Tire recycling venture awaits action

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HUNTSVILLE — The establishment of a post-marketing venture which would turn shredded tires into mulch for playgrounds and other high-traffic areas awaits action by Scott County Commission in its upcoming Feb. 16 meeting.

The commission’s Community Development Committee, meeting in regular session Monday night, stopped short of giving its approval for the project to proceed, but did vote to forward the request on to the full commission to consider the matter.

According to County Mayor Rick Keeton, the request came in the form of a letter from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TDEC), basically asking the commission to sign off on the “Jackson Law” to allow the project to go forward.

County Attorney John Beaty said that the Jackson Law is a provision which requires the commission’s approval before any permanent disposal site (usually a landfill) is established in the county.

Beaty told the committee that, in his opinion, this situation “does not fall under the Jackson Law,” and is not aimed at “permanent disposal” under ground of the shredded tire material.

Apparently, however, TDEC needs an answer to its inquiry before the venture can proceed. But at least a few of the commissioners are hesitant to give their immediate approval. The reason cited being that one of the “local partnership,” involved in the venture, Johnny King, has a lawsuit pending against Scott County.

Early in the meeting Mayor Keeton explained that the proposed operation has plans to move into the former East Tennessee Trailer plant (and most recently, a Barna Log Homes plant), in Oneida’s Bear Creek Industrial Park, to which the shredded tires would be transported from a shredding operation in neighboring McCreary County for painting, packaging and selling of the recycled material — and putting anywhere from 30 to 50 people to work.

After establishing the fact that the planned venture would actually be under the auspices of the Town of Oneida and its Industrial Development Board, as well as TDEC’s permitting process.

Mayor Keeton said TDEC is being cautious in awarding tire-recycling permits due to two tire fires in Knoxville and another in West Tennessee in recent years. And although the facility planned for Oneida will not actually be working with old tires, TDEC is “being careful.”

Mayor Keeton added: “They (the partnership) are trying to go forward as fast as they can, but TDEC is slowing the process down.”

Commissioner Strunk asked County Attorney Beaty if King’s lawsuit against the county was still pending. After answering yes, Third District Commissioner Ernest Phillips said, “This would be a good time to check that out,” apparently meaning that negotiations should begin to end the lawsuit.
With that thought in mind, the committee members approved a motion by First District Commissioner Odeva Byrd to forward the request on to the full commission.

In other Community Development Committee business Monday night, the committee heard a request from Roger Lowe of the Smoky Creek community, who asked the committee’s assistance in getting a water line extended some 4,000 feet along Riverside Road to serve his newly-established campground as well as the residence of Randy Anderson.

After a brief discussion, during which Lowe said he would provide part of the expense necessary, it was decided an effort would be made to ask for assistance from the Huntsville Utility District.

Since other areas of the county are also in need of water line extensions, Mayor Keeton was asked by First District Commissioner Jeff Watson to develop a list of the requests, determine if any grant funds through state or federal agencies are available, and write letters to both local water utilities asking if they would be willing to provide the line if funds were raised through a collaborative effort to complete the line extension projects.

Watson’s request was put into the form of a motion by Byrd and carried by an all-aye vote.

The committee also voted to allow Mayor Keeton to apply for up to $500,000 through the 2010 HOME Grant program to rehabilitate homes of low income residents

EMERGENCY SERVICES COMMITTEE

By a vote of the Emergency Services Committee, Mayor Keeton was given the go-ahead to prepare an application to allow federal prisoners to be housed in the Scott County Jail.

The mayor said the application process is complicated, and could take up to two weeks to complete.

He indicated that there was no guarantee that the application would be approved, and that, even if approved, each site is negotiated individually as to the amount of money which would be provided to house federal inmates.

In other business, the committee heard a report from Emergency Communications Director Wayne Shoemaker concerning a “re-banding” process for two-way radios mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which will have to be completed by 2013.

Shoemaker also announced that a special “Weather Spotting” training session has been set for Thursday, Feb. 18, beginning at 1 p.m. in the Scott County Office Building, and is open for anyone who would like to be a National Weather Service (NWS) spotter for tornados and other weather-related emergencies. He said the hour to hour and a half session would be conducted by a NWS weather spotter trainer.

Earlier in the meeting, Scott County Ambulance Service Director Jim Reed reported on the status of the re-mounting of three ambulances (one in Georgia and two in Arkansas). Reed also requested and got the committee’s approval to elevate EMS employee Timothy Jordan “Jordy” Strunk, an EMT-IV, to full-time status.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE

Scott County Road Supt. Dick Sexton has asked the Intergovernmental Committee to consider assisting his department in the purchase of three new tractors and mower arms (at a cost of around $35,000 each), for keeping road right-of-ways mowed during the spring and summer months.

It’s for “safety of the people,” Sexton said, explaining that the bidding process needs to begin soon, as the price of tractors is expected to increase at the end of February.

The Scott County Finance Committee is expected to authorize the bid process at its upcoming Feb. 16 meeting.

The committee voted to approve and send on to the full commission a resolution which would establish a policy by which the county purchases real estate for public projects.

Drafted by Commissioner Paul Strunk and County Attorney John Beaty, the resolution establishes such guidelines as researching tax and deed records to complete a title opinion on property, creation of a five-member committee to conduct negotiations with property owners and recommend a purchase price to the commission, and, if the property being considered is one acre or larger and/or the asking price is 150% or greater than the assessed value, that a certified appraisal must be made.

In other business, the committee voted to support a resolution approved in Macon County asking the Tennessee General Assembly to amend an act passed in its last session that limits the number of children the Department of Human Services can take into custody in a given county unless the county pays for the process.

Mayor Keeton also informed the committee that State Senator Ken Yager is sponsoring a “Tennessee Adventure Tourism and Rural Development Act” in the current session of the General Assembly which contains provisions which would be beneficial to Scott County. One such provision calls for allowing off-road vehicles on “any streets, roads or highways designated for such purpose and included within the boundaries of an adventure tourism district” so designated by local governmental entities.

No votes were recorded for the Building and Grounds Committee, which briefly discussed being able to utilize state prisoner labor as early as month’s end to begin remodeling work at the 911 Emergency Communications Building.