Health, Welfare & Recreation Committee - Regular Meeting

Thank you, Roseanne. Good evening, everyone. I'd like to welcome you to our monthly HWR meeting. It's July 28, 2026 at 6 PM. I'm going to call this meeting to order. It's meeting in order. I'll take the roll. Everybody's here. So before we approve the agenda, I'd like to have somebody to make a motion to move A to C and C to A, if they would, please.

I'll make the motion. We'll move A to C and C to A. Perfect. Second that.

All in favor of that juggling agenda, say aye. Aye. Aye's happy. So any public comments from anybody? We'll move on to the minutes. Everybody look at your minutes, please. Roseanne did another good job with those. I'm going to take a motion to approve those minutes.

I'll make that motion.

Approve them.

Mr. Miller with a motion of approval. Seconded by Mr. Duncan. All in favor of approval of the minutes, say aye. Aye. Let's have that.

Who made the first motion? I did. And what about the agenda?

We just, we moved A to C. Tim made the motion, I think.

And who's second? Jackie. Jackie, I think. Thank you.

Just tell me to slow down, and then I'll slow down. Okay. Going, working down our list here, our old business, let's have our rural fire reports. I talked to most people this month. They did their, they had their smoke detectors up for the year. I just want to get each one of you to come up and give us a little detail of what you got going on. If you would, I guess, did everybody bring their minutes, their smoke detector paperwork tonight? Just give us a small rundown of what you got going on. You can? Hillsborough can go first?

North Coffey first, okay.

You need to turn that on.

Is it on?

No, it's not.

There it is.

Testing one, two. I'm Greg Rod. I'm chief of North Coffey Fire Department. Most of y'all know me. For our last fiscal year, well, first of all, since we started this program of installing the smoke alarms back in 2021, for five years, we've put in 597 smoke alarms in 133 homes. So we're averaging 26.6 homes per year. And of course, as you get them, every year it slows down a little bit. This past fiscal year, we've put in 19 homes. I've got one more on the, two more on the list to do now, but it goes in spurts. What I want to say about that extra money has been a great help that we've been getting through you guys to use through purchasing. Just bought things that we, you know.

Never imagined for.

Right. And then allowed us to use our other funds for, you know, other important things. But it's been put to well use. If you need to know what that's been put to, I can...

If you don't mind, just give us a little quick five-year rundown.

A five-year rundown?

Oh, your big ticket items.

We've bought 12 complete set SCBAs, self-contained breathing apparatuses, which 16 mass, 28 SCBA cylinders, which are the air bottles. Battery powered ventilators and equipment trailer. 13 sets of turnout gear. 16 pagers. One handheld thermal imager. Four portable SCBA thermal imagers. Jimmy knows what I'm talking about. The little small ones that hang on the air packs for probably a thousand foot of fire hose. toolboxes, power drills, and solves, those kind of things. So it's been, like I said, it's been a great help. The turnout gear and the SCBAs and stuff alone are a big relief from us being able to have that. I know when I took this department over, we had SCBAs that were probably 30 years old, never had been tested. Not once, never been flow tested, anything. So to be able to, and we also had all homemade trucks except one. So I replaced five trucks in the last seven years. And everything's current and up to date as far as turnout gear, things, the guys, that's important. So it's been a great help and we do appreciate it. It's always a struggle, but y'all have helped relieve that struggle a lot.

I agree. What did you say the total number was you've installed over the last five years?

597 smoke alarms. We now do the carbon monoxide, which we started this year. So there's a few in with that, but 597 in 133 homes.

I would like to say five or six, probably six years ago, I'd go out to North Coffee's Christmas dinner. They'd invite me out, and me and Greg sat down and talked about it. It was slim pickings back then, wasn't it?

Yes, sir, it was. Yes, sir. You haven't been back to one in a while. Not that you haven't been back.

How many active volunteer firemen do you have?

Actual firefighters and stuff, 13. I have some inactive members that sit on the board and stuff. I've got one that's out on sick leave, probably won't return as far as firefighting.

I've got a question. There's a chemical that is bad news for a lot of folks. It sounds like I've heard some volunteer fire departments have gotten it mixed in with their supplies or some kind of way called PFAS.

Talk about the bomb? Yeah, I mean, I think, haven't they done away with all that now?

Well, they're supposed to be.

So, yeah, we don't have any of the old stuff. We've got some newer stuff. But, yeah, cancer-causing agent in it. But, like I said, I think it's outlawed now.

Well, it's still causing some problems. Some people still have the problem in some parts of the country because I just saw it on the news a few weeks ago. I just wondered about you guys.

They've probably done away with it here in the United States. Doesn't mean it's other, yeah, ship it all down here. They will use it, and they'll use it, and they'll use it.

No, this was just other parts of the United States that were still having the problem. I was just concerned about you guys.

We haven't had any issues that I know of. We use very little foam. We have it on hand in case of a big disaster or some sort that we really need it, but we It's so expensive, you can't just use it on every little fire. It's outrageous. $400 and something dollars a five-gallon bucket.

Greg, we appreciate all you do. Yes, sir. Hey, Greg, can I get that paperwork from you? Can I get your... Do you want all this? I do. I didn't get last year's, but I kept the other ones. Yeah, I've got it. I'll get these back to you. Thank you, sir.

hillsborough fires on deck melissa carter hillsborough fire chief i do not have the numbers for the last five years i've got the past three years um and what you got last five years there and aaron's got There's been a little lost paper trail, apparently, but our assistant chief has got in with the fire marshal's office and gathered what she could and has got us back on track, hopefully. But in 2024, it shows we installed 52 detectors. In 25, it shows 17. And so far this year, we've already installed 21. Wow. Yeah. So hopefully we're on track for this year. I know. Yeah, and as far as what we've spent it on, it's been loose equipment, SCBAs. We, the department itself, just purchased a new truck and using funds to equip it and get it going and all that kind of stuff.

Have you liked this smoke detector program? Have you liked what it's done?

So far, yes, sir. No complaints. It's been very, very helpful. I know we've gotten gear in the past and some air packs and stuff like that with it in the past. As far as specific details, I have to reach out to previous administrations.

Any questions for Melissa or anybody? Thank you, Melissa. Appreciate it.

How many firemen do you all have? Fourteen, fifteen maybe? Okay.

Hickerson Station. Where's Chief Cunningham at?

He's got some other obligations he had to do tonight, I reckon. Assistant Chief Shawn Nicklaus with Hickerson Station. We've installed 48 alarms this year, 13 homes. We've bought loose equipment, new turnout gear, new washer and dryer.

Have you got any idea what the total was going back to when we started in 21? No, I do not. He did not give me none of that.

I blame Brett for that. We've got 13 active members.

What all did y'all get? What all did y'all purchase with your?

Cameras, the iron sets, pipe holes, a couple of ladders, and some hose and foam.

Any questions for the assistant chief?

Did you say you have 13? Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

Appreciate you. Summitville Fire, Michael. Donnie. Donnie's here, too. Well, y'all go. You're going to let him speak first, and you're going to come up and speak.

My name's Michael, and this is Chief of Summitville Fire. We've put in about 17 alarms this year. As Greg said, the number does go down, but as the alarms expire, it goes back up. We're putting in houses that we did 10 years ago.

I was going to add, when we started this, Michael remembers that we had a requirement that you had to install 24. Mm-hmm. We worked hard for three years, and it was a guy where we couldn't install them, so we dropped it down. We cut it in half and went to 12.

Right.

But y'all, everybody's still gone above and beyond.

Oh, yeah, we're still getting them in as they come in.

This county's been filled up with smoke detectors.

Oh, yeah. As I said, we're starting to replace ones that we installed 10 years ago. They're starting to phase out, and people are calling us, and we're putting them back in, new ones.

Yeah, y'all had a really good advertisement program because y'all had – Y'all had 55, y'all had that sign at 55 at Forest Mill, which was a good, I guess, call in for you.

That and the radio, Thunder Radio put it out for a little while for all of us. So getting the word out like that's really helped get the program moving.

You got a total on the last five?

No, I don't. Not with me.

You'd think everybody would want one.

Yep. Yeah. And they make a world of difference. And a lot, but since the program started last five years, we've purchased a new cascade. We purchased a brush truck, 16 SCBA cylinders, a lot of loose equipment. Just this program has been a great help to get us a newer equipment that it would take us a lot longer to replace. In our cascade, we replaced was a 1976, 76 or 78, Donnie? 78. 78. And the brush trucker we replaced was a 78.

that we did several Christmas dinners out there some of what it was kind of slim pickings out there too. Yeah.

Yeah. Now we've got 21 members on the roster.

So and the cascade system y'all got out there. Y'all got that the first year?

Yeah, the very first year we bought it and lights that attached to our helmets was the first year's purchase.

Remember that was when y'all got that, when y'all got that system, that was like the talk of, I mean, everybody was talking about it.

Oh, yeah. It was a big upgrade, especially since we had upgraded our packs. And our old system, there was no safety margin anymore. They maxed it out to 5,000. Well, the bottles are 4,500. So that's when this program came about. That was the first thing we wanted to do was replace that old system.

Any more questions from Michael? Donnie, got anything over there? Nothing? Okay.

All right, Michael, we appreciate all you do. Yeah, great. Give them some idea of what some of the main items we're talking about cost. I don't know. I know you know.

Yeah, you can. You can do that, Michael.

The Cascade system was $40,000 five years ago. it's probably over $50,000 now for the same system we have now.

And that fills your bottles?

Yes.

Okay. With good air?

Oh, yeah. And it has to be certified every year?

It's for your safety. Oh, yes. And then you're coming to save us. Yeah. So that's what we want.

Listen, what do y'all got up there in Hillsboro? What do you got, Cascade-wise?

I've got three of theirs.

And one thing, I'm on budget and finance, so I'll say this. That way people know that their money is accounted for. These guys and ladies work and put these smoking detectors in, and they get money to buy things that they need, and it's all accounted for through Marianna's office with receipts done every year, and it's all shown, and it is rural tax money. So the rural people are paying for their rural fire department in a way that, helps everybody because you get free smoke detectors. You'll get equipment that keeps you safe because you're coming to help us. And I think it's a good thing.

And I hope and it's all it's all accounted for through POs. Yes. And the processes that we have to go through.

It all has to be documented. Yes. That way everybody knows that that money is taken care of and they're spent wisely. And I appreciate y'all doing that. Every one of you.

Any more questions? Good. Thank you, Michael. New Union. And I'll, if we meet, if this committee meets next month, I'll have Neil appear with the Rescue Squad, and I'll try to get Sammy or Dylan next month. Okay, I would like to add, next month will be my last meeting time here. I think Dwight's leaving too, so whoever becomes chairman of this committee, I've got, I think I've got three years of this stuff. Whoever the chairman is, you know, you need to take that stuff up. Just gives the taxpayers what they're getting for their money, so. Any more questions about that? You think anybody else have anything on rule of fire you need to bring up? When this all set in, we were right in the middle of COVID, and y'all couldn't get out and do any kind of fundraising because everybody was isolated. So that was the initial bring-up of this was to help out because you couldn't get out and fundraise. So I think it's worked out good. I think the county's got their money's worth from it. That being said, we'll move on to – B, animal control. Craig's not here tonight, so we'll go down to...

But we did mention the fact that it had the opening.

Yes. Animal control's up and going. New building. New building. Yes.

All up and going. We'll try to have Craig in here next month for an update on that. So moving down to 6C, that'll be Tim. You with rural water?

My rural water is I'm still stuck with... We have $36,000 allocated to put water in on J.U. Sarton Road. We're sort of at a standstill. We're willing to finance four-inch lines. The entity is wanting a six-inch line. There's a farmer willing to pay a little bit, but I'm still about $18,000 short. So if there's anybody out there that would like to contribute $18,000 for J.U. Sarton Road, I would be happy to entertain that. that and talk to you.

And that's to get six inch lines?

Yes, ma'am.

So how much short are you?

If Mr. McMahon kicks in his part, I'll be about $18,000. We will be $18,000 short.

And how many homes are out there?

Four right now.

18 divided by four.

So that's where I'm at with real water.

You already got $36,000.

Right. If I'm the landowner or a homeowner, I'm thinking, dang, that's only $4,000.

Especially when you get ready to sell your house. That's right.

Well, let's put Tim on this hard. Maybe we can get some closure on this before this session of the commission goes out.

Well, I mean, what can we do to close it out? Nothing.

I'll just go talk and see if I can come up with $18,000 from the people that live on that road, but it is not a wealthy... And I understand both sides of it. I'm just torn between. I hate it that this county does not have water to everybody. I don't care where you live at. If you live in Hillsboro, you ought to have water. If you live in Beach Grove, you ought to have water. The lake was built for people to have water, and they don't. And I don't know how it came apart.

But you do need that. Be careful about where you want to build.

Oh, yes, yes.

You can't just go build and not have water.

And dig wells.

And think that that's going to happen.

Yes.

We've got all these utilities that are spread out. You need to be at least close enough to get water if you're going to build.

So landowner beware.

That's true. And that's part of that thing about the five acres. It's all kind of tied together because if you don't have infrastructure, you better not be there.

Okay. Anything else on rural water?

Well, I do want to just kind of refresh. So Manchester City water, Manchester water will not accept a four-inch line.

No. At the meeting that Dwight and I went to,

no and they didn't talk like they won't change and they didn't really care whether it got done or not i'm not sure if you went back again they'd do their part it all depends on who's on those boards at that time all said all done okay

All right, new business.

Anybody have any new business to bring up? If so, speak now. Being none, we're going to eight. We'll set a date.

I'm going to say something. I don't know when the county fair is, but we should at least bring that up. Isn't it in?

September.

No, I thought it was August.

September or something.

Yeah.

We go four weeks of school, and then September it hits. I think it's the Friday. Hang on a minute.

Well, Labor Day falls on the last, like, 7th.

Yeah, so it'll be September the 4th. Okay.

So we'll have a meeting before then. Not that we do anything with it, but it is worth giving a shout-out to. Okay. That's all I got.

Okay.

You want to plug that, too? Absolutely. When is that?

The 7th and 8th of August. The 7th and 8th of August.

In Hillsborough, a tractor pull.

That's it. Everybody try to go to the tractor pull. What time does it start?

It starts at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday night.

Yes, sir.

You'll see some big tractors pulling.

Do y'all fundraise at that with anything? charter member that's it etched in the stone tablets what does that tell you oh are you a hillsborough resident i certainly am do you you live close to the shop there where you're at the shop yeah i don't know where you live at do you live close to where your business is i'm barely over the line of demarcation

That separates Manchester from Tallahoma. I mean, Hillsboro. Off of Loveland.

That's kind of Hillsboro.

I've got a Hillsboro address.

I used to work for a guy. I worked for him at the fair years ago. And his name was Hubert Davis. I don't know if y'all ever knew Hubert. Oh, yeah. Hubert said that Manchester ended at the old Cumberland Motel and Hillsborough started at the Cumberland Motel. He said everything southeast of the Cumberland Motel was Hillsborough. And he believed that until the day he died.

I live on his family farm. Hollis Davis is his brother, and I bought his farm.

Hollis Davis, right. I worked for Hubert for years. He's all right. Learned a lot of good lessons from him. All right. Moving on, set our date, time, location for our next meeting. Let's see if we have anything to meet on next month, and I'll get with Laura and we'll post a date on that. But if not, we'll kind of look for the last Tuesday of the month or the Thursday of the month. We'll have to see what any other committees are meeting, but I'll get with you on that. All right, that being said, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn this meeting.

Can I make? Yes, sir. Go ahead, Mayor. I did want to state, since we do have a room full of volunteer firemen, that I attended the Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Grant Award Ceremonies. Who was there? One man. What fire department are you with?

Hickerson Station.

Hickerson Station. You guys got how much money?

$23,700 and some odd dollars. Good job.

Yeah. And Coffee County Rescue Squad made bank. They got $90,000. Wow. And I was wondering why our other volunteer fire departments didn't get anything. Anybody know?

Somerville was awarded $34,500.

You weren't there, though, were you?

Okay.

Okay. For those that didn't hear at home watching, Summitville got $34,000, and Hickerson Station got $23,000. So did the other fire departments, did y'all not apply, or you applied and got turned down? Too late. That happens, and it's happened more than once. That's why everybody needs to stay abreast of these grants because it helps you out a lot.

You don't try.

If you don't go to the plate and swing, you don't hit the ball.

When will you know? So that's good.

You've not heard anything, so that might be good. We put in four years last year, and that was the first stuff we put in from once we've been back. I think I've had a couple guys I've tried to work on, but they didn't get them in before then. But we made it through the first round, but I got a notice that the old chief that was there had everything so messed up it took me longer. For those that came here at home, operating a volunteer fire department is more than dragging a hose out and squirting water.

Okay. There's a lot of administrative work that goes along with it, and we appreciate all the guys that do all of that. And all the money you can get from the state is less money you have to ask us for from time to time. But we fully support you, and I hope everybody knows that. Yeah. I looked on the fire marshal. Their website has not posted the pictures for the 2026 awards, but the check was this big. I'm telling you.

They posted the pictures already on their Facebook page.

Is it on their Facebook page? I guess I couldn't find it, but I was looking. Thank you.

Okay. That's all I have. Thank you, Mayor. So going into next year, the mayor has challenged everybody to get on it and get applied for those grants.

Get that grant.

Save that taxpayer dollars, right, Dennis? Right. All right.

So what's the name of the page? Fire Marshal? State Fire Marshal?

We're just going to look it up.

Okay. Let's move on here. That's why they're doing that. I'd entertain a motion for adjournment.

I'll make that motion.

I'll second.

Motion made by Mr. Miller on adjournment. Seconded by Mr. Morris. All in favor of adjournment, say aye. Aye. Thanks, everyone, for coming. See you next month.