Staff Writer

Jim Smith of the Destination Development Company addressed county commissioners during the regular meeting on Oct. 15. Smith was laying the groundwork for the proposed development of 258 acres in the Leatherwood Hollow area into a resort and spa.

According to Smith, 90 acres would be developed to include an initial 468 condominium units. Further development of up to 1,000 units may occur at a hilltop location on the Bruce Renner property. In addition to the condos, construction of 3-4 tourist type retail locations and the same number of restaurants are being considered. At a lower elevation 37 estate lots would be available for individual dwellings.

Destination Development proposes to improve roads into the area, install water lines, and construct a self-contained sewage system for the hilltop facilities. They are also considering a provision for horseback riding and a cable tram to the lake. Smith expects to sell 80-90 percent of the condominiums to out of state customers who could be part-time or permanent residents. Construction management would be under the control of the Turnbull Companies. Smith expects the first of the units to be occupied during the summer of 2009 with construction complete by 2011.

Smith emphasized the pristine beauty of Norris Lake and the mountains as a drawing card for customers of the development. He asked for a five-year tax abatement for his company and said that the county would start receiving property tax revenue as soon each unit was sold. Condos would sell for around $450,000 each.

Commissioners did not take any action on the proposal except to instruct Smith to present the county planning commission with detailed plans. The planners would then provide their recommendation to the commission. Smith agreed and added that he had been talking with former Chamber of Commerce President Seth Butler and Road Superintendent Mike Sharp prior to addressing the commission.

County Mayor Joe Tyler Duncan reported on the status of certain grants requested by the county. A grant for $41,600 has been approved for county welcome signs at various locations subject to expenditure of matching funds from the county in the amount of $8,300. Two grants of $1,500 each have been approved for enhancement of record storage areas and for the historical building. Duncan also suggested the commissioners tour the buildings recently acquired from the Claiborne County Board of Education at 6:30 p.m. prior to the next scheduled commission meeting on Nov. 19.

Commissioners accepted a check returned by Gilbert Seals, which had been issued in 2002 and never cashed. Seals recently found the Equalization Board check among his papers and decided to return it to the county treasury. Two budget amendments providing funds to the election commission were approved unanimously. The first, for postage, takes $3,161 from the county general fund and the second transferred $2,500 for printing expense. The postage and printing is to notify all county residents of the new location of the election commission office in the old adult education center at the intersection of Main Street and Court Street in Tazewell.

On the recommendation of Ron Woody of CTAS, Glen Bowling presented a resolution to set aside $150,000 in a fund to pay attorney fees in conjunction with the pending lawsuit against Merit Construction. Currently, the commission must approve payment of individual bills presented by the attorneys. The fund would allow periodic payments to be made without individual resolutions. County Attorney James D. Estep III opined that the county would win the suit and recover money spent for attorneys. Fifth District Commissioner Mitch Cosby asked, "What if we lose?" Win or lose, the county must pay the attorney fees by some procedure. The $150,000 special fund request failed with Commissioners Barry Thomas, Dean Neal, Juanita Honeycutt, Glen Bowling, Shawn Peters, and Dennis Graves voting yes. Bill Brooks, Bill Keck, Jerry Arnwine, Mike Campbell, James McAnally, Dennis Estes, Mitch Cosby, Steve Mason, Rosemary Barnett, Kenneth Clark, David Mundy, and James Hatmaker voted no. Consequently, each bill presented by attorneys in the matter will continue to be considered by the commission.

Commissioners approved budget amendments for annual contributions to non-profit groups and the Historical Society. All had been budgeted and the approval was a matter of form. Also approved was a capital outlay note for purchase of a garbage truck to be paid from the 2008-09 sanitation department budget. A budget amendment not involving local money for the Board of Education passed.

At the request of former sheriff Bruce Seal, commissioners approved a resolution directing county officials to communicate with the state department of transportation and other officials in an effort to improve access to old Hwy. 25E since the opening of the new ramp north of Springdale School.

Dean Neal requested a resolution tabled last month be considered. The resolution requires that the entire third floor of the courthouse be dedicated to short-term storage for county offices. The archives would be located on the first floor of the old election commission building at the corner of Montgomery and Eppes Streets. The county emergency management agency would move to the second floor of the same building. The vote to un-table the resolution passed with Keck, McAnally, Estes, and Clark voting no. Estes commented that the third floor of the courthouse was one of the most secure locations in the county for archives and that the old election commission building could be rented to produce income. In the end, the resolution passed with Keck, Arnwine, McAnally, Estes, and Clark voting no.

Ed Baldwin is a staff writer for the Claiborne Progress. He can be reached via e-mail at ebaldwin@claiborneprogress.net.