Oct 05 Stories

 

 

Campbell Therapy  10/29/05

     Campbell Therapy Center held a patient Appreciation Day Friday at their center on Commerce St.

   The center, owned by Shani Campbell has taken on a new partner Shannon Osborn who greeted patients and friends at the daylong event.  “We are offering free screenings today and wanted to see our past and present patients to make sure they were doing fine and still keeping up with their exercises,” explained Ms. Campbell.    

     The center’s staff had a picnic lunch for the 250 patients that were expected.  They also had their lobby decorated for Christmas as they asked visitors to donate a new toy for the needy children of the community. 

     “We asked that instead of payment for screenings today that our visitors donate a new toy that will make beautiful smiles on the faces of children in this area on Christmas mooring.”

 

EMS Board Meeting  10/28/05

     Director of EMS, Mike Shankle announced at Thursday’s meeting that land next to Security Bank on Hwy 79 by the lake has been donated by the bank to build an EMS building to serve the lake area.  It has been known for some time that   such a facility in the lake area was needed.  The land is easily accessible and the donation of the ½ acre lot was accepted contingent upon the approval of the Henry County Commission.

 

PSSD  10/28/05

     The Paris Special School District’s board of education meeting focused most of their energies on topics on the retreat agenda Thursday night.  The one item that seemed to generate the greatest interest was the topic of a PSSD high school. 

     The newest board member, John Steele wished to discuss the possibility of a high school or magnet school due to questions that he has received from community members.  School board chairman Richard Edwards stated “PSSD citizens are already paying for one high school, if PSSD built another they would be taxed for 2 and the money needed to pay for a new high school would mean astronomical tax rates.”  A new highs cool is estimated to cost at least $15 million plus upkeep costs.   The board will consider a feasibility study.  A survey of parents and their feelings on the need for another high school was also discussed and will be considered.  Along with that discussion was consideration of increasing the school districts borders to include the new annexed area of Paris.

     The topic of PSSD providing a Pre kindergarten program was also discussed.  It is believed that the state will mandate a program for 4 year olds within the next 6 years.

     School uniforms or strict dress codes was a topic of discussion.  Board members agreed with the principal of Iman, Mike Brown, that a code that allowed some diversity, such as shirts with school logos would go over better with teen age students while not overstating the differences in economic status with clothing styles.  A presentation in security badges and name tags for the age group served by PSSD was not seen as necessary by Edwards and a discussion on providing lap top computers for all students will need more consideration due to costs and securing the return of the laptops.  “But if lap top computers went home with students, parent interaction would help with the ‘learning gap’ in education which continues to grow among the school districts students. 

 

HCMC  10/28/05

     The Henry County Medical Center held their monthly board of trustee’s meeting Thursday evening and covered a full agenda which included a presentation of the medical centers new and improved web site by Director of Marketing Sandra Simms.  The site has been on line since August and is interactive.  Job descriptions, vacant positions and applications can be obtained on the web site.  There is also a nursery page where information approved by parents is posted on newborns at the hospital.  A physician’s page lists doctor’s names, specialties and pictures.  There is also a page where donations to the Henry County Health Care Foundation may be made.  The site provides maps of the facility for patients that need to locate places in the hospital such as the lab, etc.

     The meeting included a presentation by Physical Therapist Director Barbara Ray.  She will be expanding services at the wellness Center to include speech therapist for local schools, occupational therapists, physical therapists and with an increase in staff which is what Ray said was most needed, she would like to add a personal trainer to the group of therapists.

     Medical Center Director Thomas Gee told board members that early discussions into providing an indigent care clinic have been started and that the new Chief Financial Officer Lisa Casteel will begin November 1.

     Gee also stated that the number of uninsured patients has increased since the cutbacks in TenCare.  “We will have to see what the long term effects will be on the financial health of this facility.”

 

Hoof beats Of Hope   10/26/05

     Hoof beats of Hope provided the concessions at Tuesday’s Small Business Expo with sandwiches, chips, drinks and desert.  All of the proceeds went to the organization and their work with the disabled.

     The therapeutic riding program is located on a farm in the Cottage Grove area and currently serves 22 adults and children.  The program runs 4 days a week with horses donated by members as well as founder and Director Jan Foy, whose land the program is located on.

     “The skeletal structure of the horse’s hip is similar to humans and when the horse walks the rider has the same sensation as walking,” explained Foy.  “That and responsibility for grooming the horse give the rider a sense of accomplishment and involvement which improves their self esteem.”

 

Halloween Fairyland  10/27/05

 

  The Theta Beta Sorority is sponsoring a treat for young children, 6years old and younger, on Halloween night.  The service sorority will have a magical trail for small children to walk down where they can see storybook characters come to life in a non-scary setting.

     “We wanted to have something for the younger children that would not scare them,” explained Diane Mallard, “something where the younger children wouldn’t be affected by the big kids.”

     Cinderella, Snow White, E.T., Tinker Bell and the Swan Princess will be among the characters on the trail.  The ‘Fairyland Trail’ will be at 1305 Oakbrook Drive, home of Diane and Vic Mallard.  The trail will be open from 6pm until 9:30 pm  on the 31st with a rain date set for Saturday Nov. 5th.  Admission is $2 per child; adults get in free with a child.  There will also be a wagon to pull small children down the trail in.  All proceeds will go for scholarships and local needy families. Please call 642-9107 or 644-9151 for parking information.

     Tickets may be purchased at the Gold Nook or from Sorority members.

 

Scooby-Doo, Mystery Inc.

Expo  10/26/05

     The 2005 Small Business Expo was well attended this year with 75 booths and 65 vendors.  The crowds of people circulated through the 2 buildings of the Paris Convention Center and Director of the Paris Henry County Chamber of Commerce Jennifer Wheatly stated that she was once again very pleased with the number of people who turned out for the 13th annual event.  This year’s theme “Small Business, Its No Mystery In Henry County”

 

BPU  10/26/05

     The Paris Board of Public Utilities was informed at Tuesday’s meeting that the upgrading on the primary sub station should be completed by March of 2006.  70% of the new equipment has been installed and TVA will start working on their portion of the project.  According to John Ethridge of the BPU upgrades at the primary sub station will allow BPU to transfer power and prevent a countywide power outage.  The project was budgeted at 1.7 million dollars and is expected to come in very close to the budgeted amount.  A 1% rate increase to pay for the upgrades to the substation was approved by the board earlier this year.

     The board approved write-offs for the quarter in the amount of $9,341.  “This is very low for 3 months, “ stated Ethridge. “We continue to try and collect past due payments and we usually collect half by the end of the year.”

     Due to high energy costs PBU approved Charles Perry’s purchase of more fuel and raised the spending limit of the General Manager.  The amount that can be spent without board approval was raised from $12,000 to $25, 000.  Although this would mean that Perry could purchase items up to  $25,000 he stated that this would not affect the bidding process at BPU.

No Fines  10/25/05

     The W.G. Rhea Public Library in Paris has declared November as a NO Fines Month.   “We are thankful for our customers,” stated Library Director Connie McSwain.  To show their appreciation you can bring back to their home all over due books, tapes, DVDs and other materials during the month of November and pay no fines.

Successful Spaghetti  10/25/05

     The Spaghetti Dinner to benefit Damascus Road Domestic Violence and Children’s Shelter held last Monday was a big success.

     The event raised just over $2500.  The home office of Modern Woodmen of America had agreed to match up to the $2,500.  Damascus Road Domestic violence and Children’s Shelter provides temporary, safe housing in an undisclosed location for victims of abuse.  The shelter is also collecting clothing and warm winter coats for their residents.  

PHCYO  10/24/05

     “The Paris Henry County Youth Orchestra needs community support,” stated Lori Billingsley, President of the organization.  Other than the ongoing finical support of the Paris Henry County Arts Council all funds this past spring season were raised from the Silent Auction gala at the spring concert.

     To fulfill the growing scholarship commitment to the graduating seniors a fall fundraiser has been instituted.  Thru the month of Oct. the orchestra members will be taking orders for live fresh greenery centerpieces, wreaths, and garland.  Orders will be mailed November 7th with delivery of the items by students scheduled for November 28 through December 2, just in time for the holidays.  For more information contact Lori Billingsley at (home) 644-9927 or (work) 644-8268.

 

Can You Guess?  10/24/05

    The evening’s activities will include musical entertainment and prizes.  Trick or treating at the business will also be part o No tricks but you will get a treat if you guess the weight of Pumpkin Patch Pete in downtown Paris businesses this week.   The winner gets $100 in Downtown Business Bucks.  You can enter as many times as you wish until 1pm Saturday, October 29th.   The winner will be announced at the Halloween Costume Contest on the Courthouse lawn at1.  The ghost of Davey Crockett will be there along with the Halloween Cloggers.  According to Kay Foust, President of the DBA, children, teens, adults and pets can enter the contest. f the fun after the contest.

 

Tanner   10/22/05

    Congressman John Tanner has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will not close local Farm Service Agency offices in Tennessee. 

     According to Tanner the Bush administration had proposed closing 28 offices in Tennessee and 731 nation wide, offices that help farmers.  According to the Congressman, Bush scraped the plan because of Congressional opposition. 

     “The Administration’s proposal was ill advised and bad for Tennessee’s farmers,” said Tanner.  “Producers have endured significant disaster-related losses this year but continue working to supply the nation with a safe and adequate food supply.  Closing the offices that help provide needed resources would only add to the burdens of our rural farmers.”

     Tanner also announced that the Northwest Tennessee Port is to become a reality.  The congressman, the Port Authority and the Corps of Engineers announced that there is now  a contract to construct a facility at Cates Landing in Lake County.  It is estimated that the creation of the port and an industrial park would boost the agricultural economy of West Tennessee by 5,000 plus jobs.

         “This is the biggest economic development project we’ve seen in Northwest Tennessee in my lifetime,” stated Tanner.

     The slack water port would give the area access to interstates I-55, I-40, I-24 and Purchase Parkway as well as access to railways to Canada and the Gulf of Mexico.

On Line Archives  10/21/05

     The first major project completed by the Heritage Center’s COOP student Jasmine McClain, was to finalize an effort to organize the archives of the local history museum.  While there were records of all artifacts and documents that had been donated to the museum, these lists were not readily accessible to the public.  To solve this problem, the Paris- Henry County Heritage Center welcomed interns from nearby colleges to begin reorganizing the museum’s collections.

     While there was significant headway on several projects, the duration of the internships made it difficult to complete the large tasks needed to make the organization a success.

     “Jasmine has really buckled down and made sense of several loose ends,” said Heather Bailey, Director of the Heritage Center.  “She has been willing to jump right in, learn new things, and has made great headway in making our archives more available to researchers.”

     The result of this initial project is that some of the Heritage Center’s archival collections now have finding aids, such as an index for researchers.  The Heritage Center’s web site can be found at http://www.phchc.com.

     The Heritage Center is a local history museum, free and open to the public.  Their hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 4pm and Saturday from 10 to 2pm.  The museum is located in the historic North Poplar neighborhood with parking behind the building on North Market St.

Bell  Ringers  10/20/05

      The Henry County Service Unit of the Salvation Army is seeking volunteers to ring bells Wednesday through Saturdays starting November 9th and ending December 24th .  Please call 6424105 if you wish to volunteer.  Thank you and God bless you!

Poetry Fundraiser  10/20/05

     A fundraiser for the Edd Roberts Cancer Survivors Christmas Dinner will be an evening of poetry reading at Jack’s Java inside Jack Jones Flowers and Gifts Friday evening, October 21st from 7pm until 9pm.

     Shelia Nicholson, a published poet will be signing copies of her books of poetry.  Local poets Dan Jackson, Heather Bailey, Susan Jones and many others, will join her.  Poets are asked to bring some of their work to share as well.   

 

Dinner Theater  10/20/05

     You can enjoy a sumptuous dinner with ghosts from by-gone days when you attend the Haunted Dinner with Paris’ Past.  The Paris Henry County Heritage Center is presenting 2 nights of Dinner Theater at the Atkins Porter Recreation Center on October 28th and 29th.  Actors will play historic figures, all of which are buried in either the city cemetery or Malewood Cemetery.

     Meet and hear the stories of E.W.Grove, Gov. Rye, John Rison, Tillie Cavitt Barton, the unknown slave, and many more.  Tickets are $20 each and cover the cost of dinner and the performance.  Tickets are available at the Paris Civic Center, the Heritage Center, Jack Jones Flowers and Gifts and the Chamber of Commerce office.  Dinner begins at 6:30 both nights.  

Pancake Day  10/20/05

     The Paris Kiwanis Pancake Day will be Thursday Nov. 3rd at the First United Methodist Church Christian Life Center in Downtown Paris.  Hot off the griddle pancakes will be served from 6am to 8pm.  Tickets are $5 and are available from any Kiwanis Club member or at the door the day of the event. 

Gas Co.  10/19/05

    Due to the hurricanes in the gulf many gas lines were cut off from distributors as was the Paris Henry County Natural Gas Utility District, which withdrew gas from storage in September.  According to Manger Glen Jackson, “ for 23 days gas was pulled out of storage but there was no curtailment of gas to any customer or industry.”  Jackson went on to say that gas is now coming out of the pipelines and the utility district will replace the 9,000 MCF of gas taken from storage in that 6-week period.  Currently storage supplies are at 10% to 15% less than usual for this time of year.  Jackson stated that gas sales for the past month were similar to past years but with the winter cycle beginning, gas consumption will continue to rise through the month of March.  Gas sales for Sept were 28,021 MCF. 

     The Gas utility is working together with Tennergy   on a project known as the ’99 project to receive Gas at a discounted price.  Currently they are receiving a 22-cent discount.  In other attempts to control prices gas utilities are contacting legislatures at the state and national level to make reforms in the energy policy.

     In other business the board agreed to a surplus sale of a GMC truck with 13,000 miles and a backhoe.  The gas company will be excepting sealed bids for the 2 items.

   

911  10/17/05

       The Enhanced 911 board met Monday evening to discuss several items including the FCC mandated ability to track 911 calls sent by Internet.  The service must be in place by November 28th offering all the service that land line and cell phone service-providers now provide to customers.   Calls can then be made from laptops or personal computers.  The Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) will have some limitations and unlike 911 calls now that can be tracked simply by dialing 911 and leaving the line open, VOIP will require voice activation.   John Ethridge, Chairman of the 911 Board suggested that educational information be developed and provided to the public as soon as possible. 

          911 Director Mark Archer provided the board with an update on GIS mapping.  He stated that he has identified 13,500 structures in the county and completed mapping 788 roads.  He has also finished Hwy 641, Shady Grove Rd. and Old Paris Murray Rd.  Although it may be difficult Archer is still setting the first of the year for completion of mapping the county.

     The cost of 911 mapping of such items as underground lines and other items was originally going to be split between the city the county and the Board of Public Utilities.  Ethridge suggested that a representative from the three entities meet and discuss the cost of the project as it should not be up to 911 to determine the cost to each of the  groups.

 

 

County Commission  10/18/05

      At Monday evenings meeting of the Henry County Commission, Commissioner Humphries asked what the county was doing in this “fuel crisis” to help with the cost to the county.  County Mayor Brent Greer stated that the county had no energy policy but an efficiency/cost study could be conducted by a private company that would guarantee reduction of costs in heating county buildings.  He also stated that the Highway Department and the School System were attempting to conserve their usage of fuel, as was the recycling center by reducing hours, changing routs and closing on Saturdays.  Further discussion of the matter will be turned over the Courthouse Committee.

     The Commissioners rescinded a resolution that would close the county portion of Lumber Rd. in the City of Henry due to a delay in the construction of a new roadway to replace the proposed closure.  The commission did approve of the sale of various lands that has been turned over to the county in lieu of back taxes.  “The sales will put these properties back on the tax rolls,” explained Greer.

     High School Principal Dawn Poole explained the new concept of an Academy approach at Henry County High School stating that the school would consist of 3 academies each focusing on a different ‘study’ interest, which would better prepare the students for jobs or college.  The smaller groups would allow instruction to focus on a) Creative Arts and Services, b) Human Services or c) Business and Technology Services.  The new instructional method will take effect next school year.  Commissioner Randy Veazey, who has been teaching high school students for 27 years told fellow commissioners “This is the best thing I’ve seen come down the pike.”  Veazey said that the school has gotten so large that it has become hard to have tine to get to know the students and find out what motivates them.

Oct. Star  10/17/05

     Lynette McElroy, owner of Kristi’s Korner was named the October Downtown Star.  She is the first person to be honored in this new program sponsored by the Downtown Business Association (DBA).  McElroy was chosen from a host of nominations submitted by customers who described outstanding experiences with office staff, employees and merchants in downtown Paris.

     Debbie Key, who described McElroy as “always willing to help no matter how small or large the purchase,” made the nomination.  One incident stood out for Key.  “I was having a lot of people at the house on Thanksgiving and realized I didn’t have a gravy boat.  I called Lynette.  She not only had one, she said, “I’ll run it down the street for you.”  I was so rushed with my holiday preparations the fact that she went above and beyond really impressed me.”

     “Downtown  Stars” is a program designed to reward the excellent service provided by employee’s and staff working in the downtown area. 

     McElroy received a thank you gift from affiliated members of DBA, Kay Foust, President.

     Call the official STAR Hotline at 641-1410 to make your nomination.

Damascus Road Benefit  10/15/05

     Modern Woodmen of America is sponsoring a matching funds benefit Spaghetti Dinner for the benefit of Damascus Road Domestic Violence and Children’s shelter on Monday Oct.  17th.  The dinner will be held in Ketchem Hall at Holy Cross Catholic Church with lunch from 11am to 1pm.  Supper will be served from 4:30 till 6:30.  The $7 meal will include baked spaghetti, garlic bread, tossed salad, drink and homemade dessert.  Carry out and delivery (5 meals or more) will be available. 

 

County School Board  10/14/05

     Creative Arts Services Academy, Human Services Academy and Industrial Services Academy will make up the 3 areas of education at Henry County High School in the coming years.

   Students have taken interest surveys and have made preliminary selections into which academies they wish to study.  Currently the students polled, 9th, 10th  and 11th graders, divided themselves evenly between the 3 study interest areas.

       The title search needed to sell the old Puryear School property has been completed and Director of Schools, Rick Kriesky told board members Thursday evening that the sale of the property to Arbor Health Care should be completed by the end of next week.    A list of items that were omitted from the new Harroldson School such as theater curtains, an outdoor sign, landscaping and playground/ athletic fields will now be purchased with the proceeds from the sale.

     The construction of auxiliary buildings was approved by the board.  The buildings will be located at Grove and at Lakewood where they will provide dressing rooms for athletes and visiting teams. The contract to erect the buildings was awarded to S&G Construction.

     The creation of soccer teams at the county’s middle schools has been greeted with enthusiasm.  Approx. 90 students at Harroldson, 100 at Lakewood and 40 at Henry  have signed up to play on the middle school teams.

     The school board will consider using Kelly Educational Staffing Services to supply their substitute teacher needs.  The company, which currently supplies subs for Clarksville and Montgomery County would supply medical and dental benefits for subs and take care of all administrative and training functions. 

     Also mentioned at the Henry County School Board Meeting was Paris Special School Districts plans to include a discussion of a PSSD high school on their upcoming retreat agenda.  “It is a possibility that we can’t ignore,” stated Kriesky.   According to the director of schools if 700 of the 1400 students left for PSSD that could impacted the school system by $253,000 a year in funding.

Girl’s Night Out  10/13/05

     The Henry County Medical Center’s Women’s Health Advisory Council will host a free seminar on Tuesday, Oct. 18th  at 6pm in the Education Rooms 3 and 4.  The topic will be “Woman and Cancer”.

      The panel discussion will include Dr. Russell Boyd, Dr. Paul Koerner and others who will help women understand cancer treatments.  They ask that you prepare your questions ahead of time so that the panel can address them. 

     For reservations call FIND line 644-3463 or 1-800-246-2508.

Genealogical Society  10/13/05

     The Henry County Genealogical Society of Tennessee will hold their quarterly meeting at W. G. Rhea Public Library on Monday Oct. 17th at 7pm.

     The guest speaker will be Ray Harding who will speak about the Robert E Lee School Association and the Art Academy located at the school.  Refreshments will be served and all interested persons are urged to attend.

 

Adult Establishment Board  10/11/05

     The Adult Oriented Establishment Review Board met Tuesday to approve application forms that will be sent out to five businesses in Henry County.

     County attorney Lee Greer will be contacting, by letter, the 3 nightclubs – Foxy Lady, Club Erotica and The Office as well as the 2 adult book stores – Sensual Pleasures and Wild Things notifying them that the registration forms and the fees must be filed, paid and returned within 120 days.

     Foxy Lady owner Charlie Redden was once again present for the public meeting and questioned the business hours and sale of alcohol that some communities permit in their county’s establishments.  County Mayor Brent Greer explained that there had been special ordinances passed in those communities that permitted those activates but Henry County had passed the 1998 Act that restricted the operation hours and restricted alcohol being consumed on the premises.

     The committee approved the used of the state designed forms and set a regular meeting time of the 1st Monday of the month at 4:30 for the review board.  It will operate similar to the beer board, which meets only when there are applications to review and approve.

Road Board   10/11/05

     The Henry County Highway Commission met Tuesday evening for their Oct. meeting.    

     The commissioners will be accepting new bids for the bridgework on Jones Mill Rd.  The original bid was withdrawn due to miscalculations by the bidder in the cost on the original bid.

     The revised road plan for 2005/06 includes roads in the 3rd District that are not completed.  Tar and Chipping of Shamrock and the Cypress area as well as Turkey Lane.  Roads scheduled for Hot Mix include Country Junction, Hidden Pines, and Chestnut Ridge for a total of 8.40 miles at a cost of $217,200.oo.  Roads to be upgraded for tar and Chip include Dogwood Thicket and Beaverdam Rd (Earl Harris Rd.)

     Over the next 30 days Road Supervisor Ray Norwood stated that they plan to continue to bush hog, patch as well as grade gravel roads.  Tar and chipping projects will also continue.

Plus Endowment  1 0/12/05

     Eighteen grants were warded for projects last school year to fund innovative classroom teacher’s ideas in the amount of $140,000.  “We would like to fund even more this year,” stated William Atchison, treasurer for Plus Endowment. 

     This is the seventh year for the program, which attempts to provide funds to help supplement budget cuts faced by classroom teachers.

     Teachers send in a description of their project and what they expect the activity to accomplish with the grant applications.  Plus Endowment grants are awarded to PSSD and Henry County School teachers.  The Plus Grant Committee reviews the requests.

Golf  10/11/05

     The Henry County Jaycees 8th Annual Golf tournament will be Saturday Oct. 22nd at Futures Golf course in Puryear.  Registration will be at 7:30am with a shotgun start at 8:30.    The entry fee is $300  per team for the 4-man scramble.  Lunch will be provided and according to Jaycee’s Joe Mahan will be providing a new Ford truck for the hole in one prize.  All proceeds will benefit the Henry County Jaycee’s Christmas Shopping tour for underprivileged children.

Care Van  10 /11/05

              The Henry County Medical Center’s Care Van will be visiting the Russwood Shores Senior Citizen Center Thursday Oct. 13th.  The van will be at the center from 9 until 11am offering screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.

 

Holiday  10/8/05

     Monday is a legal holiday and many will be taking a 3-day weekend, including yours truly.  Monday is also Matt Anderson’s 20th Birthday.  Happy birthday from Dad and me.  Just be relieved that we didn’t post your picture College Man!!!. 

     New stories on Tuesday.

City Commission  10 /7/05

     The Paris City Commission started with a bang Thursday evening as Mayor David Travis went head to head with local plumber Larry Raymer.  Raymer was once again questioning the city’s hiring practices and questioning equal employment opportunities as well as the qualifications of current staff.  At one point the Mayor told Raymer that he was the mayor and could tell Raymer to leave.  Vice Mayor Sam Tharpe then stepped in, calming the situation by telling the plumber that he could present the council with documents explaining required certifications and the board would review them.

   In a jam-packed agenda the commissioners moved on to approve on second reading flood plain zoning.  The ordinance will allow the city to stay current with state and federal regulations that would allow citizens to file for federal aid in case of flooding.    In response to last months citizens concerns over flood prone areas such as Brooks Street, Crestwood and Greenwood, City Manager Carl Holder has asked Wal-Mart to reevaluate it’s detention ponds and he is attempting to meet with the West Obion Basin Authority for more stream clearage.

          The City has learned that Tennessee Department of Transportation will let bids for the widening of Hospital Circle in December but they will require an additional deposit of $112,000 to meet the city’s 20% match.  According to Holder when the project was fist proposed in 1999 the cost was estimated at $775,000.  “This represents a substantial increase over the original cost because of TDOT delays,” explained Holder.  Because of delays the project could cost over a million dollars.  “It’s frustrating and the same thing has been done to other municipalities,” he told commissioners.

     A discussion on low to moderate priced housing in Paris was led by Vice Mayor Tharpe, Chairman of the Paris Housing Authority.  The demolition of many homes has lowered the availability of affordable housing in the city limits.  13 units have been demolished this year and another 6 units are prospects for demolition.  Tharpe stated that with other national disasters grant money for the city might not be available.

          Commissioners approved on first reading the rate change for industrial sewer charges requested by the Paris Board of Public Utilities.   Also announced was that retail sales in the city were up from last year and the sale of an undeveloped right –of-way will be referred to the city’s Planning Commission.

 

 

Healthcare Foundation  10/6/05

     The Paris Henry County Healthcare Foundation is sponsoring a Motown Medleys Night Saturday Oct. 8th.

     According to Robin Hunter, Healthcare Director, the show will feature lots of local talent lip syncing and dancing to Motown hits from the 50’s and 60’s.  

     The show will be held at the Krider Performing Arts Center starting at 7pm.

     Advanced tickets are $6 at Najie’s Gifts and Baskets or the Civic Center.  Tickets will be available at the door for $8.  For more information you can contact Robin Hunter at 644-8296.

 

Book Sale  10/6/ 05

     The Friends of the Library will be having a book sale inside W.G. Rhea Public Library in Paris on Oct. 14th and 15th  from 9am to 4pm. 

     Friends Membership book sale will be the night before, Thursday Oct. 13th from 5:30 until 7:30.

 

Fuel Alternatives  10/6/05

    

     With fuel costs rising, U.S. Rep. John Tanner asked House leaders to work now on broadening the nation’s energy policy.  “The time is now to explore other types of fuel and reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil,” Tanner said.

     “Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a growing world economy and a busy summer driving season have all revealed a weakness in our national energy policy,” Tanner informed the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  “As a result gas prices in Tennessee and the rest of the country have literally skyrocketed and as winter approaches the rise in energy prices will be less about increased prices at the pump and more about families unable to heat their homes.”

     Tanner added that the American economy will continue to be dependant on oil as a major energy source for the foreseeable future but it is important to look now toward alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen, ethanol and organic fuels such as biodiesel.

     “Further more, our growing dependence on foreign oil only guarantees that we will have to continue dealing with potentially unfriendly countries and that the price of oil will continue to be controlled by forces that are beyond our ability to regulate.”

     He is also encouraging conservation and increased energy efficiency such as hybrid cars that do not require as much traditional fuel. 

 

Library Board   10/5/05

     A feasibility committee was named by W.G.Rhea Public Library trustees at Tuesday’s meeting to study building a new and larger library.

     According to Library Director Connie McSwain the library is continuing to experience growing pains.  “The library does not meet standards as far as the number of volumes per capita for the city and the county and does not have the space to shelve the volumes if we had them,” explained McSwain.  The library’s biggest money generating groups are also out of room to expand.  The Friends of the Library, which sells used books and then donates the proceeds back to the library, around $30 thousand a year, needs room to grow and the next biggest money generator is the genealogy room, which has a web site that receives request from around the country for information.  Genealogy Coordinator Linda Dunlap stated they sell copies of original manuscripts and family histories on line.  The archive portion is located in a basement area of the Central Community Service Center on Jones Bend Rd.  Lack of parking space also causes a problem for patrons, epically for the pre-school programs where young children must walk down city streets to attend library activities.

     The director did announce at Tuesday’s meeting that Paris City Manager Carl Holder recently discovered  the patches that have been applied over the years to the roof are retaining water and causing much of the leaking problems that have plagued the facility for years. 

 

 

Adult Oriented Establishments Committee  10/4/05

     The Henry County Commission, in an attempt to have some control over adult oriented establishments, such as topples clubs and adult bookstores, passed a resolution that would require licenses and fees for the businesses and its employees and entertainers.

     The Adult Oriented Establishment Act of 1998 sets times that the business can be open, 8am to 12 midnight, and would not permit the sale of alcohol or the consumption of it on the premises.  There are also stipulations as to how close entertainers can be to the audience.  The business will be closed on Sunday, all legal holidays and election days.

      The county will be using state approved applications for fees and licenses and charging annual fees of $100 for the adult businesses and $15 for entertainers.

     The owner of the Foxy Lady, Charles Redden, who was present at the committee meeting told the commission members that the hours and not being able to sell alcohol or allow it on the premises made it impossible to make any money, and this was the only place in the state were these regulations were enforced.  County Attorney lee Greer stated that the law would be enforced in Henry County.

     Once committee members have reviewed application forms the County attorney will notify the business affected and they will have 120 days to register their business and pay their fees.

 

County Investment  10/4/05

     The Henry County Investment Committee accepted a bid from AmSouth for CD’s on Monday morning.

     The $1.7 million was originally one CD that was broken down into two.   One will be invested for 12 months and the other for 6 months.

     The other bidders for the county’s CD’s were Commercial Bank, Regions Bank and First Bank.

 

Person of the Year   10/3/05

     The Paris Henry County Chamber of Commerce held its 55th annual Membership Banquet Thursday where they named the Person of the Year.

      This year’s recipient was Tim Wirgau, past president of the chamber and owner of Abbot’s Printing here in Paris.

 

Emergency Budget Summit    10/3/05

     With a record high national debt fast approaching $8 trillion Congressman John Tanner has urged President Bush to call an emergency bipartisan budget summit. 

     Addressing the nation’s fiscal problems immediately is even more important in the wake of Gulf Region reconstruction efforts, Tanner wrote the President.

     “Today our nation’s long term fiscal security is growing even bleaker with the addition of billions of dollars in emergency supplemental funds needed to rebuild the Gulf Region,” he stated.  Tanner was one of 31 members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate to conservative House Democrats, who are urging that an emergency bipartisan budget summit be called to get the nation’s fiscal house in order.