Tellico Village News

Carolyn Lequire remembers it as "the decade of goodbyes." She rattles off names, one by one, just as they disappeared from the Jackson community of her youth during the run-up to completion of Tellico Dam.

12, at Buddy's Bearden Banquet Hall off Kingston Pike. Enjoy music, shopping, baked goods, food items, small holiday crafts, auctions, cakewalks and a 'white elephant' sale.

It's an unquestionable fact: The population of senior citizens is burgeoning, growing daily, while the age groups available to provide services is shrinking.

If a slogan could be applied to Orabell "Obie" O'Conner's life, it might be the adage: "Live well, laugh often, love much," but perhaps with the addendum, "Don't worry, be happy." She was born in Grand Lake, Mich., not too far from where the first Model T Fords were being produced.

Southern Appalachia Railway Museum's Secret City Scenic Excursion Train will run trips to see the changing fall colors each full weekend in October.

GFWC Tellico Village Women's Club is hosting its 14th Annual Home Tour Sunday. Five beautiful and unique homes will be featured.

From Staff Reports Originally published: September 24. 2009 3:01AM Last modified: September 23.

Loudon's two liquor store owners were back before the Loudon City Council Monday, requesting a reduction in inspection fees established by the ordinance adopted late in January.

This week, a Loudon County man diagnosed with ALS found out how close an online community can be.

Do you remember the Open Records lawsuit filed against Mayor Doyle Arp by three plaintiffs?

In his ruling, Ninth Judicial District Chancellor Frank Williams ruled that the county government was entitled to charge resident Pat Hunter for the labor associated with producing copies of public records.

In a letter to Farragut resident Lamar Orr, the Office of Open Records Counsel (OORC) has inferred that Chancellor Williams’ ruling lacked any legal basis, and indicated that the OORC is inclined to disregard the ruling.

A link to the entire letter accompanies this article.

Open Records Specialist Elisha D. Hodge says the following:

The Office is also aware of a Chancery Court ruling from Loudon County that upheld a copying policy that charges for the labor associated with producing requested records…"

Ms. Hodge then shows her inclination to disregard that ruling in these words:

....while respecting the Loudon County Chancellor’s ruling, this Office is compelled to rely upon the opinions issued by the higher courts of this State as well as the actually statutory language adopted by the General Assembly relative to what can be charged when producing copies."

In explaining this inclination, Ms. Hodge then writes the following:

It is important to note that this Office was unable to discern the basis upon which the Chancellor was relying in rendering his opinion due to the fact that he cited no case law or statutory authority when the ruling was made." (Emphasis added)

Thus, it now appears that we have an opinion from the Office of Open Records Counsel that Chancellor Frank Williams’ opinion could have been (or could still be) overturned on appeal.

With Congressional primaries less than one year away, it’s time for "franked mailings" to increase.

Franked mail is that privilege members of Congress confer upon themselves of being able to mass-mail reelection literature throughout their districts – and U.S. taxpayers are conferred the privilege of paying for it.

As reported here previously, Congressman John J. Duncan (R-Knoxville) has requested $178 million, earmarked for 35 projects in his congressional district. If approved, this will be a 1,019 percent increase over the $15.9 million he is reported to have spent the previous year on local earmarks.

During the last presidential election, GOP nominee John McCain promised to “make them famous” – stating that he would make sure everyone knew who the members of congress are who run up federal budget deficits via massive spending in their home districts.

Thus far, Senator McCain has shown no inclination to make Mr. Duncan “famous” for his willingness to jump on the Obamabucks bandwagon. (McCain probably has just as much ability to do this as a U.S. Senator as he would have had as President. Why he has not come through is anybody’s guess. If it’s the right thing for a President to do, then it’s also the right thing for a U.S. Senator to do).

Mr. Duncan’s most recent "franked mail" assault on his district came in the last few weeks. In a newsletter entitled Washington Report, Mr. Duncan complains that:

At a time when most families are having to tighten their belts and be more careful in their spending, the Congress keeps giving big increases to every department. In fact, this Congress is the biggest spending one I have ever been in."

Conspicuously absent from this newsletter was any mention of Mr. Duncan's own 1,019 percent increase in earmarks for his own district, and any attempt to explain how it is "different" when he does it. Perhaps that will be included in another franked-mail blitz during the coming year.

Anyone wishing to contact Mr. Duncan’s office can visit this e-mail link: http://www.house.gov/duncan/contactform_zipcheck.shtml

Anyone wishing to study Mr. Duncan’s earmark requests can do so at the link accompanying this article.

by Van Shaver, BOE member

The good news, the Loudon County Board Of Education finally adopted a budget for the 2009-2010 school year. The bad news, the budget adds another $793,000.00 to the operating budget.

For months the board has been wrangling with the budget process. At Thursday's board meeting the budget passed surprisingly quickly with very little discussion. Director Honeycutt presented his proposed budget which included several options for reductions. Only $59,000.00 of those options was included in the budget.

Board member Larry Proaps made the motion to accept the director's proposal which included an across the board 2% raise for all employees. His motion was seconded by Craig Simon.

The motion passed by only one vote with Proaps, Simon, Leroy Tate, Scott Newman, Bill Marcus and Gary Ubben voting in favor. Board members Lisa Russell, Bobby Johnson Jr. and I voted against the budget. Steve Harrelson was absent.

The total budget is nearly $38,000,000.00.

Getting the budget passed by the board was only the first hurdle. The budget will now go to the full commission where it could be approved or rejected.

The large increase in the operating budget would also have a major impact on the proposed building program by reducing the available funds for the debt service if commission accepts it,

A Lenoir City man is searching for the strangers who saved his life.

On Sunday morning, June 7, Jim Spencer was fishing at the Fort Loudon Dam when he fell 15 feet down a rocky cliff.

He woke up in the hospital 18 hours later.

First responders told him three other fishermen in the area witnessed the accident and helped save his life.

"There was an Asian guy who was fishing right beside me and they said he sat there till the paramedics showed up, and there were two men in a boat who evidently called 911," he says.

"I'd love to thank them. If I'd fallen down there and nobody had seen me, I could have bled to death. I wouldn't be here. In my mind, they're heroes," he says.

-by Concerned Tellico Village Resident

The written communication recently received by all Tellico Villagers was obviously distributed by the "Friends of the POA". They are nothing but community organizers telling us what to believe and who to vote for. Their position is not born of facts from "private" records released by the POA (those not on the POA website). That would be believable but also impossible as there has been no proof of any release of records to those who have requested them.

It was nothing more than continued denial and a personal opinion from a previous board member who supports the current board. He asks us to believe his "verifiable documentation". He supports the boards' actions to ignore villagers when they ask for access to review the association's documents. The letter was signed onto by ignorant villagers who have been led astray by those who have pleaded for their undying support. It is truly amazing to see how easily so many can be influenced by obvious double speak and no actual evidence.

No board member, past or present, will answer the lingering question of why they deny transparency to the records of the village. No one will answer why the board and its pathetic attorney protest the villager's right to review their property owner's records. They have not answered requests to release information relative to what requested documents they have provided to those residents who have followed their "Document Access Procedure". This board has led the drum beat of propaganda to convince those with no minds of their own to believe their position. One can only believe they have something to hide. "Why doth thou protest so loudly?"

This country was not made great by denying your fellow citizen's right to free speech. You trample on their expectations of honest governing and fiduciary responsibility by their elected officers. All POA residents have the right to expect open transparency and access to documents. These rights are guaranteed by the State of Tennessee codes. These residents should not be bullied by their board or their fellow residents for taking remedies they believe necessary to enforce their rights. Several residents have exhibited a mob mentality and should be ashamed of their actions; how UN-American.

Ghandi once said,

First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."

Loudon County has lost a lawsuit. The case stemmed from a dispute involving the application of the Adequate Facilities Tax .

When David and Sharon Gordon bought a lot in the Rarity Mountain residential community in 2006, they paid $445,000 for the Jellico, Tenn., property. But after a recent auction, that same lot changed hands for only $5,500, a massive discount and a striking example of the difficulties facing some of East Tennessee's high-end residential developments. The Rarity Mountain lot in Campbell County was one of several that hit the auction block on June 27 at a sale of properties foreclosed on by First Tennessee bank. The sale featured lots from four projects developed by Maryville-based Rarity Communities - none of the lots were owned by Rarity itself - and from a Campbell County project previously called The Villages at Norris Lake. Sale records now have been filed on some of the lots, and while they don't all match the drastic Rarity Mountain sale price reduction, they do show significant discounts for buyers. For example, a sale of Lot 1305 at Rarity Bay in Vonore closed at $11,000. In 2006, that lot had been sold for more than $200,000 to a buyer who was later hit with a foreclosure. Lot 577 in Rarity Bay was sold for $22,000 despite fetching a price of $156,210 in 2006. At Rarity Pointe in Lenoir City, the discounts didn't appear to be as severe. A pair of waterfront lots on Taffrail Drive sold for $250,000 apiece after fetching $425,900 each in 2006. Meanwhile, a trio of golf course lots in Rarity Pointe went for $63,250 apiece after going for $225,900 apiece in 2006. While none of those lots were owned by the developer, the low prices are more disappointing news at a time when Rarity Communities already has been buffeted by legal issues. Earlier this month, lot owners in Rarity Club on Nickajack Lake filed a lawsuit accusing Rarity President Mike Ross of engineering the diversion of more than $10 million for purposes other than Rarity Club, purposes that include other projects that he owns or controls. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Ross said in a letter to lot buyers that he had defaulted on a major loan and faced eminent foreclosure ....... Read Rest of the Story!

Loudon County School Board member, and former county commissioner, Van Shaver has announced his candidacy for Loudon County Mayor in the 2010 county election.

On his website, www.vanshaver.com, Mr. Shaver says the following:

To those of you who have so graciously supported my campaigns in the past, I ask for your continued support. To those of you whom I do not know and have not yet met, I hope over the next nine months to have the opportunity to get acquainted with you and earn your support.

At this time it is still unknown whether Doyle Arp will seek reelection to the post.

During a recent congressional hearing, HOR subcommittee chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson said investigative reports point to a "troubling" management culture at TVA that is resistant to change.

U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville defended the agency, saying TVA has done everything possible to clean up the spill. According to Mr. Duncan:

You can never satisfy the extremists or the kooks."

Roane County is not in Mr. Duncan’s congressional district. Nevertheless, some Roane Countians are buzzing the knoxnews.com blogs, wanting to know just whom Mr. Duncan was referring to as “extremists and kooks”.

One blogger, posting as R. Neal, asks Rep. Duncan,

So the folks up in Roane County who have had their property destroyed and their lives disrupted by this disaster are 'extremists and kooks'?”

Another blogger, Shane Rhyne, posts:

If you have expressed concerns about a government agency's mismanagement and how it has put your life and property in danger, you can see the value Rep. Duncan puts on your opinion.”

Another blog link is: http://blogs.knoxnews.com/silence/archives/2009/07/roane_county_a.shtml

So far, no clarification from Mr. Duncan.

More information is becoming known in the lawsuit against the Tellico Village Property Owners' Association.

A letter to one plaintiff, Mr. Rich Anklin, dated July 8, 2009 can be viewed at the PDF link accompanying this article.

Signed by TVPOA General Manager Winston Blazer, the letter denies access to four (4) records which Mr. Anklin had requested.

The reasons for the denials vary, ranging from

these documents do not exist" , to

documents that may not be duplicated", to

not open for public inspection".

Ahead of schedule, repairs to the two-lane bridge on U.S. Highway 321 across the TVA Fort Loudoun Dam are complete and both lanes of the roadway are open to traffic.

The work to replace the bridge deck was completed Thursday, July 23, seven days ahead of the contractor’s projected schedule.