Open House Held for New Four Seasons Community Fire Hall

November 25, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Members of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department proudly showed off the county’s newest community fire hall Saturday.

Open House was held at the Four Seasons Community Fire Station located at 3300 Four Seasons Road.

The fire hall opened in July upon completion of construction. The project had been in the planning stages for four years.

“The fire hall is a 40’ x 60’ structure with two bays and one unisex bathroom. It is strategically located to give 5-mile service coverage in areas that didn’t previously have a station within 5 miles,” said County Fire Chief Donny Green.

One year ago the county commission voted 10-4 to award the bid for the project to Johnson Builders of Doyle, Tennessee. Their base bid was $160,820 with alternate deducts of $8,000 for work on the parking lot and $4,000 to add insulation to the building..

The county also secured grant funds with a local match for the purchase of a fire truck for the station. The 1993 model fire truck had less than 25,000 miles when purchased in October, 2018 for $25,000 from a fire department in Connecticut.

Chief Green said the new fire hall is already having a positive impact on the community. Another potential volunteer has expressed an interest in joining the department and one area resident said the new station has already resulted in his homeowners insurance property protection classification rating going from a Class 10 to a Class 6 and a reduction in his annual premium by a little over $1,200.

The new fire station at Four Seasons is the 12th station in the county operated by the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department. The other fire halls are on Short Mountain Highway, Midway Community, Belk, Keltonburg, Cookeville Highway, Austin Bottom Community, Liberty, Temperance Hall, Main Station, Johnson Chapel, and Blue Springs.

November 25, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Everyone is invited to join in on the festivities at the 4th Annual Lighting of the Tower at Edgar Evins State Park on Saturday, Dec. 7th from 5 P.M. to 7:30 P.M.

Kick start the Christmas season with an evening with Santa, festive holiday refreshments and caroling as the park tower is lit in a bright array of Christmas lights. Be sure to dress appropriately for indoors and outdoors and come prepared to sing (or listen).  Bring your homemade Christmas cookies and finger foods to share. Meet up at 5:00 p.m. at the park office for refreshments and stay for the lighting of the tower at 6:00 p.m. followed by a visit with the jolly old fellow himself.

Check out the Edgar Evins State Park Facebook page or the Friends of Edgar Evins State Park page at www.facebook.com/friendsofeesp  for a complete schedule of events, or visit the park website at https://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/edgar-evins.  For questions contact Ranger Lee Chadwell at the park office: (931)  646-3080 or 1-800-250-8619.

November 25, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

A Saturday night fire heavily damaged a home at 722 Fisher Avenue.

The home, reportedly owned by Mark and Carla Pedigo, was being rented. Jesse & Rebbeca VanDyne and their 2 year old daughter lived there but were not injured. However the family lost all of their belongings including 2 pets.

The fire reportedly started in the kitchen and quickly spread. Members of the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department brought the blaze under control but the home sustained extensive damage. The Smithville Police Department and DeKalb EMS were also on the scene.

If anyone would like to help the family contact Todd VanDyne at 615-318-7702. If no answer please leave a message.