On January 18, Mayor Bailey hosted the first of many Union County Project Planning Meetings. About half of the county commissioners and at least one school board member attended along with some elected officials and about a dozen members of the general public.

The Mayor solicited ideas from the audience before launching some “out of the box” ideas of his own. Among the ideas offered by the audience were a new jail, a middle school, a new Maynardville Elementary, more businesses, jobs, sports facilities for youth, services for seniors, a vocational school, a community college, more restaurants, no new taxes, broadband, full service recycling, water lines, better roads, and tourist attractions. As the audience ideas waned, the Mayor unveiled what he entitle “ the County Union”. The County Union would construct a new middle school and repurpose HMMS to a comprehensive sports and community facility.

Calling the County Union the result of an afternoon conversation with Director of Schools Jimmy Carter, the Mayor stressed that “this is just a first draft idea and would need a lot of work.” The Mayor overlayed the idea over the floor plan of HMMS. Beginning with the cafeteria and 8th grade hall, Maynardville Public Library would move to the HMMS Library, Office on Aging would move to classrooms along with the Chamber, ETHRA, Walter's State, and the Election Office. The seniors along with others could make use of the large dining room and a professional kitchen.

Traveling up the sloped landing to where the old typing rooms were and where much of seventh grade currently exists, would transform into the County Finance Department, Family Resource, Social Work, Veteran's affairs, and the Main Office for the building.

Continuing up the back hall might be historical archives and records storage. The Children's Center might relocate to the classrooms on the upper side of the auditorium, while Union County Extension and Soil Conservation could be in the classrooms on the lower side. The auditorium could be used by multiple groups for training, programs, and performances by the Union County Opry. Six rooms in between the gym and an outside entrance could be rented out for community use or retail space.

At the back of the building where the School Maintenance is located could become centralized emergency facilities. EMS would comprise 5 bays with Maynardville Fire Department occupying one bay. County Maintenance, 911 Dispatch, and the sheriff's office could occupy the remainder of this space.

Mayor Bailey offered proof that the county could afford to build a school by stating that UCHS will be paid off in 2020 and Paulette will be paid for in 2026. Funding for a new middle school would also require $5 million from the school budget and approximately $10 million from the county budget. Of course, much more study and discussion regarding the funding would be addressed in future meetings. In all likelihood the project will change too.

Just as the audience began to digest the “County Union”, Mayor Bailey shared his last idea: to make Maynardville Elementary into the “new” county jail with classrooms becoming jail cells.

You are encouraged to view the video and attend the next Project Planning Session to be announced in April. Please contact Mayor Bailey's office at 865-992-3061 to comment.