the dam in July 2015 and began the rehabilitation of unit two. Unit one will then be rehabilitated followed by unit three.
Center Hill Dam is located on the Caney Fork River and contributes to the electrical power supply of the area through the generation of clean, safe and efficient hydroelectric power. A single hydropower unit at this location supplies enough electricity to power 12,000 homes, which reduces the cost of electricity during peak periods of the daytime. All three hydropower units can supply the needs of an average city of 125,000 people.
The Nashville District operates nine multi-purpose projects in the Cumberland River Basin. Electricity is marketed by the Southeastern Power Administration and then sold to the Tennessee Valley Authority and other preference customers in the region.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2000, Section 212, authorized the Corps to accept and expend funds from power preference customers to perform rehab work on hydropower equipment. Under this provision of the law, funds that would normally be returned to the general fund of the U.S. Treasury are used to maintain the hydropower generating equipment. Over the life of the program SEPA looks to direct more than $1.2 billion into the Cumberland River System Hydropower Rehabilitation.

The cities of Smithville, Alexandria, and Liberty will have to share more of the costs for county property reappraisals and personal property audits beginning July 1.
The county commission Monday night voted 11-2 to establish fees for the cities but to keep the municipalities from having to pay the full amount this year the costs will be phased in over a three year period. All voted in favor except commissioners Kevin Robinson and Julie Young. Commissioner Anita Puckett was absent.
Based on 2016 numbers, Smithville’s entire portion would have been a total of $16,232 ($14,718 for real property parcels and $1,514 for its share of personal property auditing). Liberty’s costs would have totaled $1,301 ($1,295 for real property parcels and $6.00 for personal property). Alexandria’s total share would have been $2,834 ($2,814 real property and $20.00 for personal property).
The total extra revenue to the county derived from these fees would have been $20,367 this year.
To lessen the burden on the cities, the county commission adopted a motion by second district member Joe Johnson to charge the cities only one third of their share this year. The cities will have to pay two thirds of their share next year and the entire amount of their share will be due the following year and from then on.
Smithville will be required to pay this year approximately $5,410. Liberty’s share this year will be about $434. Alexandria will be billed for approximately $944 this year.
The new cost sharing fees will be implemented with passage of the 2017-18 fiscal year county budget in July.
Although DeKalb County has never enforced it, a state law was passed in 1989 requiring municipalities that collect a city property tax to ante up more for the county’s costs of real property reappraisals and audits of personal property, unless an agreement is reached to waive the charge.
Mayors Jimmy Poss in Smithville, Dwight Mathis in Liberty, and Bennett Armstrong in Alexandria sent letters to County Mayor Tim Stribling and to the County Commission asking that the county waive the fees saying they are struggling with their own budgets and that the proposed assessment fees are “unreasonable and unnecessary”. The mayors argue that city residents, who are also county taxpayers, already pay for the costs of county reappraisals and that an extra cost sharing fee to them is unfair.
In the letter, the mayors wrote, “We the mayors of the City of Smithville, Town of Liberty, and Town of Alexandria would like to state our opposition to a proposal requiring the towns to pay one half of the reappraisal dues within the town limits of each municipality. Each municipality feels that the attempt to collect this fee is both unreasonable and unnecessary. Each municipality is struggling with their own budgets and do not need another assessment for the citizens. Therefore we respectfully request that the county commission refrain from approving this reassessment fee against the towns,” the letter stated.
Under state law, local costs of reappraisal of real properties within a city shall be paid one half by the county and one half by the city, unless there is an agreement between the city and county to waive the fees. Any city paying one half of local costs of reappraisal shall pay those costs directly to the county government with jurisdiction over the property being reappraised and shall pay those costs during the fiscal year in which the reappraisal is finalized. The cities of Smithville, Alexandria, and Liberty would be affected since they collect city property taxes. Dowelltown does not have a city property tax rate and would not be affected.
State law also requires cities to be responsible for sharing in the county’s costs of contracted personal property audits.
Under state law, cities have the option of paying the real property reappraisal costs on a yearly basis or in a lump sum in the fifth year of the reappraisal cycle.

A fire Monday destroyed the residence of Robert Moore on Rolling Acres Road off Cookeville Highway.
DeKalb County Fire Chief Donny Green said Moore and his grandson were there at the time when they heard a loud boom, went to investigate, and discovered that the deck on the eastside of the house was completely on fire. They ran outside. Moore tried to go back in to retrieve some things but was unable due to the heavy smoke. He then called 911.
Firefighters arrived and found about half the house to be fully involved in flames. They were only able to do an exterior attack of the fire. The home and all the family’s belongings were destroyed. No one was injured.
Members of the Cookeville Highway, Short Mountain Highway, Midway, Main Station, and Temperance Hall Stations responded along with mutual aid backup from the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department. The Sheriff’s Department and DeKalb EMS were also on the scene.
The cause of the fire is undetermined.

The DeKalb County School System is offering online student enrollment for the 2017-18 school year.
Families are now able to register their child for back-to-school through their Skyward Family Access account. Families must have registered Skyward Family Access accounts in order to use the online registration tools.
(CLICK LINK TO VIEW VIDEO ABOUT SKYWARD)
https://www.skyward.com/k-12/student-information-system
All families are encouraged to register their Skyward Family Access account so they may keep track of their child’s school information.
“We hope parents will be excited not to fill out all of that paperwork the day of registration. If you are a parent/guardian of a returning student in our school district please take advantage of the online registration. If you do not have a Skyward account please email aprilodom@dekalbschools.net to get your account set up,” said Attendance Supervisor Joey Reeder.
Registration day for the 2017-18 year at the schools is Monday, August 7 and the first full day of school will be Wednesday, August 9.

A 45 year old Smithville woman has been charged with four counts of fraudulent use of a debit/credit card.
Dori Leigh Keith of Foster Road is under a $6,000 bond and her court date is July 13.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW MUG SHOTS OF PERSONS RECENTLY BOOKED AT THE DEKALB COUNTY JAIL- Intakes & Releases From: 6/19/2017 Thru: 6/26/2017)
Seagate Crystal Reports – REPOR_28.pdf (3.91 MB)
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that Keith allegedly used another person’s Discover credit card at a Dollar General Store in DeKalb County four times in April in order to get $40 cash back on each occasion.
According to Sheriff Ray, Keith used the card twice on April 26 for $5.43 and $5.49 and got $40 back in cash each time and she used the card again twice on April 28 for $3.69 and for $7.68 and got back $40 in cash on each occasion.
The case was investigated by a Sheriff’s Department Detective.
44 year old Billie Jo Morris of Smithville is charged with criminal trespass. Her bond is $1,500 and her court date is July 13.
Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, June 24 a deputy responded to a residence on Tabernacle Road due to a complaint of an unwanted guest. Upon arrival the officer learned from the homeowner that the unwanted guest, Morris, had already left. While the deputy was still on the scene, Morris returned to the property. After a further investigation, it was discovered that on June 1 another officer had been called to the same residence because of Morris being an unwanted guest. Morris was advised at that time to not to return to the property. The homeowner also told Morris to stay away.

The Community Chorus will make a return appearance during the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree and Crafts Festival Friday evening.
With the theme “What’s Right with America”, the chorus will be performing a variety of patriotic songs in a special tribute to military veterans and fallen soldiers. Again this year, adults and children alike will be singing in the chorus.
(VIEW VIDEO CLIP OF A PORTION OF THE COMMUNITY CHORUS PERFORMANCE AT THE FIDDLERS JAMBOREE LAST YEAR)

The program begins at approximately 6 p.m. on Friday from the Jamboree stage. You can also catch a rehearsal performance on Thursday evening, June 29 at Evins Park behind city hall and across from the post office from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Then immediately after, Mary Anne’s Cloggers will be performing from 6:30 to 7 PM. Bring your own chair and come enjoy seeing our local folks perform.

Eight members of the DeKalb County Fire Department graduated from the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Training Academy’s LIVE Burn Firefighter I class that was held Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25.
Captain Brian Williams said this 16-hour course required students to demonstrate skills needed to extinguish a passenger vehicle fire attack, exterior Class A fire attack, interior structure fire attack, commercial buildings and ground cover fire attack. “We are extremely proud of these recent graduates. Today, our department stands better prepared to respond to emergencies because of the high standards for training we set for our firefighters,” said Captain Williams
Photo Pic Left to Right
Luke Green
Travis Checchi
Victor Roller
Kyle Devers
Rachel Checchi
Ricky Edwards
Blake Reffue
Bill Brown

The 19th annual Fiddler 5K and One Mile Fun Run, sponsored by Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County will be Saturday, July 1. All proceeds from the race will be used in building another Habitat for Humanity home in DeKalb County.
The race will begin promptly at 7:00 a.m. RAIN OR SHINE. The course will continue along the same path as last year beginning and ending on Church Street in Downtown Smithville.
“We’re in year 19. We had a race back then when there were not a lot of races around. The Fiddler 5K is really a fun race. It’s very festive. People dress up in patriotic colors. Lots of families come out for the race. We encourage everyone to come out and join the fun with us. We have a good time. Be a part of it or come out and cheer the runners on. Its an exciting way to start your Saturday morning,” said Race Director Tecia Puckett Pryor.
Anybody who is interested in participating either in the one mile fun run or the 5K may go to www.fiddler5k.com where you’ll find a printable registration form that provides all the details of registration and a link to online registration.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW REGISTRATION FORM)http://www.fiddler5k.com/pdf/2017Fiddler5KRegistrationForm.pdf
The deadline for online pre-registration is midnight Wednesday, June 28 and paper registrations must be submitted no later than Monday, June 26.
“You may mail in the registrations to our P.O. Box 750 or you may drop them off by Monday afternoon, June 26 at my law office at 312 West Broad Street next to Griffin’s Fruit Market,” said Pryor.
Participants may sign up on race day, July 1 starting at 6:00 a.m. in the parking lot of Love-Cantrell Funeral Home but it costs a little more. The cost of race day registration is $30 and $25 for those age 18 and younger. For early registration it’s $25 for adults age 19 and older and for youth its $20 for ages 18 and younger.
“A perk of pre-registration is that you can show up on Friday night, June 30 from 5-7 p.m. at the Smithville First Baptist Church Life Enrichment Center and pick up your packet which includes your bib and t-shirt. That way you don’t have to get up quite as early on Saturday morning to check in. But you can check in as early as 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning if you pre-register,” Pryor continued.
“For our awards, we give an overall male award and a female award for the fastest runners. We also give a Masters award which is for the fastest male and female age 40 and older. We present the top three awards in the age categories of nine and younger, and then go up from there in five year increments. We give ribbons for those categories. For the Fun Run, we only give awards for children who are age twelve and younger. We give overall awards for male and female and then we do the top three. Everybody gets a nice ribbon and the overall winners get medals,” she said
The course is certified, chip timed and professionally managed by Tennessee Race Timing of Cookeville. Pre-registered participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt. Sponsors of the t-shirts are Wilson Bank & Trust, First Bank, Stonehaus Winery, Janney & Associates CPA, Los Lobos Mexican Restaurant, Federal Mogul, Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian Church, DeKalb Dental Center, and Glenda Davis CPA.
Funds raised through the Fiddler 5K support Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County. “All the money that we raise goes to Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County. We are in the process of selecting a new partner family and putting them in a home, which should occur this year. This money goes to a great cause,” said Pryor.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will be participating in Operation Dry Water, June 30-July 2. Operation Dry Water is a national weekend of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) awareness and enforcement campaign directed toward reducing alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities.
Operation Dry Water is held the weekend prior to the Independence Day (July 4) holiday to give BUI enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season. The TWRA is teaming with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). Operation Dry Water was started by the NASBLA in 2009.
TWRA boating officers will saturate high traffic areas on reservoirs across the state. Along with the use of life jackets and other safety practices, officers want boaters to be aware of the effects and ramifications of alcohol use. The TWRA will be intensifying efforts to detect and apprehend boat operators who are operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In 2016 during Operation Dry Water, there were 10 boating under the influence (BUI) arrests across the state. TWRA boating officers checked more than 4,000 vessels, issued 175 citations, 113 warnings, and assisted 94 boaters. There were four injury accidents and three property damage accidents reported.
Operating a boat with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 percent or higher is illegal in Tennessee, the same as operating a motor vehicle. Penalties may include fines, jail, boat impoundment and the loss of boat driving privileges.
Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boater deaths. Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion intensify the effects of alcohol, drugs and some medications.
For more information on Operation Dry Water, visit www.operationdrywater.org.

Members of the DeKalb Middle School Junior Beta Club departed by charter bus today (Saturday) on a trip to the National Convention at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
The club punched its ticket to Nationals after winning first place at the State Convention in November for their anti-bullying drama presentation called “Be the Change”.
The National Convention is underway now through Wednesday, June 28.
Josh Isaac, who wrote and choreographed the skit, said “Be the Change” sends a powerful message. Isaac spoke with WJLE in March. He is currently in the hospital and was unable to make the trip to Florida.
“I wanted to do something that was different but also something that put a message out there. What big of a message than bullying? That is something I think almost everyone can relate to at some time in their life. Social media bullying is something that is very much affecting all of our kids nowadays. We put this skit together. The kids came together. They really only had four to five practices which is an amazing feat in itself but we came together. I have never choreographed 48 kids together in my life. That was a little challenging but they worked hard and it paid off,” said Isaac.

“It’s called “Be the Change” and its basically about a group of kids bullying a girl. One of the kids steps out and says he doesn’t want to do that anymore and the choreography shows that. By one person changing it causes an affect on everyone. I feel like that is what we need in our schools and in our world because it just takes one to cause that affect for all,” he continued.

“The most exciting thing is about just sharing the message of this video “Be the Change”. Its going to be on a national level with a national stage. On the state level there were 8,000 people out there watching. This will be an even bigger place for us to show that everyone can make a difference,” he said.
Isaac said everyone associated with the club is thankful to the community for the financial donations and other support shown. “Our community has all come together to just be part of this, That’s a great thing about living in DeKalb County. Everyone rallies together” Isaac concluded.