Aurora Pulliam and Tina Guinn from the Tennessee Valley Authority presented Union County with a grant check for $30,000 at the Union County Commission meeting on April 25, 2022. The grant will address the erosion at the campground on Beech Island that could negatively impact the environment.
Pulliam, who manages the recreational agreement between TVA and Union County explained that Union County Mayor Justin Bailey had initiated a request for a review by TVA after the marina discovered a concerning erosion problem in the campground area in 2020.
Pulliam and Guinn, who is the TVA recreation manager, contacted the necessary agencies to evaluate the problem and formulate a plan. TVA funded the environmental impact study at no cost to Union County.
Tennessee Historic Preservation also had to review the plan to determine any impact to any historic property. TVA determined that the grant was appropriate under the recreational easement agreement that began as a 30-year lease and is renewed every ten years to ensure that Tennessee is the best place to live, work and play. The grant will be used for shoreline stabilization.
Also Pulliam noted 33 Marina, owned and operated by Larry Collier, has been designated as the first and only Green Marina by TVA. The 33 Marina received this certification by completing a rigorous process that required the clean use of water and land resources and the prevention and repair of any adverse environmental impacts.
Pullian concluded that TVA was proud of the powerful partnership with Union County and enjoyed working with Mayor Bailey and Union County to resolve this concern.
Dr. Jimmy Carter, Director of Union County Schools, addressed the Union County Commission regarding the new middle school. He stated that he just wanted to clear up some concerns that various commissioners and citizens had brought to his attention about the process and the role of the Board of Education.
He related that the first step under the process was to hire an architect and the school board hired the Lewis Group. The next step is to locate land. The school board voted to have the architect seek and review any available land and recommend the best property to meet state requirements and the need.
Originally, three properties were under consideration. However, one of the properties was eliminated by the owner.
Since the March commission meeting, two more properties have been added for consideration. As of this meeting, the McPhetridge property on Walker Ford, the Sexton tract on Beard Valley, the Helms property on SR 33 and the undeveloped Carr property next to the current middle school are being reviewed by the architect.
Carter related that the availability of sewer and water are among the many details being considered by the architect.
Carter emphasized that the school board has the money to purchase the recommended property due to a one time federal grant under the ESSER funds. He also related that some $10M in the fund balance had been acquired over many years and the board has agreed to use these funds to invest in the project during construction.
However, he noted that the school system did not intend to make payments on any loan that might be needed to complete the construction. Currently the school board is planning to purchase the property since the property would be needed no matter when a school was built.
Carter clarified that the Union County Board of Education did not have the information at this point in time to formally request that the Union County Commission finance the building of a new middle school. After the architect recommends suitable property for purchase and the school board buys the land, the architect will formulate an initial construction plan with the associated costs.
If the school board finds the construction plan feasible and votes to formally request that the new middle school be constructed, then Carter explained that he would address the commission and make the request. When asked for a timeline of completion, Carter stated that the Board of Education would like to open the new middle school by August of 2024.
Several commissioners commented that they were in favor of a middle school but would need specific costs and information to make a decision to finance the loan. Mayor Bailey noted that the $4.3M infrastructure money can be used to pay for utilities and that could lower the county's loan obligation.
During the public comments, Gregory Scott Simpson, a resident of the Fourth District lodged a formal ethics complaint against Commissioner Jeff Brantley for inappropriate comments made at a public gathering. Simpson gave Mayor Bailey a copy of the complaint.
Sheriff Billy Breeding reported that his office worked 794 calls during March including five wrecks with injury and 27 without injury. Officers booked 188 into the jail and 135 were released from jail to make the jail population equal to 57 at the end of March 2022.
The commission also approved its routine business. Commission accepted North Glen Road and Middle Glen Road as county roads as recommended by Superintendent of Roads David Cox. These roads are in Walnut Point and will add two-tenths of a mile to the county road list. Jeff Brantley voted against the approval.
Commission approved all of the budget amendments and transfers and Finance Director Missy Brown stated that all department’s budgets were as expected at the third quarter of the budget year. Most transfers were to move funds for the efficient use of grants, or to enter new grants, or to complete existing capital projects.
Mayor Bailey reported on the status of several grants. The state has increased the grant for the Luttrell Sports Complex by 25 percent to cover the increases in the cost of construction materials. The grant now totals $1.2M with $625,000 for each phase.
Representative Dennis Powers notified Mayor Bailey that the state budget had been approved and that the state will build a TCAT and Walters State Community College at or near the current high school. The state will pay the total cost of $9M for construction and the $1M GIVE Grant will fund the equipment. The colleges will also be operated by the state.
Mayor Bailey reported that concrete for the Farmers Market should be finished by the end of April and the market will have a soft opening on Saturday, May 7, at 1 p.m. Another celebration to open the pavilion at the farmers market will be on May 28 beginning at 5 p.m.
Lastly, Mayor Bailey shared that $5.8M in possible projects has been submitted to the state for review under the ARPA Grant, which is a part of the COVID relief funding. He explained that the state will send him a list of approved projects by April 29. Then the commission will decide which projects to fund with the $3.8M that Union County has to spend.
The next meeting of the Union County Commission will be Monday, May 23, with the FY23 budget scheduled to be discussed.