Benchmarks 2019 | Section F | Perspectives

SECTION F

PERSPECTIVES

BENCHMARKS EDITION March 29, 2019 www.g reenevillesun.com

Page 2

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

Downtown, Economic Development On List Of Highlights, Initiatives

BY EUGENIA ESTES STAFF WRITER Greeneville is continuing initiatives on several fronts in 2019, most notably ongoing redevelopment of its downtown. Mayor W.T. Daniels, after winning re-election in 2018, recently sat down to discuss highlights and challenges of those initiatives with The Greeneville Sun. Q. Looking back over 2018, what were the biggest achievements for the Town of Greeneville?

A. One of our accomplishments was accreditation of the police department. There was a huge amount of work by the (former) chief (Terry Cannon) and Mike Crum, and participation by a lot of the officers in the police department that achieved that accreditation. It is very important.

Another success was our clean audit. It is an ongoing process, and I think it is very important for any community. You have to pay attention to finances and how things are done.

Another thing that needs to be recognized is the approval of construction of the dog park and Frisbee golf park. We are also building an all inclusive playground at Hardin Park. Thanks to the Parks and Recreation Department for carrying the torch for that. It will be a good thing for all of Greeneville.

We also bought another new fire truck. That is one thing we try to concentrate on — maintaining and improving the ISO rating. We have one of the best fire departments anywhere.

Those are some of the things that I feel good about that we have accomplished in the past year.

Q. The Downtown Redevelopment Project has had a good start with the preliminary design for the Depot Street streetscape well underway. How can the

SUN PHOTO BY EUGENIA ESTES

Greeneville Mayor W.T. Daniels

town’s investment help spur private development?

A. People want to see the involvement of the city. In other words, if the city is willing to do the infrastructure and to provide the infrastructure for growth and development, I think development will come about. We are already starting to see some renovation on buildings. It is important that the city is involved because we are responsible for the infrastructure. People may say, “We need a brewery, we need a retailer, we need a restaurant.” But that is not the business we are in — we are in the business to provide the infrastructure for growth and development.

We are working on the preliminary (streetscape) design now and I am looking forward to that. Like I have said, we are already seeing people willing to

make an investment in downtown. We have also been working with some retailers and basically trying get their attention that it would be a good move on their part to make an investment in downtown. I think the future looks good.

The town has been involved in downtown redevelopment for years. An example is the Town of Greeneville built the conference center at the hotel (the General Morgan Inn) and we used TIF (tax increment financing) dollars to pay that back. It worked.

Through the hotel’s property tax, the money went in to retire that debt. Now, the conference center is on the tax roll. We are receiving tax money and the county is too, because it is now private property.

I don’t think I have ever seen anything that has created more

excitement for the downtown than the redevelopment plan.

I am really looking forward it.

The downtown is the nucleus of Greene County. We just need to preserve our heritage.

Q. The Greeneville Municipal Airport Authority has made great strides in the past year as it has assumed responsibility for the facility. How would you like to see the airport grow in the next five years?

A. I would define the airport as a doorway to your community through aviation. And aviation, as we know, is so important today. The Airport Authority we have are a forward-thinking group of individuals, and it is something to be excited about.

When you talk about the airport, some people are concerned about the money involved, but most of the local monies ever spent at the airport is basically a match to funds from the federal government. Mostly, it is a 5 percent match. If we don’t take advantage of the grants, they will go someplace else.

I am really pleased with what we have been able to accomplish at the airport. I think we will get a return on our investment at the airport. I firmly believe that we would not have the industries we have if it was not for the airport. As far as economic development, we should cultivate the facility even more so. I am hoping that we will see more corporate use at the airport and to do more of what we did for MedTrans. They constructed their building and we did a land lease for the property. After a period of time, that building becomes property of the Airport Authority. We want to look at how we can update the facilities and that is what is in our plans.

We want to see what funds are out there.

I am excited about the airport.

Because of all the work has been done, there are other properties that can be developed. It is a great opportunity for Greeneville and Greene County.

Q. Several retailers will be opening later this year in the Greeneville Commons shopping center. How can the town continue to attract new businesses and industries to continue to build the tax base?

A. The town can do that by continuing to provide a national award-winning school system, excellent services in health care, and top-notch recreational programs and facilities. Industry executives want to locate in communities that have those type of amenities for their employees and families.

Also, the town must provide infrastructure that will support growth and development — roads, water, sewer, power and most recently our work with Greeneville Light & Power System to enable them to possibly develop broadband service in the future.

Finally, the town also takes every opportunity to have conservations like we had with Brixmor Property Group to bring retailers to the Commons.

Q. What is the biggest challenge that you see for the town in the coming year?

A. We have created jobs, but we need people with strong work ethic to fill those jobs. While we have many excellent young citizens, our challenge is to teach all our youth the importance of personal responsibility so they can be more productive members of our community. And it is not only young people, but all ages.

Personal responsibility is hugely important in the success of any community. If you have people who just don’t care, you have a problem. Our challenge is to teach personal responsibility.

Benchmarks F Advertiser Index Benchmarks F Story Index Downtown, Economic Development On List Of Highlights, Initiatives ............................2 Morrison Sees Economic Development, Education To Be Big Issues Coming Up ............3 Baileyton Focused On Infrastructure In 2018, 2019 ..........................................................5 With New Police Dept. Created, Mosheim Mayor Eyeing Infrastructure Projects ........... 8 Tusculum Mayor Wants To Continue Momentum On Commercial Development ...........9 McLain Discusses Successes, Challenges For Greene County Schools. ............................ 11 Starnes Shares Perspective On Future Challenges For Greeneville School System .........13

Business & Service Guide ............................................................................................. 12-13 Childhood Education Guide ................................................................................................2 Church Guide ......................................................................................................................10 Clubs & Organizations Guide ..............................................................................................9 Dance & Gymnastics Guide .................................................................................................2 Financial Guide................................................................................................................... 11 Golf Guide ............................................................................................................................9 Hometown Realty of Greeneville Inc. ................................................................................14 Honor Roll Guide ................................................................................................................2 Local Business Guide.......................................................................................................... 8 People’s Choice Guide ......................................................................................................6-7 Pet Care Guide .....................................................................................................................3 Real Estate Guide ................................................................................................................4 Security Guide ....................................................................................................................14 Storage Guide ..................................................................................................................... 8 Wedding Guide ....................................................................................................................5

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GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 3

Morrison Sees Economic Development, Education To Be Big Issues Coming Up

BY MICHAEL S. RENEAU EDITOR When Kevin Morrison took over as Greene County mayor in September 2018, a few big issues leapt to the forefront of his agenda.

Much of Morrison’s time — and Greene County government’s time — has been spent dealing with those issues: the county’s ongoing legal dispute with Clerk and Master Kay Solomon Armstrong, permit violations at the Greene County Highway Department from the previous administration and equipment/facility needs at the Greene County Jail and Solid Waste Department.

“The tempo has been incredible the first six months,” Morrison said in an interview at his office earlier this month. “You have those things that sort of happen. You can call them emergencies, I guess, or things that come up. …

Then you have your vision that you campaigned on, for instance. And sometimes, because of the first two, your vision gets put on the backburner.”

Morrison made the comments a day after the Greene County Commission voted 20-1 to approve a settlement

Kevin Morrison

agreement he reached with Armstrong and that a judge signed off on. Though the county’s appeal of a May 2018 ruling in the case is still being litigated, for now the issue appears to be off the top of the county’s agenda list.

“We’re getting some relief now for some of the emergencies that have come up,” Morrison said.

FINANCES, BUDGETS One of the basics for county government is managing its money. As budgeting season draws near (the county’s fiscal year ends on June 30), Morrison was optimistic about the county’s standing.

“We’ll be able to put a great budget together with

the money that we have,” Morrison said. “I don’t anticipate that there will be a tax increase.”

In recent years, the county has found itself facing budget shortfalls that have required either using money from the county’s fund balance — or reserves — to plug the gap or instituting a tax increase, either in property tax rates or the wheel tax.

Morrison referred to all the county departments’ fund balances as being “healthy.”

Morrison, who first ran for county mayor in 2010 and lost, said one of his campaign platforms in both mayoral races has been to allocate one-time monies for one-time expenses, not to use one-time monies for recurring expenses. That’s a problem he doesn’t think Greene County will face heading into the 2019-20 budget year.

“That’s good financial management,” he said. He also credited previous Mayor David Crum and the previous county commission for handing down a budget that was “well put together.”

Morrison thinks by the end of 2019, Greene County will be able to commit funds needed to complete Greene County 911’s ongoing efforts

to centralize all dispatching for emergency services in the county.

“We have the vision and the action plan in place now to hopefully finish that by fall,” Morrison said.

That will also include getting the sheriff’s department and Greene County-Greeneville EMS on a digital, statewide radio system already being utilized by the Greeneville Police Department. The system helps streamline communication between departments in the event of a catastrophe. Morrison said finances should not be a hinderance to that.

“We think we can do it fairly easily,” he said.

Morrison credited department heads in his optimism on the county’s finances.

“We’ve got arguably the best budget director we’ve ever had,” Morrison said. “Danny Lowery is very capable. He’s a phenomenal resource for us. And we’ve got great, very fiscally conservative, judicious department heads that aren’t out here committing to spending that we can’t support.”

Having fundamental financial management in place along with principles on how to fund initiatives moving forward will help

deal with other funding issues that seem to come up every year. For example, a study has found EMS workers to be underpaid (an issue Morrison said was present in the entire region). Another: General Sessions Judge Kenneth Bailey Jr. has asked for several years for the county to consider adding another sessions or juvenile judge.

Those questions may come up again this year, Morrison said, but having stable financial footing helps officials understand whether they can commit funding to address them.

EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT An issue that dominated Greene County for the first half of 2018 and that could return again in 2019 is school consolidation.

While the Greene County Commission voted in August 2018 not to fund a plan to consolidate several Greene County schools and shift to a one-high-school system, the declining enrollment in the school system — which leads to less funding from the state — hasn’t gone away.

It appears that Greene County will again be at a crossroads. Earlier in March,

the company that formulated the last consolidation plan for the Greene County Board of Education presented a new proposal that more slowly consolidates the county’s schools and shifts Greene County to a twohigh-school system by 2035.

The education issue doesn’t stand on its own, according to Morrison.

“I think it’s imperative, at least from the leader of the county’s perspective, to grow the county from an economic development standpoint so that we’re recruiting more younger families to come here,” Morrison said. “I think that is a great missing piece that we haven’t had up till now. We’re bleeding with people that have children.”

Morrison sees the Greene County Board of Education’s role to decide what way is best to deliver education — be that through the current set-up or moving toward consolidation. He sees his job as county mayor to ask questions that help the school board make that decision, for example: Is utilizing K-8 schools as high school feeder schools better than having more middle schools?

SEE MORRISON ON PAGE 5

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Page 4

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

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GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

MORRISON

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 5

Baileyton Focused On Infrastructure In 2018, ’19

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

“I think it’s imperative, for instance, that the school system learn why people are leaving the system,” Morrison said. “We want to retain that brain power. What conditions, environments are we creating to do that?”

Strengthening the economic opportunities in Greene County will help the school system, he said. And six months into his first term, with other issues behind him, Morrison is now hoping he can focus on economic development more.

“I guess to sum it up best, we’re headed in the right direction,” he said. “But economic development, job creation, business and industry, retail recruitment — that is a big, heavy rock. To get it rolling and keep it rolling takes a monumental effort. But we’re getting started.”

Morrison highlighted cooperation between government entities and officials as paramount in many situations. He said the same thing applies in economic development, naming specifically efforts to work with the Greene County Partnership and the First Tennessee Development District.

Another way to have improve is to maintain what has been a focus for Greene County for several years: “To have more people prepared for service: mechanics, auto repair, computer repair, different types of technical education to be focused on,” he said.

THE YEAR AHEAD As the official who steers much of the conversation Greene County government will be having, in his first six months in office, Morrison said his biggest lesson thus far is that that things aren’t always as simple as they may seem from the outside.

“The greatest thing I’ve probably learned is our place,” he said. “And I’m saying ‘our’ — Greene County’s — place in terms of government activity and again, where and how things can be altered, for instance, for our benefit. It’s very easy to say, ‘We just need to do this.’ But the recipe for the sausage is sometimes a lot more intricate that what we happen to think. You stop and think before you act. Because there are many things that weigh greatly on where you can do what you want to do, whether you can go where you want to go, whether you can build what you want to build.”

BY LORELEI GOFF SUN CONTRIBUTOR The Town of Baileyton focused on a variety of infrastructure improvements in 2018, according to Baileyton Mayor Tommy Casteel.

Casteel said the state recommended a few safety and security upgrades in 2018 that will carry over into 2019.

“We’ve got to make the town hall more safe,” Casteel said. “We’re changing all the locks. It’s been so many years since we’ve changed locks and all that. It’s time we do it again.”

The flow of foot traffic in town hall will change with the installation of service windows in the interior hall of the town hall building between the recorder’s office and police department. After the installation of the service windows, the offices will remain locked to the public. The windows will sit opposite each other so that law enforcement personnel can see the recorder’s office.

“We’re probably one of the last (government offices) to start doing that,”

Tommy Casteel

Casteel said.

The windows have been ordered at a cost of about $8,000, said Town Recorder Barbara Tilson.

“It’s going to be better security but this being a small town, people do like to come in,” Tilson said.

“They like to see us face to face and sometimes they like to talk. But then you have those others that are not so nice.”

Another security upgrade will see additional fencing added this year to the sewer treatment plant lot to enclose a portion of it for cars that have been seized during law enforcement operations. The lot is currently

fenced but the state requires that the cars be held in a separate, secure area. The cars are held on the lot until the court determines if they will be released to the town, at which time they may become the property of the town.

About $1,000 of electrical upgrades were completed in the town hall building last year and the restrooms at the Baileyton City Park and Walking Trail were renovated.

Casteel indicated the improvements have depleted the town’s general fund budget.

“We couldn’t afford to do all we needed to last year, so part of it is going to have to run into this year,” Casteel said. “We had $15,000 in building fund repairs and maintenance and we’ve spent all of that.”

Casteel said patching and paving the town’s streets is high on the list of priorities for this year.

“We’ve got a lot of patching and paving to do all over town,” he said.

“I don’t know how much of that we’re going to be able to get done. Prob-

ably half the streets in Baileyton need it. There are holes. We’ve got a lot of damage. We need to do a lot of ditching.”

Casteel said the damage is in part from the extremely cold weather and high rainfall the area has experienced but also because there is a backlog of work due to insufficient funding.

“We only get $12,000 in fuel tax,” Casteel said.

“That’s what makes it hard to pave our streets.

The fuel tax is allocated by population.”

Casteel noted that the county roads are badly in need of repair too.

Work begun last year through a $500,000 grant for North Greene Utilities to extend water lines and add new meters is expected to be completed by the end of this fiscal year.

The town of Baileyton Police Department grew last year. The department now employs three full time officers and two auxiliary officers. Casteel said a drug take back box installed in 2018 has been a benefit to the community SEE BAILEYTON ON PAGE 8

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Page 6

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

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GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 7

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Page 8

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

With New Police Dept. Created, Mosheim Mayor Eyeing Infrastructure Projects

BY LISA WARREN STAFF WRITER Mosheim’s government had a busy 2018 with the creation of a new police department. Now that the endeavor is complete, Mosheim Mayor Tommy Gregg is looking forward to other infrastructure projects and seeing more commercial development near Interstate 81’s Exit 23.

Q. Under your leadership, the Town of Mosheim has continued to grow and prosper. During the past year, what are some projects that you were able to cross off your to-do list from your long-term planning?

A. The establishment of the Mosheim Police Department this past year has been one of the biggest things. That had been something that has been on my 10-year planning list for years now.

Everyone seems to be tickled over the fact that we have a municipal police presence here now. Most of the feedback that we’ve had about the new police department has been good.

We’ve not had too much said that has been negative.

The Mosheim officers have been assisting the sheriff’s department on wrecks and working other calls here and it has been working well.

Attorney Linda Woolsey, who will be hearing cases related to municipal violations in Mosheim, was sworn in March 18 at the Mosheim municipal court

Tommy Gregg

judge. The first court meeting was held March 18. The municipal court will be held on the third Monday of each month at Mosheim Town Hall.

Another major happening that had now started are the traffic safety upgrades at the Dulaney Road and Railroad Street intersection and at the Spring Street intersection on Andrew Johnson Highway. There are going to be some extensive changes made at these two intersections. The cost for the state is expected to be about $1 million for the safety upgrades. It will take about 4-5 months to get it finished. This will be the final phase of the Andrew Johnson Highway intersection upgrades that we have been working with the state on since 2014. We got the first phase of it done this past year, and this year, TDOT will finish it up.

Q. What other accomplishments were you pleased that took place for the town during the past year?

A. We got our water tank repainted and resur-

faced, which was about an $86,000 project for the town.

Construction is also now underway on our maintenance building for the town’s highway department and the water department. That construction is due to be completed

by April 19. The cost for the maintenance building is about $110,000.

Another major accomplishment during the past year was that we completed our Blue Springs Parkway paving. The project began at Lover’s Lane and went toward Greeneville past Big Springs Drive. The cost for that 6-mile stretch of paving was around $800,000.

Q. What upcoming projects are you seeing on the horizon in

Mosheim?

A. We’ve got some changes that hopefully will be made down at the interstate at Exit 23. We’re working with TDOT on the northbound exit ramp.

When the trucks come off there, they have to swing over clean to the right lane to turn. We’re wanting to get those concrete curbs removed and paved. It will make it easier for the trucks. On the southbound side, we’re looking at a radar system to replace the loop wires. TDOT is also planning on paving there as well.

Also at Exit 23, we anticipate to seeing some dirt getting pushed hopefully by this spring or the first of summer at the Mosheim Crossroads property de-

velopment site. I hope the Mosheim Planning Commission will be hearing from the property developer Randy Corlew about site plans within the next three months.

Across the road from the Mosheim Crossroads site, Darlene Dixon has been working toward an RV park. Her road onto that property is ready to go, and now, it is up to her whether or not she wants to proceed with that project. I hope she gets in there and does it. She will have to bring the site plans to the Town of Mosheim for approval before she can start.

We’re also in the process of upgrading a lot of our sewer pumping stations.

We’ve applied for a grant to work on the North Mohawk

pumping station. It’s one of the older stations and it’s located right next to the creek and we’ve got some work that needs to be done there.

We’ve also got some extensive drainage work to do as well. Right now we are studying some of our biggest problem areas. One is Twin Barns Road around Harris Meats. We’re looking at possibly some new drainage tiles there. There are two problematic areas on Main Street, including at the intersection with Spring Street as well as just above Holston Drive going up to Mosheim School.

There are also a couple of spots in Willow Creek subdivision that we’re going to SEE MOSHEIM ON PAGE 9

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BAILEYTON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

and there is much interest in the fledgling Community Watch program that began last year.

Casteel had much praise for Greene County Clerk Lori Bryant’s decision to bring a mobile vehicle tag renewal program to Baileyton once a month.

“It really helps, especially for older people,” Casteel said.

“That’s a good thing she’s done.”

Last year saw the completion of the long awaited Davy Crockett Travel Center expansion, bringing an IHOP, Dunkin’ Donuts Express and Papa John’s Pizza to the town. The Baileyton Drug Company also opened for business in 2018. Casteel said the new businesses have increased the town’s revenue. He also said there are still hopes for a grocery store and a motel in the future, though no negotiations are currently underway.

He noted that several home purchases in Baileyton highlight its potential as a bedroom community for those who work in Morristown or Kingsport.

“Some people complain because we don’t have more but for the most part, we’re a nice small community with some conveniences,” Casteel said.

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GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 9

Tusculum Mayor Wants To Continue Momentum On Commercial Development

BY KEN LITTLE STAFF WRITER There were some notable developments in 2018 in the City of Tusculum, according to Mayor Alan Corley.

One was the opening on April 26, 2018, of the Aldi supermarket at 3800 E. Andrew Johnson Highway.

The Tusculum store covers 18,000 square feet and employed 10 people at opening, store manager Lisa Short said. It has proven a popular destination for shoppers since its opening, Corley said.

Months of preparation and construction led up to the store’s opening day.

More than 90 percent of products on Aldi shelves are under exclusive brands that are “high quality and affordable food” buyers “can feel good about serving their families,” a news release from the grocer said.

CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT Corley said the international grocery chain locating in Tusculum may help spur interest in further retail development in the city along East Andrew Johnson Highway, a priority for city officials.

In the November 2018 election, voters approved a referendum allowing the sale of wine in retail food stores, and ordinances implementing that decision were approved in early 2019.

Aldi is the immediate beneficiary, but the ordinance could help attract other food retailers to Tusculum, Corley said.

In July 2018, Chick Fil-A

MOSHEIM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

work on. There are places all of over town, but right now that is what I’ve got on my planning board.

Q. What are some goals that you have in mind for the coming year?

A. One of things that I want to work on is the placement of a school zone along the four lane at the entrance to West Greene High School. Since the school’s driveway doesn’t connect directly to Andrew Johnson Highway, the state couldn’t do it. The response

opened to the public in Niswonger Commons on the campus of Tusculum University.

Also in 2018, Corley said that a new duplex office building was built on Sam Doak Street in the former location of Bear’s T-Shirts.

“Continued commercial development of the East Andrew Johnson Highway within the Tusculum city limits continues to be a top priority so that we can continue to provide the services that our residents depend upon,” Corley said.

The City of Tusculum has no property tax, so sales tax revenues are a vital funding source to provide city services, he said.

Talks about the most effective methods of promoting the city to prospective business tenants were discussed by city officials in 2018.

“The city is in the process of developing a recruitment booklet/document to help us promote the commercial development of the business properties located along the East Andrew Johnson Highway,” Corley said.

TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY, GREENEVILLE REDS News that the Houston Astros organization was moving its minor league baseball team from Tusculum was soon mitigated by an announcement from the Cincinnati Reds organization that one of its minor league teams would locate there. The Greeneville Reds team, which plays home games at Pioneer Park on the Tusculum University campus, was well received by the public and had a successful first season in

that I got is that the town could do it, if we wanted to pay for the project. So this year, I’m going to work on getting a school zone there. I hope it can start on the other side of the post office and come up and take in the Midway Road intersection. We also need an acceleration lane there at the end of West Greene Drive at Andrew Johnson Highway.

The state said they could not pay for the project because the rule was the school didn’t have a drive that actually connected with Andrew Johnson Highway. West Greene Drive is a city street. So,

approved an amendment to an existing ordinance to allow dogs along the area of the walking trail that begins from the east side of the pedestrian bridge over the Tusculum Bypass to the east end of the trail, or the section of the Linear Trail between the two trail parking lots on Edens Road.

The area was opened to dogs on Aug. 8. Dog owners have been responsible following rules implemented and cleaning up after their pets, and the idea first suggested by Vice-Mayor Barbara Britton has worked out to the satisfaction of city officials and the public.

Final plans for safety improvements to the heavily traveled intersection at the Erwin Highway and East Andrew Johnson Highway were completed in 2018.

The plans have been approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“After several delays, that work is now scheduled for fall 2019,” Corley said.

Alan Corley

2018.

In other baseball-related developments, “Pioneer Park and the Greene County Partnership Sports Council successfully hosted the NJCAA Division III World Series in May for the second consecutive year, and they will be back this year,” Corley said.

Corley said that Tusculum College officially became Tusculum University on July 1, 2018.

“Progress milestones were reached in the development of the new Physician Assistant and Optometric Medicine programs which plan to admit their first students in 2019,” said Corley, a member of the Tusculum University Board of Trustees.

Plans began to be made in 2018 to as Tusculum University’s celebrates its 225th birthday in 2019.

“There will be several special events recognizing that milestone,” Corley said.

2018 CITY BUSINESS In city-related business, a clean audit of city finances with no findings for 2018 was presented by Certified Public Accountant David M. “Mickey” Ellis. City revenues exceeded expenditures for the 2017-18 fiscal year, Corley said.

Commissioner Mike Burns was re-elected in November 2018 to a second four-year term of office.

Repairs and renovation at Tusculum City Hall, 145 Alexander St., continued in 2018. Longt-term plans for the building were also explored.

DOG WALKING TRAIL Dog lovers received good news in July 2018, when the Tusculum Board of Mayor and Commissioners

therefore, if we want a school zone there, the town must fund it. The town has paid for all of the other school zone signs and lights.

Q. Are there any new long-term goals that you have in mind for the town?

A. One thing that needs to be worked on is the widening of Main Street and possibly some sidewalks, but that is really going to be a chore. What you have to do is apply for a grant that pays for the study for such work that is done within a quarter mile of a major traffic route. This grant would pay for the study, but

it would pay anything on the construction. So there again you are left with finding more funding for such a project. Plus, the street is so narrow and the properties are so close that it could be a problem, if it ever happened. But we at least need to widen the street.

We’re also trying to make sure that this fourlane road coming out of Hamblen County through Hawkins County comes out to the Exit 23 area. We’re working on that because somewhere along the way we got dropped. We need for that to come on up to us. We’re doing a little encouraging on that.

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The fate of the campus of the Greene Valley Development Center, which lies within the Tusculum city limits, “continues to be an important issue,” Corley said.

Discussions about possible uses for the site continued from 2018 into 2019, with Tusuclum city officials actively involved in the process.

“Since its closing in 2017, we have been unable to get definitive answers about the property. Leadership from Greene County, the Town of Greeneville, and the City of Tusculum, along with (state) Sen. Steve Southerland and Rep. David Hawk, visited with newly elected Gov. Bill Lee about the property in early 2019, and are awaiting answers,” Corley said.

“Until we learn the state’s intentions and requirements, it is difficult to try to encourage new uses for the prominent and valuable property,” he said.

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our current truck and the health and safety of our public works employees,” Corley said.

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“Discussions continue around the city hall building. Several necessary structural repairs have been made over the last few years, but decisions will need to be made soon concerning remodeling and perhaps expanding the building to meet insurance, (Americans with Disabilities Act requirements), and space needs,” Corley said.

“A comprehensive plan should be developed this year,” he said. “Remodeling and expansion of the city hall space remains on the discussion list.”

Talks also began in 2018 about upgrades to the playground in the Tusculum City Park.

In 2019, “We will be reviewing proposals to improve the playground and looking for possible grant funding to assist with the cost,” Corley said.

“Current conversations probably put that project occurring in 2020,” he said.

Also discussed in 2018 was the purchase of a new curbside garbage collection truck with automated pickup.

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KIWANIS CLUB

Jeni Donahue, Secretary

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Page 10

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

Cedar Creek Church of God 2800 Cedar Creek Road, Greeneville, TN 423-639-3468

Andy Christiansen, Senior Pastor E.J. Swatsell, Associate Pastor Sam Konstantopoulos, Worship Leader Worship Opportunities Sunday School: 9:00 a.m.

Worship: 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship: 6:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT MINISTRIES Youth Ministry: 6:30 p.m.

Children’s Program: 6:45 p.m. Adult Bible Study: 7:00 p.m.

Cedar Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church 4170 Newport Hwy., Greeneville • 639-0268 Rev. Andy Eppard

Christ United Methodist Church Oldest Methodist Congregation in Greeneville 307 South Main St. 638-6224

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship: 10:45 a.m.

Sunday Evening: Bible Study 6:00 p.m.

Youth: 5:00 pm Choir Practice: 7:00 p.m.

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Thompson, DMin email - christum307@yahoo.com

Worship Opportunities 10:30 a.m. Traditional Sunday Worship 4:30 p.m. Life Tree Children & Youth

Wednesday Night Activities: 5:00 p.m. Life Tree Children & Youth 5:15 p.m. Fellowship Meal 6:30 p.m. Choir Rehearsal

195 Serral Drive, Greeneville, TN

423-639-2582 www.eastsidebaptist.info

David Fox, Senior Pastor D.J. Willis, Youth & Music

WEEKLY SERVICE SCHEDULE: Sunday School 9:30 am Morning Worship 10:30 am Sunday Evening 6:30 pm Wednesday Evening 7:00 pm (Kids4Truth & Ignite Teens on Wednesday night; Loving childcare provided in every service)

“To Know Christ, and Make Him Known”

Green Mountain Mission 162 Jerry Broyles Road Chuckey, TN (423) 823-2271 Pastor: Mike Lamb SERVICES: Sunday: 10 am & 6 pm Wednesday: 7 pm First Friday of Each Month: 7 pm EVERYONE WELCOME

Harris Memorial Free Will Baptist Church 4110 Sunnydale Road, Greeneville, TN 37743

Ephesians 2:20

211 N. Main Street

423-639-3194

JOIN US ON SUNDAYS 8:00am • 10:30am • 6:00pm

SUNDAYS ON THE RADIO 1450 AM-WSMG @ 10:15AM • 1340 AM-WGRV @ 12:15PM

423-638-4818

Dr. Nathan Leasure, Senior Pastor Ralph Shipley, Associate of Pastoral Care Rachel Galarneau, Associate of Student Ministries

Worship Opportunities Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Morning Worship: 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Evening: 6:00 p.m.

Celebrate Recovery Every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night Ministries & Activities for All Ages: 6:30 p.m.

Home of Noah's Ark Childcare & Preschool

www.greenevillefcog.org and Facebook

Greeneville Cumberland Presbyterian Church 201 N. Main St.

423-638-4119

James W. Lively, Pastor Andy Blackwelder, Director of Youth & Children Abby Cole Keller, Associate Pastor for Community Life

Worship Times Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship: 8:15 & 10:30 a.m.

Ministries for All Ages Nursery Provided www.GCPChurch.org

Kingsley Avenue Free Will Baptist

Email: pastorteacherken@yahoo.com

Worship Times

Worship Opportunities

Children & Adult Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service & Children’s Church: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship: 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Evening Studies at 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. https://hmfwbc.com/

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship:10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening: 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday: Bible and Youth: 7:00 p.m.

Pastor: Ken Smith

Notre Dame Catholic Church 212 Mt. Bethel Road, Greeneville, TN

(423) 639-9381 www.notredamechurchtn.org

Weekend Mass Schedule: Sacrament of Reconciliation: Saturdays: 4:00 p.m.

Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00 p.m.

Sunday Masses: 8:00 a.m.; 11:00 a.m.

Spanish Mass: 3:00 p.m.

Holy Week Services: April 18, 19, 20, and 21 Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday of the Passion of Our Lord - 7:00 p.m.

Holy Saturday Easter Vigil Mass: 8:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday Masses: 8 a.m., 11 a.m. & Spanish Mass 3 p.m.

Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church 2320 Old Tusculum Blvd.

423-639-9241 • oakgrovegreeneville.com

Billy Gragg, Pastor Stuart Harmon, Youth Pastor Sunday Services 9:30 a.m.: Sunday School 10:30 a.m.: Morning Worship/Oak Grove Kids 6:00 p.m.: Evening Worship/OGYM (7th-12th Grade)

Wednesday Services: 6:30 p.m.: AWANA Club (Preschool-12th Grade) 7:00 p.m.: Prayer Meeting

St. James Lutheran Church 3205 St. James Rd., Greeneville

638-3008 Pastor: Paula Smith Sunday Morning Service: 10:30 a.m.

Towering Oaks Baptist Church

Tusculum Baptist Church

1985 Buckingham Rd. 638-7464 • Fax 638-6026 email: office@toweringoaks.org

775 Erwin Hwy., Greeneville, TN tusculumbaptist.org

Dr. James K. Pierce, III, Sr. Pastor Worship Opportunities Sunday School: 9:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Nights: Small Groups: 6:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY All Adult, Youth and Children’s Activities Begin By 6:00 p.m. www.toweringoaks.org

Special Programs Scheduled Throughout the Year

First Church of God 1505 West Main Street

213 Kingsley Ave. 423-639-6785 Rev. Doyle T. Pruett, Pastor

(423) 620-3893

Thursday Night 6:30 p.m. Prayer Gathering

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3144 W. Andrew Johnson Hwy. • ffgreeneville.org Scott Childs 865-397-9000

Greeneville Seventh-Day Adventist Church 710 Asheville Highway Greeneville, TN 37743

423-638-5014 Worship Times Sabbath School: 9:15 a.m.

Worship: 11:00 a.m.

Limestone Free Will Baptist Church 3709 Old State Route 34, Limestone 423-257-3163

Tim Roach, Pastor Larry A. Kelley, Outreach Coordinator

Worship Opportunities Sunday School: 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship: 10:55 a.m.

Evening Worship: 6:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Bible Study & Children/Youth Group: 7:00 p.m. email: office@limestonefwb.org www.limestonefwb.org

Philadelphia Cumberland Presbyterian Church 757 Snapp Bridge Rd. Limestone, TN 37681

Pastor: Rev. Ron Pickard Worship Opportunities Sunday School: 10:15 a.m.

Worship: 11:00 a.m.

loving GOD.. loving SELF... loving OTHERS. 210 Luther St. Greeneville, TN 37745 (423) 639-9754 www.sanctuarytn.org Pastor: Jeremy J. Carver

Victory Church of God 166 Sanford Circle, Just Off Asheville Hwy.

423-798-1992

423-638-8361

Rev. Jim Fillers, Pastor

Worship Opportunities

Worship Opportunities

Sunday Worship: 8:45 am (Traditional) 11:00 a.m. (Contemporary) 5:30 p.m. (Evening Service) Sunday School: 10:00 a.m.

Wed.: 6:30 p.m. Prayer Meeting

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m.

Children’s Church: 10:30 a.m.

Evening Worship: 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Evening: 6:00 p.m.

Youth Programs: Sun & Wed 6:00 p.m.

Dr. David Smith, Pastor

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 11

McLain Discusses Successes, Challenges For Greene County Schools Though questions of school facilities and consolidation have dominated much of the conversation around Greene County Schools, the system has made strides in state assessments. Director of Schools David McLain talked about those initiatives in a recent interview with The Greeneville Sun. Q. Greene County Schools have made gains in state assessments in recent years, coming just fractions of a point from “Exemplary” district status and having several schools recognized as “Reward” Schools.

What is the school system doing to continue to improve students’ academic performance?

A. Hard work and

FILE PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

David McLain sees decline in enrollment as biggest challenge facing Greene County Schools.

emphasis has been put on K-2 literacy through partnerships and revamping what we are doing. Dr. Kristi Wallin (curriculum supervisor for the system) has worked really hard

in that area. So has the board, allocating additional funds for summer school and literacy as a whole.

Programming is focused on improving not just

reading but also writing.

We have kids writing in kindergarten. We have done a lot of work with some other school districts as well. A lot of professional development is taking place through our central office and also the Read to Be Ready grant we have received from the state. It has all helped get our kids out of that chute earlier and at a higher level to try raise achievement. The state has set a goal of 75 percent of third-graders reading on grade level.

That is a goal we have got to try to reach.

We are one of 11 districts in the state of Tennessee … that was a level 5 in English literacy, science, social studies.

We are excited about that. But, we know that as

quickly as we got there, losing a few teachers or retirements can result in you dropping as quickly.

We are trying to keep good, quality teachers.

We know that the key resource in those classrooms is our teachers and we need to support them.

The state now has a lot of emphasis on the postsecondary — students have to be a “ready graduate.” We are doing all we can to get kids involved in dual enrollment, whether that is at Walters State Community College or the Greene Technology Center as well as state dual credit within the classroom.

During the last two years the district was very close to exemplary status, a couple hundredths of a point. We have been a Level 5 district since we

have been here. We had six state Reward Schools, and I think that is the most that has ever been for this school system — Chuckey Elementary, Chuckey-Doak Middle, McDonald Elementary, North Greene High, Ottway Elementary and South Greene High schools. We are excited about that and hopefully, when testing comes again in the spring, we will show academic growth.

Q. One of Gov. Bill Lee’s priorities is strengthening career and technical education (CTE). Do you anticipate that this increased interest will help enhance local programs, such as the masonry program at SEE COUNTY ON PAGE 12

Page 12

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

COUNTY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

West Greene? What ways would you like to see the programs improved?

A. We have 10 eighth grades at this moment that feed our high school, and implementation of programs that could help attract students to CTE is a challenge with so many campuses. It is really no different than the masonry class we are offering at West Greene — we have it at one place. If you have one vocational school on site, everyone has an opportunity to do it. If we are going to put that program everywhere, it takes a lot of additional funds.

CTE is the focus of much conversation, and new requirements encourage students to graduate with dual credit or dual enrollment through Tennessee College of Applied Technology Morristown available at the vocational school. I am excited about that, but sometimes your setup makes that challenging as well. I am all supportive

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

of vocational training. We have good programs at our vocational school and good programs at our high schools too, such as agriculture.

Q. The school system has focused on improving literacy in the past few years. Are there other subjects that the school system plans to focus on in the coming years, such as STEM? A. The school system’s efforts are often tied to standards.

Among the STEM accomplishments and activities within the school system are: • a grant from East Tennessee State University providing robotics and other tech equipment to classrooms.

• “Maker Spaces” in our high school libraries and we have several elementary school libraries looking to make the move as well.

• a coding grant at Ottway.

• coding clubs at a few of our elementary schools and a few Lego League teams as well.

• solar go-carts at some of our high schools.

• summer school STEM projects and a two-week STEM camp last summer for middle school students.

• a 3M grant that purchased STEM boxes for middle school teachers to share.

We are doing things in this area that I think are very beneficial for kids — hands-on activities that they enjoy. All kids are different, and these STEM programming meets those needs of those students who are going into engineering or any of those kinds of fields. It is exciting the more we can offer.

Q. Another of part of Gov. Lee’s educational platform is support for school vouchers. If wider use of school vouchers is approved by the legislature, how do you see it affecting the county school system?

A. Some people would think that it is not a bad thing. I understand. I am a parent as well.

Parents today have more choice than ever of where to send their kids, whether it is their public school, home schooling, a neighboring schools system.

And now if this takes place, I know that rural districts would suffer.

In no way could this help Greene County Schools. We have already lost 1,000 students in the past 10 years. I hope if this does take place that the private entities will have to meet the same standards we do.

Q. What do you think are the top two or three challenges for the school system in the coming years?

A. No doubt, number one is loss of ADMs (Average Daily Membership — the number of students enrolled in a district) and how it affects the budget as we try to provide a high quality education for our kids. I will give kudos to our school board.

They have worked extremely hard to do the best they can for Greene County Schools. Our administration, our teachers, our classified staff — we have a lot of great people in this school district that care about kids and work hard every day.

We just have to continue to provide those programs to make sure kids are successful. We are

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trying to graduate and educate all kids. We are tracked on all kids. We start doing this in middle school grades … trying to map what they are going to do.

And we are trying to put them on the right track, whether that is community college, fouryear-school, vocational training or the military. We want all kids to be successful and hopefully we can provide what they need.

I want the best for our school system, and I want equality for our students. If a school system is spending more per pupil, we ought to be right there. Our kids deserve that. That is my job — to fight for those kids. We try to be frugal with what we have.

But, we are in kind of pickle when it comes to the state BEP (Basic Education Program) funding because it is based on student number and schools.

Two, I think aging facilities are a challenge. We have built one school in 38 years in Greene County. Those things can’t be ignored either. And trying to retain high quality teachers is always a challenge too for our school system.

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GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 13

Starnes Shares Perspective On Future Challenges For Greeneville School System

SUN FILE PHOTO

Greeneville Director of Schools Steve Starnes is in his first year as the administrative and academic leader of the town’s school system.

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As Greeneville City Schools sees continued success in state assessments and extracurricular activities, some of the biggest questions looming for Director of Schools Steve Starnes revolve around continuing that success with possible changes at the state level. He recently took questions in an interview with The Greeneville Sun. Q. The Greeneville City Schools are regularly recognized for excellence whether it be in academics, athletics and other extracurricular activities (Lego League, for example).

How does the system maintain that high level of performance?

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years. This vision has been embraced by our community and is the expectation.

This has resulted in the support of many programs, both instructional and extra-curricular, over and above the basic educational experience. This investment in our students has led to the excellent results we enjoy today.

Q. One of Gov. Bill Lee’s priorities is strengthening career and technical education across the state.

How do you anticipate the increased state interest will help enhance local programs? What ways would you like to see the programs

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The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Friday, March 29, 2019

FILE PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

The Greeneville City Schools system was presented a 2018 “Exemplary District” banner for its performance under the Tennessee Department of Education’s accountability model. The designation is the highest that a school system can earn under the state’s accountability model.

CITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

improved?

A. I think the increased state interest will hopefully make some additional funding and grants available to update our equipment, allow more students to earn dual credit in high school, and engage with our businesses and industry.

We have some outstanding programs at the Greene Technology Center and Greeneville High School. We must continually strive to remain current and relevant and adapt to the ever-changing workforce. We want to continue working to give students options to earn industry certifications while in high school and make the transition from K-12 to post-secondary as seamless as possible through earning dual credit with our area Tennessee College of Applied Technology and community colleges. We currently have six programs at the Greene Technology Center where students can earn dual credit and are continually looking to expand.

I also think one thing we must work on is to develop more work-based learning opportunities for students where they can garner actual work experience while they are still in high school.

The Greeneville school system has been engaged in an internal work-based learning program for 20-plus years through the hiring of student workers in our Information Technology and maintenance departments. I think this program could serve as a model.

Greeneville Middle School and the high school have a strong Microsoft IT Academy program, which has led to recognition for the schools and the district.

Greeneville High has also been accepted into the Amazon Future Engineer program that will

allow the school to offer AP Computer Science beginning in the fall of 2019.

Participation among GHS students is up at the Technology Center, and students are realizing the importance of career and technical education.

Q. School attendance is one of the state accountability measures that systems across Tennessee find challenging. What further ways can the Greeneville system improve student attendance?

A. The system is taking several steps to improve student attendance: • Continue to implement our Three-Tiered Truancy System that was initiated this school year.

• Along with the SSAE (Student Support and Academic Enrichment) Grant we have received, we must work to find ways to support the mental health needs of our students.

• Continue to foster the positive relationship we have with Greene County Juvenile Court.

• We need to advocate for more funding to support the family as they work through the steps of the Three-Tiered Truancy System.

• Continue to build positive relationships with our students and forge a sense of connectedness to their school.

• Encourage participation in extracurricular activities among students by providing a wide variety of opportunities.

• Continue working to develop open lines of communication with the families of students who are having attendance issues.

• Educate students and parents about the importance of student attendance and the role it plays in their success.

Q. Another of Gov. Lee’s educational platform is introducing a more widespread voucher system in the state. If vouchers are approved, how do

you think it will affect Greeneville and similar municipal systems in East Tennessee?

A. The Constitution of the State of Tennessee requires that the Tennessee General Assembly “provide for the maintenance, support and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools,” with no mention of the maintenance or support of private institutions.

The General Assembly believed the best way to ensure all students have access to a free public education is to create local boards of education and provide for local control.

This method puts parents, students, businesses, and other members of the local community in charge of their children’s education. ESAs (Education Savings Accounts) eliminate public accountability by channeling tax dollars into private institutions that may not face state-approved academic standards, do not make budgets public, do not adhere to open meetings and records laws, may not publicly report on student achievement, and do not face the public accountability requirements contained in major federal laws, including special

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I think ESAs or vouchers are like asking for tax dollars back that would go towards funding a public park, because you might not use that park, so that you could apply those dollars to a country club membership.

I think that the tradition of excellence in Greeneville City Schools that has been built over time would lead to students and parents wanting to continue to attend our schools. However, there is always the risk that students already enrolled in private or home schools would siphon funds away

from public education.

Q. What do you think are the top two or three challenges for the school system in the next five years?

• Mental health and behavioral challenges students are facing that we are experiencing in schools.

• Unfunded educational mandates from the state such as the RTI (Response to Intervention) program • Aging infrastructure that will result in capital outlay needs. For example, the system is facing replacement of HVAC systems in several schools.

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