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News Headlines
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Fire Destroys Dollar General
Employee Charged with Aggravated Arson |
By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
MCKENZIE - Jean Alice Whitby, age 31, of McKenzie has been
charged with aggravated arson in the Saturday fire that
destroyed the McKenzie Dollar General store. Investigators
for the Tennessee Fire and Bomb squad determined that a
Saturday fire was intentionally set, according to McKenzie
Fire Chief Brian Tucker. Tucker said the fire started in the
center of the stock room on the south wall. Whitby was
listed as the assistant manager of the store.
Whitby appeared in Carroll County General Sessions where
Judge Larry Logan set her bond at $50,000. As a condition of
her bond, she must reside with her parents, Mr. And Mrs.
Charlie Smith of McKenzie and phone the Carroll County
Sheriff's Department each Monday at 9:00 a.m. She must also
not have any contact with witnesses in the case. A hearing
is set for April 14.
Whitby recently moved to McKenzie from Virginia, where her
husband is in the military.
Ben Dempsey, attorney for Whitney, entered a not guilty plea
Wednesday.
Personnel from nine fire departments battled blazes that
destroyed the Dollar General Store in McKenzie Saturday.
McKenzie Fire Department received a call to the Highland
Drive store at 8:09 p.m., just minutes after the store
closed for business.
"This is one of the best of my 17 stores," said Tony Dill,
district manager for Dollar General. Its sales volume is
comparable to Dollar General stores in the metro market of
Jackson. "We hope to cleanup and rebuild as soon as
possible," said the district manager.
Whitby and clerk Hazel Rainey were in the store and
evacuated when the fire erupted, according to McKenzie Fire
Chief Brian Tucker.
"It was nerve wracking," said Rainey, an 18-year employee of
Dollar General. "I was running the cash register and the
assistant manager said she smelled smoke. I told her I would
go check the bathrooms, but I didn't find anything so we
(Hazel and Jean) went to check the back room."
"I saw debris coming under the door leading to the back room
and heard popping sounds. I didn't open the door," said
Rainey, who was later advised that was a smart move.
Whitby and Rainey grabbed their purses and went outside,
where someone called 9-1-1.
Company officials have offered them employment in area
Dollar General stores while the McKenzie store is being
repaired.
Longtime store manager Delmar Dunning retired in January,
said Dill. A new manager had been hired but had not yet
started in McKenzie.
Tucker said firefighters found fire in the back storage
room, which was piled high with merchandise, increasing the
difficulty of extinguishing the fire. Access holes were cut
in the steel siding on the side and rear of the store to
reach the fire. Flames were contained to the rear area of
the store, said the chief. A handheld thermal imaging camera
helped firefighters identified the sources of heat.
Mutual aid assistance arrived from eight fire departments to
help battle the fire. Providing manpower, equipment, or both
were: Macedonia, Mixie, Trezevant, McLemoresville, Hollow
Rock, Bruceton, Huntingdon, and Gleason. Firefighters left
the scene at 3:34 a.m. Sunday.
Intense heat warped and twisted the steel beams, said Dill,
who hopes to soon be back in operation and "not lose any
customers." All merchandise will be discarded and it will be
restocked with new items.
The building is owned by the Perkins Corporation of McKenzie
and was built new in the year 2000. Dollar General occupies
approximately 6,400 square feet of the building with the
adjacent Movie Gallery occupying the remained. The video
rental store sustained some water and smoke damage, said
Tucker. It is expected to reopen soon.
On Monday, McKenzie Police Department Assistant Chief Bobby
Pate spotted a male subject on a bicycle on Clark Street,
near Dollar General around 3:00 a.m. Pate was unable to
locate the biker but did locate DVD movies and 60 boxes of
nasal decongestant in a nearby ditch. The movies and a
player, valued at $1,664, were taken from Movie Gallery and
the decongestant from Dollar General. Entry was made through
the roof of the restroom after climbing over a firewall
between the Dollar General and the movie store. Original
entry was through the rear door of Dollar General.
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Mayor Appoints Committee to Study Street Renaming |
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McKenzie Mayor Walter Winchester during the February 10
meeting of the City Council appointed a committee to study the
feasibility of a Planning Commission recommendation to rename
Walnut Avenue to J.L. Seets Avenue. The recommendation came in
an effort to promote McKenzie's history and foster community
pride, according to a presentation made before the Planning
Commission on February 1. Appointed to the committee were
council members Wade Allen, Willie Huffman and Jerry Arthur.
As chairman of the committee, Wade Allen asked that the mayor
and Planning Commission vice-chairman Deborah Turner also
serve on the committee, however, Turner the following day
declined the appointment and resigned from the commission,
citing conflict of interest owing to her position as a
reporter for the McKenzie Banner.
Allen on Friday announced the committee would meet at City
Hall Monday, February 21 at noon. Advised that members of the
community had requested the committee meet in the evening
hours in order that they could be present, Allen declined to
change the time of the meeting, stating the community would be
notified regarding "whatever we decide."
"That's why the mayor appointed a committee," he said.
During the Thursday meeting, Huffman recommended also pulling
in residents of the community who knew Professor Seets, as he
was known in his capacity as a principal and teacher of Webb
High School, which was attended by black children in Carroll
and neighboring counties prior to integration.
"I didn't know him; I didn't grow up in this community," he
said, advocating that members of the community be involved so
that if the street renaming is not approved, other avenues of
honoring Seets might be explored.
Wade recommended Rev. Joe Stewart, pastor of Greater Enon
Baptist Church and also a member of the McKenzie Water
Commission, be appointed as a citizen and that he would think
of another appointee later.
Jill Holland had earlier wondered whether, rather than
renaming the street, a more fitting legacy might be to rename
Mulberry Park to J.L. Seets Park and that the park be enhanced
with a "really nice" entryway.
Turner, however, said it was inappropriate to establish a
separate but equal park for the black community and that
trends to develop both parks' playgrounds rather than focusing
on the community-wide City Park where all citizens might
gather together were disturbing.
Holland noted children of all races frequented Mulberry Park
for sports activities and that "a really nice park is a nice
legacy regardless of where the park is."
Allen, a resident of Walnut Avenue, said that while there was
no doubt Seets was a great man, he and other residents of the
street had some reservations regarding the degree of time and
paperwork involved in changing deeds and other records.
"There will be some confusion and there will be added
expense," he said, advocating that property owners along the
street should be the ones to decide the renaming.
HOLLAND MOTION TO ABOLISH INSURANCE FAILS
Following a presentation that illustrated the escalation in
the costs of medical care and insurance over the past
half-century, Holland made a motion that the city stop paying
healthcare premiums for council members.
"I think we're bleeding the taxpayers," she said, alleging "a
lot" of taxpayers had made mention they believe members of the
council run for office in order to have insurance.
She noted that if a referendum were held the community would
likely do away with the benefit and further stated accepting
the benefit was contrary to the council members' oath of
office.
Said Vice Mayor Gene Hale, "Jill, it sounds like you're
insinuating that the only reason any of us are here is for
insurance."
"No," Holland said, reiterating her stance that a lot of
taxpayers had complained about paying the cost of the
insurance. "I think this is a great way to prove to them
that's not why we're here."
Holland's presentation noted that when the state in 1956
authorized cities to offer insurance to city officials the
cost was $1.46 per month per employee or $4.76 per month for a
family; in 2005, the premium is $415 per month for council
members and the Water Board chairman and $750 per month for
the family plan.
Three council members subscribe to the single plan while one
uses the family plan. Two council members do not partake of
the insurance benefit.
Holland said the per month cost of insurance for those
mentioned was $2,410 and that yearly $23,940 per year is
expended in insurance premiums for council members, or $28,920
including the Water Board chairman.
She reminded the council that Carroll County commissioners in
2002 voted to discontinue paying insurance premiums for that
body, at a savings to the county of over $80,000 per year.
Had the measure passed, she said insurance would have remained
available to council members at their own cost.
Council members earn $150 per month in addition to the
insurance benefit. Holland noted the total monthly
compensation for council members with single-person insurance
is $565 and $900 for the family plan, or $6,780 and $10,800
per year, respectively.
"The yearly sum of all council members receiving salary and
insurance costs taxpayers $31,140," she said. "One council
member receives salary only, totaling $1800 per year. One
council member receives neither salary or insurance. Taxpayers
pay this for two meetings per month - some less than one hour,
and committee meetings."
At the state level, Tennessee's part-time legislators pay 20
percent of their state-provided insurance, a benefit that
continues even after they leave office - a lifetime benefit
for them and their families. According to one recent report,
"healthcare plans for current and former legislators cost
taxpayers about $1.7 million a year."
MAYOR OFFERS TO DROP CITY FLAG ISSUE
Holland reported the flag committee had met regarding the
design of a city flag but recommended approaching clubs and
civic organizations to underwrite the costs of the project,
set out last meeting as six flags at $1,050 or a dozen at
$1,297, plus a one-time set up fee of $79.95, after at least
one citizen said the expense was frivolous.
Winchester said he would write letters to the organizations
but that he had no problem discontinuing action on the
adoption of a city flag if it were the consent of the
citizens.
In another matter, the council approved the low bid of $24,505
by All Star Fence and Supply Company of Paris for three
backstops, 1,000 feet of six-foot fence, and four dugouts for
improvements at Mulberry and City parks. The bid won over
Quality Fence of Milan's $29,480 bid and Volunteer Fence of
Jackson's $39,313 bid. The bids considered took into
consideration four-inch posts on the backstops, as Winchester
noted each company had called and suggested the four-inch
posts would offer better service for a longer period of time.
Lesser bids were made by each company in the event three-inch
posts were used, with All Star Fence again being the low
bidder. The park improvements are part of a $500,000 50/50
parks grant, which will also provide new playground equipment
at both parks.
In other business the council:
* heard Winchester report on a pending fine to be levied by
the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
following the city's reporting of 56 incidents of sewage
overflow during rains for the period of June 2002 to October
2004. The mayor blamed an aged, deteriorating sewer system for
the ongoing problem and said some relief could be at hand
following application for a CDBG grant for sewer repairs,
however, he noted some city money might have to be spent
before the grant could be realized in April 2006. See related
Water Board article this edition;
* approved the reappointment of Keith Priestley to the
McKenzie Housing Authority Board; and
* heard Huffman express appreciation to Cub Scouts Pack 78 for
the flag display at the intersection of Highland Drive and
Main Street. Winchester noted Jeff Gaia is cubmaster for the
pack.
Council member Darra Adkins was out with the flu. Fire Chief
Brian Tucker disseminated the January incident report
detailing 21 calls for the month including three vehicle
fires, two residential fires, eight commercial alarms, four
non-emergency calls from McKenzie Regional, and four motor
vehicle accidents totaling ten hours and 45 minutes of
response time. The January training report indicated fire
fighters had spent seven hours in training including three
hours in review of engine and equipment and four hours for EVR
certification. |
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Trezevant Board Rejects Bids on Maintenance Shed/Fire Station |
By Pat Cole
pcole@mckenziebanner.com |
Trezevant board members rejected all three bids received on
a new maintenance shed/fire station during their regular
meeting Tuesday, February 8. Vice-mayor Jim Moore opened three
bids received that day with the lowest of $83,776 coming from
Value Plus Building Supply. The two additional bids were from
Hazelwood Builders for $94,400 and from Barger Construction
for $117,977. Board members unanimously agreed the bids were
too high considering they will receive only $64,000 from their
insurance carrier for the previous building which collapsed in
the Christmas week ice storm.
Moore told board members they could take the current plans and
eliminate some items to reduce the cost to the money they will
receive, or they can try to contract the proposed building
themselves. One suggestion was to eliminate the carport they
planned to place at the back of the building for storage or to
reduce the size of the building from 68’x40’ to 48’x40’. The
reduction would leave the building as a maintenance shed only.
Mayor David Bryant suggested they think of eliminating the use
of steel walls and ceilings inside the structure, noting the
high cost of that material at this time. Although sheet rock,
lumber and vinyl were suggested as alternatives, they were not
discussed.
Board members were to take a copy of the suggested blueprint
for a 68’x40’ structure home and see if they could provide any
alternatives at the next meeting.
Town Receives Audit Report
Tommy Leggins of John R. Reese CPA in Martin addressed the
board concerning an audit for the fiscal year of June
2003-June 2004. Leggins stated the firm had no major findings
to report and the unqualified opinion was it was a clean audit
with a positive fund balance. Board members accepted the
report as presented.
Trotter Updates Board on Slum Clearance
By March 8, board members will be able to take final action on
two properties which have been designated as slum clearance
parcels. City Attorney Charles Trotter stated final paperwork
on both the old HIS/Durango property and the Lenox property
has been completed and notifications were to be sent on
Wednesday of last week to all lien holders or persons with a
claim against either property. Mayor Bryant asked if there
were any federal liens on the HIS parcel and was told there
was one from the Federal Pension Guaranty Agency. That agency
provides protection for workers pension funds in case
companies fail to provide pensions as promised.
Trotter praised Judy Baker and her staff at the Register of
Deeds office, noting their professionalism and willingness to
assist him locate all lien holders on the two properties. He
said, “Without Judy Baker and her staff, we would not be ready
to complete this process.”
There will be a public hearing on the properties following the
regular board meeting on March 8. The regular meeting will be
held at 6:30, with the public hearing on the HIS/Durango
property at 7:00 and the Lenox property at 7:30.
Board members approved Ordinance #001-2005 Municipal Code on
second reading. This ordinance deals with the changes in the
municipal code.
Board members, under a suspension of the standing rule, agreed
to seek an addition of $7,500 to an existing bank note. Board
members gained a note for $10,000 in order to pay for
additional paving last fall. They have since repaid $6,000 on
that loan. West Carroll’s Board of Education has agreed to
sell the Town of Trezevant the old Holmes property for $7,500,
the amount paid by the old Trezevant Board of Education for
that property. Mayor Bryant told board members he considered
it to be a good deal and asked their opinion on where to get
the money. They unanimously agreed with a motion to seek
adding that amount to the existing note and if that were not
possible to borrow the money on a separate note.
Alderman Lloyd Bateman told board members that the water
project should be completed in the next two weeks.
The board approved the addition of Richard Akins as a
volunteer fireman. Chief Danny Curtis noted Akins had done a
good job on the department prior to having moved from the area
and he would be welcomed back. He has taken and passed the
required drug test.
Mary Jo Hall will replace Carol Stansell in maintenance at
city hall. Ms. Stansell no longer wishes to clean the building
and Ms. Hall had applied as a replacement. She will be paid
$25 weekly for that service. |
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