Sally Oglesby Retirement Reception Well Attended--Photos and Video

Wednesday, December 19, 2017, was the final work day for longtime Crossville city clerk Sally Oglesby and a well-attended retirement recognition reception concluded her 32-year tenure in the position.

Sally Oglesby chats with well-wishers on her retirement.

A variety of community leaders, state and county elected officials, as well as city council members and employees from Oglesby's time, stopped by the see her off. 

Oglesby said she and her husband Bill would be able to do some traveling and she planned to spend more time with her family and grandchildren.  She added that she would still be around Crossville and expected to find some way to continue to contribute to the community.

One highlight of the event was the presentation of a video put together by Crossville's IT department with interview questions and photos.

Warren Nevad with the UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service said that they had really enjoyed working with Oglesby and that she had helped the state by working to help start the statewide organization of municipal clerks, the Tennessee Association of Municipal Clerks and Recorders (TAMCAR)  that helped provide training and professional improvement to others in the profession. 

Sally Oglesby Retirement Video

City and county officials stopped by

Sue Patton, Marguerite Watkins, and Nancy Burns

Retirement cake

Sally Oglesby chats with Charlie Akins who

was city manager when she was first hired.

Dave Warner greets Sally Oglesby. Warner

was a city commissioner when Oglesby first

started with the city

Public Invited to reception Tuesday Afternoon as longtime Crossville CIty Clerk Sally Oglesby Retires

A very special event is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, December 19 to commemorate the retirement of longtime Crossville City Clerk Sally Oglesby. Mrs. Oglesby is retiring after 32 years of service to the city. The retirement reception for Oglesby will be held at Crossville city hall starting at 1 PM and refreshments will be served.

Oglesby was initially hired as the Crossville City Recorder, as the job was then known when she started, in April of 1985. Oglesby has worked in three different city hall buildings over the years and has worked with 11 regular city managers during her tenure plus a number of interim city managers as well.

Crossville Mayor James Mayberry, left, presents

City Clerk Sally Oglesby with a clock in

recognition of her 32 years of service to

The city of Crossville.

Retiring Crossville City Clerk Sally Oglesby honored for 32 years of service.

The December Crossville City Council was the final regular meeting for Crossville City Clerk Sally Oglesby.

Oglesby's 32 years of service to Crossville was commemorated by the presentation of a clock to recognize her retirement and a large flower arrangement. In addition, Crossville Mayor James Mayberry recapped some of the headlines of city news from 1985, the year Sally started working for the city.

Crossville Mayor James Mayberry, left, presents

City Clerk Sally Oglesby with retirement gifts.

1985 was the year a completely new City (then known as) Commission was seated that including Mayor Willis Cox, and Commissioners Dave Warner, Elmo Lewis, Jim Turner and John Dooley.

One of the first commission actions was to dismiss then city manager Ed Potts and appoint a committee to review applications and make recommendations to the commission on the next manager. After a period of work, the committee made three recomendations but the commission ignored those recommendations and instead hired Charlie Akins as manager. Early discussion of the first sections of the Miller Avenue Bypass took place.

Oglesby was initially hired as the Crossville City Recorder as the job was then known when she started in April of 1985. Oglesby has worked in three different city hall buildings over the years and has worked with 11 regular city managers during her tenure plus a number of interim city managers as well.

Oglesby's final working day will be Tuesday, December 19 and a reception will be held for her at Crossville city hall between 1 and 3 PM on the 3rd floor. The public is invited and refreshments will be served.  

Valarie Hale will take over the position as City Clerk.  Hale has served as Assistant City Clerk since 2010.  Prior to joining the city, Hale worked as an accounts payable and payroll clerk and a medical scheduler. 

Sally Oglesby, left, and incoming Crossville 

City Clerk Valerie Hale, right.

December City Council meeting Oglesby's last with discussion on water, wastewater and Sports Council.

The December Crossville city council meeting will be the end of an era and the final regular meeting of longtime Crossville City Clerk Sally Oglesby.

Retiring Crossville City Clerk

Sally Oglesby

After 32 years, Oglesby will be hanging up her keyboard and turning the job of City Clerk to Valarie Hale who has worked as the assistant city clerk for a number of years in preparation for the handover. A special reception in honor of Oglesby is set for Tuesday, December 19, 1 PM at Crossville City Hall, Oglesby's final day.

The December 12 council meeting starts at 6 PM and will be preceded by the audit committee meeting at 5:15 PM and the Beer Board at 5:45 PM.

Several items on the agenda relate to utility services including water supply and wastewater treatment put forth in last weeks work session by Mayor pro-tem J. H. Graham. Graham is proposing that the city offer water sales to the Crab Orchard Utility District (COUD) as he says they are beginning a search for additional water supply. In addition, Graham proposed that the city study the possibility of taking water from the wastewater plant and treat it as they do in California to make it safe as drinking water.

Both of these topics were brought up at the end of the council's December work session and were not on the agenda for the work session. Graham said he'd been studying the future raw water report by J. R. Wauford and the future needs of the community from the Army Corps of Engineers. According to Graham that without a new water source Crab Orchard will need a new supply.

Graham said he would like to have the council approve at the December meeting for the city manager to offer up to 1 million gallons of water to COUD at the current wholesale rate with no required minimum purchase.

“It is important to me as a city council member,” explained Graham, “that the Crab Orchard Utility District knows that we are in the water business and that we have water to sell. I feel that it is important that we extend the olive branch.”

Graham also discussed water issues in Los Angeles where he said some 50 percent of water following wastewater treatment is then run through a process to make it safe for drinking when all of it was once pumped into the Pacific Ocean. According to Graham, that water used by LA is filtered, treated by reverse osmosis and then bombarded by high-intensity ultraviolet light. That water is pumped into the aquifer for future use from wells and the process is less costly then pumping water from the Colorado River.

Crossville Wastewater Treatment Plant

Graham said he would like to see the city investigate the possibility of a similar system to be discussed with engineers and get cost estimates for such a program.

Council will also discuss and consider establishing a Crossville Sports Council that would be made up of local community leaders who would promote the city and county's current sports events and programs as well as look to expand and add additional opportunities. They would also act as a central clearinghouse to make sure tournaments and other events do not conflict with those in the City and County, or other activities nearby that could impact the success of sporting events.