Crossville City Council to Consider Budget and Tax Increase at first in-person meeting after two months teleconferencing

Crossville City Council has a work session followed by a special called meeting set for Tuesday, June 2 starting at 5 PM, the first in-person meeting in two months.

Council's meetings will be held in the large 4^th floor meeting room to allow for social distancing according to the meeting announcement.

Crossville City Hall file photo by Jim Young

On the special called meeting's agenda set for 6 PM are the first readings, in title only, of the 2020-21 budget and property tax rate. Council met twice in work session on the budget during May for a total of several hours of discussion. The current certified tax rate stands at .5905 per $100 of assessed value and a 5 cent property tax increase is proposed due to revenue concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The draft budget that is available to review on the city's webpage stands at a small $26,921 deficit. The city's total general fund expenditure is estimated at just over $17.7 million.

The work session agenda includes a presentation from J.R. Wauford engineers on the permitting schedule proposed for the Meadow Park Lake expansion project. Also on the agenda for the project is a contract for the preparation of a baseline environmental assessment at a cost of $76,310.

The work session includes a long list of annual bids for approval at the council's regular meeting along with other bids and service purchases. Council will discuss appointments to the Industrial Development Board, the Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the Personnel Board and the Health and Education Board.

A presentation on the city's 2020-21 budget is also set for the work session agenda.

Bull Run Steam Plant Construction Photos 1963 to 1965

Here is a group of photos of the construction of the Bull Run Steam Plant near Oak Ridge.  The plant is now slated for closure in 2023.  

I don't know the provenance of these pictures. Some are well marked with dates and others have some codes on the image and some have no indications at all. For a brief time in 1967 when the plant was completed, the smokestack was the tallest in the world

Architect's Drawing

Starting the Smokestack

Workers on the smokestack

Early stages of the smokestack construction

Concrete Workers

Pumping concrete

Dumping concrete

Lift operator 1

Lift Operator 2

Lift at the working level

Lift headed up

Supervisors with the lift to working level.

General Construction site photos

Site work and early construction

9-18-63

10-21-63

10-21-63

11-20-63

12-16-63

3-16-64

4-21-64

5-18-64 Lots of cars

6-22-64

From the top of the smokestack looking down

Two workers heading to the site

Finishing touches on the smokestack

Crossville Police Department Announces Procedure for June 23 City Court

In order to maintain social distancing while still providing for City Court functions, the City of Crossville Police Department, in conjunction with the Municipal Court Judge, announce the following temporary procedures for City Court.

Crossville Police Headquarters (file photo by Jim Young)

The June 23rd, 6:00 P.M. City Court will be held via the Police Department's drive-through window, located at 115 Henry Street. Please follow these guidelines for this Court date:

        1) Please report to the Stanley Street Parking lot of Crossville Medical Group (located on Stanley Street at Henry St.), starting at 5:30 P.M. Officers will be there to instruct you on how to park and/or line up. Stay in your vehicle at all times & we would ask that only the person with the citation be in the vehicle to limit possible exposures to others.

        2) Officers will place citizens in line to be directed down Henry Street and to the drive-through window to see the Judge.

        3) Have all documents and/or items needed for your citation ready to show the Officers once you get to the drive-through window. We expect up to 100 people and need to be able to move the line quickly and efficiently.

If you have Court scheduled for this date, please call the City Court Clerk's office to determine if you need to appear on this date or if you can take actions to correct your citation prior to this date and not have to appear in front of the Judge. The City Court Clerk can be reached at (931) 484-7231 Monday through Friday from 7:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. You may also stop by the Police Department to pay a citation in lieu of attending court prior to the court date.

If you have any questions, please contact the Police Department before your court date. We look forward to everyone working together and making this process successful and efficient while keeping everyone safe during uncertain times.

Lowell Blanchard's Radio Album from the WNOX Midday Merry-Go-Round 1944

The Midday Merry-Go-Round was a staple of Knoxville Tennessee radio station WNOX. The live country music variety show started in 1936 and was hosted by Lowell Blanchard. The program featured a number of early country music stars including Roy Acuff and Archie Campbell.  

The Booklet these photos come from has 32 pages and along with photos, features lyrics of numerous songs along with several pages of jokes and riddles as told by Blanchard.  

There is no advertising in the book and no price listed.  It's possible it was sold or given out at shows or sent out by mail. 

Book Cover-While there is no publication date the latest

photo seems to be 1939. A note from Blanchard mentions

8 years of the Merry-Go-Round giving a possible publication

date of 1944

Photo of the first Merry-Go-Round program.

L-R: Dynamite, UNK, Red Jones, Spec Acuff, 

Lowell Blanchard, Grandpappy (Archie Campbell), 

Clell Summey, Roy Acuff

Dynamite (Sam Hatcher), Red Jones, and Clell Summey were members of Roy Acuff's band.  Though he is listed as Spec Acuff in this photo I'm pretty sure that is Spot Acuff, Roy's brother, who also played with the band.  

The Midday Merry-Go-Round in 1938

L-R: Tony Musco, Monk, Tex, Lowell, Tommy Covington, 

Herby Cooper, Curly, Jerry Collins, Dave Durham, Cliff Stier, 

Buck Houtchins, Larry Downing, Frank Turner

NWS Issues FREEZE WATCH for Friday Night/Saturday Morning

FREEZE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY
MORNING...

* WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures as low as upper 20s possible.

* WHERE...Portions of Middle Tennessee.

* WHEN...From late Friday night through Saturday morning.

* IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other
  sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor
  plumbing.

Crossville City Council to meet via Video Conference for second work session in a row.

The Crossville City Council moves into their second month of meetings under COVID-19 protocols and will hold a work session via video conference on Tuesday, May 5 at 5 PM.

The public can watch the meeting live on the city's webpage or review the video at a later time.

The agenda is short with only 6 total items for the council to discuss in preparation for the regular meeting on May 12.

The agenda includes a discussion of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System rate for the upcoming year. The rate adjusts each year and could see an increase based on the recent drop in the stock market.

A discussion of the agreement between the city and Golf Course Town Homes in also on the agenda and will be led by city attorney Will Ridley. Ridley has been working on a draft contract for the project and will present it Tuesday evening to the council.

A discussion of a grant application for the Crossville Memorial Airport under the CARES act for COVID-19 assistance will also be discussed. The city can apply for a maximum of $30,000.

Council is also set to discuss TDOT contracts for utility relocation on the Highway 127-N project, a grant for police vests and an ordinance closing an undeveloped a portion of right of way on Webb Avenue.