Marion County Tribune

Jasper • Kimball • Monteagle • New Hope • Orme • Powells Crossroads • South Pittsburg • Whitwell T ribune MARION June 6, 2024 Volume 1 - No. 45 $1.00 T MARION Lakeway Publishers Inc. 2023 c Support Local Community Journalism! $35 00 Charter Subscriber Offer arichards@mariontribune.com 100 Betsy Pack Dr. Suite 204, Jasper 423-590-6397 JMS project deadline pushed to January T he West valley fi re department will be hosting an open house fundraiser for their de- partment. The event is sched- uled for Saturday, June 15. Join the WVFD for lots of fun from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the West Val- ley Volunteer Fire Dept 5000 Old Dunlap Rd in Whitwell. The event will feature vendors, ra ffl e food, Wingshine, Smokey The Bear, Dezigns by CFF The Clay Pumpkin, Broken Heart Cheesecake, Southern Hedgie, JoJo Sprinkles, River Angel, Todd Sims Signs, Crafty Husky Mom, Emily and Lynn’s Sweet Treats, Courtney’s Scentsy, Maria’s Scentsy, Nanna’s Crafts, The Rustic Heifer, Custom Banners, Canvases and Decals and much more. Don’t miss the fun in the sun while supporting your local fi re department. Support West Valley Fire department at their open house fundraiser LACIE SILVA Editor T he JMS project may be in trouble. Recent up- dates provided by Mr. Gilliam, the project man- ager overseeing the construction, show that the move-in date has been pushed multiple times and is currently not estimated until January of next year. Dr. Gri ffi th assured the board Mr. Gilliam is on top of the problems and actively working to ensure they are corrected. That was in March. Since then updates continue to re fl ect “hiccups” as stated by Dr. Gri ffi th. In April Mr. Gilliam advised the board that he had met with a roo fi ng company, independent from Tricon, and they will be providing the warranty of the roof of the new building. He further explained the workers would be adding gravel for a curb at the back within two to three weeks of that meeting. Other information included progress on the concrete fl oor of the auditorium, the majority of the heating and air units are functioning, the fi rst coat of fi nish on the fl oor has been laid, and bleacher installation is upcoming, following which the two fi nal coats will be added. Despite expressing to the board that the e ff orts and outlook are positive, Mr. Gillam advised that they no longer have a for sure date for the school opening. He explained, at that time, that they were hopeful to begin transition in August while construc- tion was fi nalized, however, on record he advised they could not con fi rm any speci fi c date. Recent re- ports show that the date has been pushed even fur- ther, possibly to January of next year as stated by Mr. Gilliam in the May meeting. In the recent May meeting, the board voted to approve the rejection of the furniture bid and ap- proving the next lowest bid, upon the advice of Dr. Gri ffi th. Dr. Gri ffi th deferred to Mike Ogden for ex- planation of the agenda item. A situation occurred with HCONE, the original bidder, in which there was a misunderstanding of the procedure and original agreement. According to Ogden, the original agreement was to pay the cost in full including delivery. HCONE’s fi nancing depart- ment then requested signatures to approve pay in full regardless of any situation that came up includ- ing problems with the furniture or delivery. Further confusion escalated when negotiations for multiple deliveries and payments were o ff ered as an alterna- tive by HCONE with contingencies still in place for payment regardless of delivery of the furniture. Ogden further explained that HCONE was un- able to promise and guarantee delivery of prod- ucts. He also advised the board that the company M arion County Sheri ff ’s De- partment has issued the fol- lowing missing person’s report. Kisha Tozier, a 34 year old black female was last seen on May 16. No information was provided regarding what she was wearing. Kisha has multiple tattoos in the following areas; back, chest, both ankles, left hand, left arm, abdo- men, and right hip. Her family and friends have had no contact with her since the date she was last seen. She has been entered as a missing person out of Marion County. If you have seen or had con- tact with Kisha Tozier since the above date or know of her where- abouts, please contact the South Pittsburg Police Department or Marion County Sheri ff ’s Depart- ment at (423) 942-2525. NEW missing persons report Kisha Tozier WES orchard dedicated in memory of two local heroes LACIE SILVA Editor F riends, family, school sta ff , and many more gathered to witness the Whitwell Elementary School’s Orchard Dedi- cation in memory of Todd Brown and Diana Perry. The event was marked by a massive group e ff ort to bring the orchard to fruition. The Walmart in Dunlap, TN, donated 23 fruit trees, and Tractor Supply con- tributed one tree for a school project. Marty Webster volunteered his time and equipment to dig holes for the students to plant the trees. Adam Bell, Nick Morrison, and Deputy Amanda Campbell assisted with the planting, while the Whitwell Volunteer Fire Department helped by watering the trees. Out- door kindergarten teach- ers Sharon Brown and Jennifer Smith, along with Allison Morrison, Ti ff any Cooley, Jennifer Atterton, and Lisa Hig- gins, were also involved. The outdoor kindergar- ten class, established by Sharon Brown in 2017, has expanded to two outdoor classrooms this school year. The stu- dents planted and have been caring for these trees since August, and they can even identify which trees they helped plant. At the beginning of the prior school year, the community lost two indi- viduals who truly made a di ff erence, and as such Brown and Perry were named local heroes. Todd Brown, a 911 dispatcher for Marion County and Volunteer Fire Chief for the Whit- well Fire Department, and Diana Perry, Direc- tor of Probation and DUI Instructor for Southeast TN Human Resources for over 20 years, dedi- cated their lives to help- ing others in the commu- nity. In their honor, an orchard of apple, pear, and peach trees has been established. This small orchard, which will be cared for by future out- door kindergarten stu- dents, serves as a lasting tribute to Todd and Di- ana. The trees symbol- ize the strong roots they left behind, and the fruit represents their giving nature, continuing to See WES, Page 4A See JMS, Page 4A