LEE, TDEC Announce $70,000 In Loans For Alexandria Water Improvements

July 28, 2021
By:

Gov. Bill Lee and Commissioner David Salyers of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced two loans totaling $70,000 for the Town of Alexandria to improve water infrastructure.

The loans are among eight approved by the Tennessee Local Development Authority, with a loan for the City of Waverly for $580,000, a loan for the City of White House for $8 million, two loans totaling over $6.4 million for the City of Westmoreland, and two loans totaling $605,000 for the Town of Carthage, making the overall total loans announced today $15.7 million.

“We are committed to supporting infrastructure development and improvement across our state, and we’re excited to see how Tennesseans benefit from this investment,” Lee said. “We are proud to partner with local communities to modernize our water infrastructure.”

“Every community in Tennessee deserves a dependable water system,” Salyers said. “The State Revolving Fund Loan Program works in a way to make improvements affordable to communities needing the assistance, with a positive result for our environment.”

A loan for the Town of Alexandria for $50,000 comes from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program and will address improvements to the wastewater treatment system. The loan has a five-year term at 0.17 percent interest.

The Town of Alexandria will also receive a $20,000 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program. It will address improvements to the water distribution system. The loan has a five-year term at 0.17 percent interest.

Through the State Revolving Fund Loan Program, communities, utility districts, and water and wastewater authorities can obtain loans with lower interest rates than through private financing. These low interest rate loans can vary from zero percent to below market rate, based on each community’s economic health.

The eight loans announced today begin the fiscal year with $155,000 awarded in drinking water loans and $15,587,000 in clean water loans. In fiscal year 2021, TDEC awarded $7,171,000 in drinking water loans and $77,568,000 in clean water loans for a total of $84,739,000.

Tennessee’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program has awarded more than $2 billion in low-interest loans since its inception in 1987. The state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program has awarded more than $300 million in low-interest loans since its inception in 1996.

July 28, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Motorists on Big Hurricane Road in the fourth district will have to travel a bit slower.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the county commission voted to post a 30 mile per hour speed limit on the road at the request of Fourth District Commissioner Dr. Scott Little who said residents along the road want the posted speed limit.

Meanwhile there will no longer be two county roads sharing the name Allen Ferry Road, One section of Allen Ferry Road connects Highway 70 and 56 in Smithville while the other runs off Backbone Road in the Johnson’s Chapel Community.

Fifth District Commissioner Jerry Adcock requested that at least one of the roads be renamed to eliminate confusion and he consulted E-911 Director Brad Mulllinax who then contacted County Mayor Tim Stribling.

During Monday night’s meeting, the County Commission voted to rename the road in the Johnson’s Chapel Community Old Allen Ferry Road since it affects fewer households.

Meanwhile the county commission granted a request from the E-911 director to name a private drive Adamson Lane between Liberty and Alexandria. Don Adamson, who has rented property on Nashville Highway to the road construction company, made the request because three mobile home units will be placed on the property to be used by the construction crew for the next thirty six months.

July 28, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

A man indicted in a 2019 child porn case has been sentenced in criminal court.

69 year old Rick Allen Meurer entered a plea to sexual exploitation of a minor and received a two year sentence to serve. He was fined $200 and must be listed on the State’s sex offender registry.

The indictment alleged that on December 10, 2019 Meurer did knowingly possess material that includes minors engaged in sexual activity.

In other cases, 21 year old Sean Austin entered a plea to two counts of domestic assault. He was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days to run concurrently but suspended to good behavior probation.

40 year old Carla Jean Ray entered a plea to sale of a schedule II drug and received a three year sentence on supervised judicial diversion probation. She was also fined $2,000.

39 year old Sherri Francine Gunter entered a plea to sale of a schedule II drug under 0.5 grams and received a six year sentence on supervised probation. She was fined $2,000 and given 27 days jail credit.

41 year old Tawanna Ann Evans entered a plea to sale of a schedule II drug under 0.5 grams and received a four year sentence on supervised probation. She must pay a fine of $2,000 and make restitution of $160 to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.

44 year old Jessica Lee Steinbach entered a plea to auto burglary and theft under $2,500. She received a two year sentence on the burglary charge and one year for the theft to run consecutively for a total of three years but the sentence has been suspended. Steinbach was given jail credit for 278 days served.

53 year old Amanda Hamilton entered a plea to driving under the influence and simple possession and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days in each case to run concurrently and all suspended to supervised probation except for 48 hours to serve. She was fined a total of $1,100 and will lose her driver license for one year.

42 year old Sebrina Ann Lattimore entered a plea to sale or delivery of a schedule II drug and received a four year sentence all suspended to supervised probation with credit for time served. She was fined $2,000 and must make $167 restitution to the sheriff’s department.

29 year old John Lanny Nelson Jr. entered a plea to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months, 29 days suspended to supervised probation except 48 hours to serve. He must also pay a $350 fine.

37 year old Stephen Brandon Pirtle entered a plea to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months, 29 days suspended to supervised probation except 48 hours to serve. He must also pay a $350 fine.

38 year old Crystal Baker entered a plea to simple possession of schedule II & IV drugs and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days in each case to run concurrently but suspended to supervised probation.

24 year old Krisann R. Garmer entered a plea to attempting to file a false report. She was sentenced to 11 months, 29 days but received supervised judicial diversion probation.

29 year old Hope Lachenauer entered a plea to theft under $1,000 and received a sentence ot 11 months, 29 days all suspended to six months of supervised probation and six months of good behavior probation.