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TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2004
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Tri-counties Reflect Increased Employment During April |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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Carroll and Henry counties showed some employment
increases in the construction, manufacturing and trade
sectors during the April reporting period, while
Weakley County reported slight increases in
construction and government, according to Judith
Bradberry, Labor Market Analyst for the Tennessee
Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Carroll County's jobless rate was 9.9 percent, down
from the 10.2 percent the previous month. The rate is
also down more than one percentage point from 11.0
percent reported for the same time period last year.
From a labor force of 12,410, a total of 11,180
persons were employed. A total of 1,230 countians were
unemployed, as compared to 1,320 for the same period
last year.
Henry County's unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in
April, down from 8.8 percent the previous month and
the same as April 2003. From a labor force of 14,370,
a total of 13,190 were employed, leaving 1,180
unemployed.
Weakley County's jobless rate was 6.0 in April, down
from 6.9 percent in March. April's rate is also down
from April 2003, when the rate was reported at 6.7
percent. From a labor force of 16,600, a total of
15,610 were employed and 990 were unemployed.
For the second time this year, Tennessee's monthly
unemployment rate is below 5.0 percent, dropping to
4.9 percent for April from 5.0 percent in March,
Commissioner of Labor & Workforce Development James
Neeley announced today. The state remains below the
national rate, which is 5.6 for April, down from 5.7
percent in March.
"A positive sign we're pleased to note is that durable
goods manufacturing increased by 400 jobs from April
2003 to April 2004," said Neeley. "This sector has had
continuous over-the-year declines since 2000, so an
actual increase is good news."
Other gains from April 2003 to 2004 were in
trade/transportation/utilities, up by 7,800;
educational/health services, increasing by 7,300; and
leisure/hospitality, growing by 6,000. Decreases from
April 2003 to April 2004 were in nondurable goods
manufacturing, down by 1,300; state government
decreased by 1,000; and information was down by 900.
"The slight dip in the unemployment rate is supported
by moderately strong employment growth across most
major industries," said Neeley. Major month-to-month
increases were seasonal in nature: leisure/hospitality
was up by 9,500 and construction grew by 3,400.
Decreases over the month occurred in manufacturing:
furniture production was down by 300 jobs; wood
products decreased by 300; and transportation
equipment lost 200.
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CARROLL COUNTY CHAMBER AWARDED $15,000 GRANT |
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By Linda Bolton
linda@mckenziebanner.com |
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The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce has been
awarded a Rural Business Enterprise Grant by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Rural Development
division, according to U.S. Rep. John Tanner, who
represents Tennessee's Eighth Congressional District.
"I am delighted the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce
was selected for this grant," Tanner said.
"Stimulating business development is so important to
rural communities like Carroll County, and I am sure
this technology will help the Chamber do just that."
The grant, which is in the amount of $15,000, will be
used to improve office technology at the Chamber.
Chamber President Brad Hurley stated, "Through working
with our Congressional delegation and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture through its rural
development office, we were able to secure this grant
to add tools to our recruiting of new jobs to Carroll
County," said Mr. Hurley.
The Chamber will use the audio visual aids, such as
plasma screens, and other software technology it
acquires to recruit industries and to enhance its
existing industry program.
"The technology will allow the ability to make
PowerPoint presentations to groups at various
industrial sites," added Hurley. "Clearly, when you
look around the country, technology is being used more
and more in industry recruitment."
"This grant will allow us to upgrade our equipment and
software to the latest state of the art technology
that is available," he said.
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Watershed Authority Files Condemnation Lawsuit |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
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Three owners of land along Crooked Creek are facing a
lawsuit asking for the condemnation of their property.
Carroll County Watershed Authority filed the lawsuit
in Carroll County Circuit Court after the landowners
failed to negotiate an acceptable purchase price for
the property. The lawsuit asks the court to determine
the value of the land.
Randall R. Stutts and wife, Marietta Stutts, of
Kingston Springs, Jeffrey D. Davis of Nashville, and
Francis M. Adelman and wife, Susan, of Nashville are
listed as the defendants in the case. Records show
that the property was purchased on September 10, 1999
for a price of $540,000 from Tippitt Farms, a
Tennessee partnership with owners Larry, Tommy, and
Glenn Tippitt.
The lawsuit reads, "Said defendant landowners have
misled plaintiff (Watershed Authority) and are
attempting to defeat plaintiff's right to condemn the
aforesaid described property for the purpose of
supplying a mitigation site for the construction of
Carroll County Lake by placing said property with the
Natural Resources Conservation Service...Defendant
landowners' actions, if not restrained, will violate
the rights of the applicant authority, causing
plaintiff to suffer immediate and irreparable harm,
causing immediate injury and damages, as said
mitigation site is specifically required and called
for in the plaintiff's permit for construction of
Carroll County Lake." The mitigation site's proposed
location is recorded at the Register of Deeds office
as part of the process of permitting.
Attorney Robert T. Keeton, Jr. said Circuit Judge
Guinn has issued a restraining order in favor of the
plaintiffs.
Construction of a wetland mitigation site is a
necessary step to the building of a 977-acre
recreational watershed lake along Reedy Creek in the
Leach Community.
During an 8:00 a.m. meeting Friday, the Authority
voted to escrow up to $625,000 for the purchase of the
property designated as the mitigation site for the
Authority. Keeton was authorized to deposit the funds
with the Circuit Court. The Authority will obtain the
funds through the issuance, sale and payment of an
interest-bearing revenue bond.
Dale Kelley, secretary for the Authority, said the
landowners established a purchase price to which the
Authority made a counter-offer in January.
Negotiations ceased at that time.
Keeton said the property is known as the old Browning
farm, once owned by the late Governor Gordon Browning.
It is agricultural land that is bordered by Crooked
and Gwin creeks. The land is intentionally flooded
during duck-hunting season for recreational purposes.
In November 2000, local voters approved a $10 increase
in the wheel tax to fund the $3 million local share of
the estimated $10 million project. That tax rate was
imposed in December 2002 after the U.S. Corps of
Engineers issued a '404' permit allowing the lake's
construction. Because 119 acres of existing wetland
will be displaced with the construction of the lake,
the Authority was mandated by the Corps to replace the
displaced wetlands with an alternate site. The land in
question will serve as the mitigation site. Trees will
be planted in the area and two miles of stream will be
returned to its original pre-channelized streambed.
During the early 1900s, Crooked Creek and many small
rivers in West Tennessee were channelized, which has
proved to be problematic in later years. The
restoration of a creek to its original bed will be a
"model project" and the first in the nation, said
Kelley.
The mitigation site and the lake should develop in
tandem. Construction cannot begin on the lake without
first beginning at the mitigation site, said the
secretary.
Last month, the Authority installed the stream
monitoring system along Reedy Creek, which will be
dammed to create the new lake. The stream monitoring
system gauges the quality of the stream and must be
installed a minimum of one year prior to the beginning
of construction.
Land surveys are presently being conducted on the
proposed lake site, said Kelley. Those surveys are
expected to be completed within the month. |
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Planning Commission Mulls Truck Route Safety,
Construction Concerns |
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McKenzie city planners heard from one of their own
Thursday, when commission member Larry Webb expressed
concerns about heavy truck usage on College Drive and
Magnolia East. Webb wondered if the road were
constructed to bear the weight of the large trucks that
use the streets as a shortcut to Doane's Pet Foods on
Euclid Avenue, however his motion to stop the traffic
failed for a lack of second.
Webb caution that College Drive, which runs from Highway
22N to downtown McKenzie and provides easy access to
Bethel College and the Como Street park, may have
already been damaged by heavy truck traffic. He said
that sewer and water lines beneath the street could
suffer damage if the practice continued, and that the
large trucks also posed a hazard to pedestrians and
cyclists.
"Somebody's going to get hurt eventually," he advised.
The established truck route to Doane's Pet Care runs
along Highland Drive to Cedar Street, to Stonewall, and
out Magnolia Avenue, all of which are part of the state
highway system and should be constructed for heavy use,
officials explained.
Mayor Walter Winchester advised that Elm Street, which
connects Walnut and Euclid, is off limits to trucks.
Commissioner Virginia Claire Edwards questioned if use
by heavy trucks was an issue during construction of the
drive. Codes officer Ray Berryman said the city hadn't
intended for the route to be used as a short cut for
trucks, but added, "Nothing was said about no trucks on
College Drive."
FARMER'S MARKET
The commission approved unanimously, with Commissioner
Wade Allen absent, Webb's motion to recognize the
triangular area opposite Fred's Store as a "Farmers'
Market," for use of vegetable and fruit producers who
reside within Carroll, Weakley or Henry counties, and to
prohibit "flea market" type vendors from operating
within the city limits. The recommendation now goes to
the City Council for consideration.
The vote came after an extensive discussion, during
which Co-chairman Deborah Turner, acting in the absence
of Chairman Mark Warren, said she had been told that a
veterans' park was planned for the area. The mayor said
two individuals approached him about the possibility of
establishing a veterans' park there, but he added that
no final decision had been made.
Winchester said he had contacted the owner of the
McKenzie Shopping Plaza concerning the possibility of
using parking space for a Farmers' Market, but that he
had received no answer to date. He also mentioned the
lot behind Super Drugs in the downtown area, however,
discussion determined the location would not be readily
visible to chance customers.
A third area discussed was the lot across from the
Tennessee Department of Transportation facility on
Highland Drive. Berryman said the lot was owned by Mrs.
Virginia Manner.
Winchester said that while he was employed at E.W. James
Grocery, only three or four local growers inquired about
selling produce there. That led him to believe there
were few local growers with excess crops, unless they
were selling their produce elsewhere, he said.
In addition to offering opportunity to buyers and
sellers of fresh produce, a second reason for a proposed
Farmers' Market was to preclude use of the area across
from Fred's and other areas by unattractive enterprises
that might compete with local markets-with the exception
of local growers protected by ordinance from permit
fees.
At Robb's request, Winchester read a city ordinance that
prohibits vendors from selling without permit, while
acknowledging that vendors currently peddling their
wares on the site opposite Fred's have not purchased
permits.
Turner expressed dismay as to why current laws are not
being enforced despite discussion in both the Planning
Commission and City Council regarding the regulation or
elimination of such enterprises. Winchester responded,
"You grease the squeaky wheel," adding no citizens had
complained. After consulting with other town
governments, he was advised, "if it's not causing a
problem we just let it go." Berryman said he thought
that the ordinance should to be amended to collect an
annual permit fee.
Edwards opined that the issue was not simple and asked
whose responsibility it was to enforce the ordinance.
Winchester said the Police Department is responsible for
policing the ordinance, but added," Right now as long as
they're not causing a problem we're permitting it and
right or wrong that's the way it is."
Turner stated the commission needed to set some
priorities for what it hoped to accomplish: regulation
or abolition of vendors other than local producers or
the establishment of a Farmers' Market alone. She
further said she viewed vendors of other than locally
grown produce - with no overhead, no employees and no
taxes - as opportunists in competition with merchants
who did bear those costs. |
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These stories and more exclusively
in the print edition: |
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- Casting for a Cure Hooks $8K for Cancer Research
- Carroll County Raises $103,000 for United Way
- Disciple Bears Cross
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Huntingdon Budget Proposed -
Playground, Downtown Renovation, Department Upgrades
Projected |
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A public hearing scheduled for the June 22 meeting
of the Huntingdon Town Council will give citizens a
chance to comment on the town's proposed FY 2005 (July
2004 - June 2005) budget. The meeting is scheduled for
5:30 p.m.
First hearing on an ordinance to approve and adopt the
budget, including the general fund, drug fund, special
projects fund, solid waste collection fund, utility
fund, and public improvement fund and to adopt the
property tax rate for the 2004 tax year passed
unanimously on first reading Tuesday evening, during
the council's regular session.
The budget maintains the prior year tax rate of $1.29
and includes a 15 cent per hour pay raise for all
employees effective July 1 plus an additional 15 cents
per employee on the anniversary of his or her date of
hire.
Mayor Dale Kelley commented that the budget carries
previous years' commitments for economic development
and community growth to "the next level with the
development of the new 107 acres Industrial Park
South, the Downtown Renovation and Revitalization
Project, and the construction of the state-of-the-art
performing arts center."
Major projects above normal operation costs included
approximately $44,000 to fund the Carroll County
Economic partnership and $10,000 to support the
Huntingdon Industrial Development Board; $500,000
(funded by a TEA-21 grant) for downtown renovation;
$34,000 in phase III of an LPRF grant for the
construction of a pavilion at Sesquicentennial Park
and a playground at the adjacent Kelley Sports
Complex; a $106,000 HOME grant project; and the lease
of a patrol car, the purchase of a pick-up truck for
the Fire Department, and the purchase of a pick-up
truck for the Public Works Department.
The $3,590,200 general fund projects revenues over
expenditures of $950.00; the drug fund reflects a
break-even budget with $5,000 estimated in revenues
from drug related fines, $3,000 in capital expenses
and $2,000 in confidential funds. The solid waste
collection fund also projects equal amounts of
collections and expenditures with $70,000 to be
transferred to the general fund for the retirement of
a note to purchase equipment.
The utility fund estimates a loss of $51,900. The
$1,745,750 fund includes raises for employees as
stated in the general fund budget and a $75,000
required match for the $550450 CDBG sewer slip-lining
project.
The public improvement fund provides for lease
collection, payment of insurance and the retirement of
debt for the new post office, and reflects an
estimated $50 in revenue over expenses.
The new $3,043,600 DCPA (Dixie Carter Performing Arts
and Academic Enrichment Center) special project fund
projects $2,100 in revenues over expenses. The fund
was established upon auditors' recommendation as a way
of streamlining accounting for the project.
Kelley reiterated the town's dedication to meeting the
needs of citizens and community: "Since 1992 we've
accomplished many tasks they said couldn't be done,
but through the leadership of our council, the
dedication and talents of our employees, and the
co-operative support of our community, we've seen
improvements to roads, closure of the landfill site,
improvements and upgrades to our water and sewer
systems, lagoon upgrades, park upgrades, construction
of a new postal facility, renovation of the old postal
facility, the purchase of two new fire trucks, as well
as the institution of two new fire stations. These
projects were completed while maintaining the highest
quality of protection and service for our community as
well as a sufficient increase to our fund balances."
In other matters the council:
- Approved on second and final reading an
ordinance amending zoning to allow multi-family
housing as a use upon appeal in the B-3 (central
business) district. The action took place following
a public hearing at which no citizen made comment;
- Approved on second and final reading an
ordinance amending the Huntingdon Municipal Code to
prohibit the placement of basketball goals alongside
or within public rights-of-way; and
- Awarded the Pinnacle of Excellence award to the
Huntingdon High School baseball team for their
participation in the State Semi-Finals competition
and passed a resolution honoring the life of former
President Ronald Reagan. See related story for more
information on these items.
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or Fax (731)
352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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