(The following article by Robin Cleavenger appeared in the Erwin Record on March 26.)
ERWIN, Tenn. — The Unicoi County Commission unanimously passed a resolution Monday against the use of remote-control technology by CSX Transportation.
“I have gotten several, several requests,” County Executive Larry Rose said, “from people at the railroad, not just engineers, who question the safety of the remote controls.”
Rose said he and other officials viewed the technology at work during a recent visit to CSX. However, he said he still has concerns about its use in the Valley Beautiful, which is why he asked the commission to consider the resolution.
In part, it reads:
“Whereas, this legislative body is aware that there are significant safety problems relating to the movement of rail cars through remote control devices;
“Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Unicoi County Legislative Body that it supports any and all municipal, state or federal legislation to prohibit the use of remote control devices for movement of rail cars within Unicoi County.”
Kenneth Garland moved that the resolution be approved, and Jimmy Erwin seconded the motion.
Though it was approved unanimously, the resolution is not binding, so CSX may continue to operate locomotives by remote control within its yard.
In other business, board members voted to table an offer from the town of Erwin to take over ownership of the old City Hall.
Edgar Rice said the building and grounds committee looked over the building, which sits at the corner of Gay and Church streets, at its Feb. 27 meeting. He said the building was in “pretty good shape” but had some leaks. Rice said committee members hope that the county could get grants to renovate the facility, which houses a theater on the second floor.
“But if we don’t get those (grants),” Rice cautioned, “we’d be buying a dead horse.”
Garland said he was in favor of accepting the building. He pointed out that the county does not own much property, and the old City Hall is in an ideal location next to the courthouse.
However, Lee Brown said the building could require a lot of maintenance that the county doesn’t have money to pay for. He also pointed out that the building is not handicap-accessible and would have to be renovated before using for a public office of any sort.
“I’m afraid with the budget we’re facing,” Brown said, “everybody’s going to have to make do with a little less.”
But Garland pointed out that the county’s 911 services will soon need additional space. Jimmy Erwin confirmed Garland’s assertion, saying that communication equipment required of the office by Jan. 1 will necessitate more room for 911.
Rose said he had been told that the 911 office would pay up to $1,000 to rent the space currently occupied by the Unicoi County Election Commission. He said the election commission could be moved to the old City Hall or perhaps to the old savings center owned by Unicoi County Memorial Hospital, though its availability will not be known until at least June.
Kenneth Lewis said it would be worthwhile to have an architect or engineer look at the old City Hall and give an assessment of its structural integrity. Brown said the architect working on renovations at the Unicoi County Health Department might be willing to look at the facility.
The town’s offer a quit claim deed was tabled until more information about the old City Hall could be collected.
Also on Monday, the Unicoi County Commission approved two resolutions Monday aimed at stopping unnecessary changes to the names of private roads.
When a new 911 system was put into effect a few years ago, every road in Unicoi County was given a name. Private roads were often named after a resident who lived along the road. However, if someone else purchased the property or a dispute pitted neighbors against each other, many people asked for the name to be changed.
At a recent planning commission meeting, Superintendent of Roads Terry Haynes said the frequent road-name changing was problematic for his crews, who sometimes ended up working what they thought was a public road, only to find out that it was private. Planning commissioner Larry Pate, who works for the U.S. Postal Service, said mail deliverers also have problems keeping track of correct addresses because private road names have changed so much in the past few years.
During their March 24 meeting, Unicoi County Commissioners voted to prohibit roads from being named after people. The board also decreed that once a road has been named, the name cannot be changed for 10 years.
Board members voted to table discussion of increasing the Mineral Severance Tax. It is currently 15 cents per ton, which is the maximum allowed without passage of a private act by the Tennessee General Assembly. The commission asked Rose to see if such a private act could be passed during this legislative session. If the deadline for introduction has passed, the matter will be forwarded to the Unicoi County Finance Committee for consideration.
At the beginning of the March 24 meeting, Extension Agent Ty Petty gave a brief presentation about a youth education center being operated through the Agricultural Extension Service. The center is currently located in the old Erwin City Hall.