Free Tax Assistance for Elderly & Low-Income

Area residents who make less than $54,000 or who are disabled or elderly will have the opportunity to get free Internal Revenue Service-approved assistance with preparing and filing their federal income tax returns this year, thanks to a program sponsored by the Babson Center for Global Commerce at the University of the South. Residents of Franklin, Grundy and Marion counties are all eligible for the free service.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Monteagle and Otey Parish Church in Sewanee. 

VITA will be available 4–7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 25, at the Community Action Committee at Otey Parish in Sewanee. Additional hours in Sewanee will be announced at a later date.

Regular hours at Holy Comforter begin Jan. 31 and will be noon–5 p.m. on Sundays, and 5–7 p.m. on Tuesdays.

The VITA program will not operate on March 13, 15 or 20. The deadline for filing income tax returns is April 15.

The VITA volunteers, who include University students and community members, have received IRS-approved training and will help taxpayers fill out their returns via computer and file them electronically with the IRS. With electronic filing, tax refunds can be processed more rapidly, and refunds can be deposited electronically into taxpayers’ bank accounts.

The IRS anticipates that about 70 percent of taxpayers will be eligible for tax refunds this year. In 2015, the national average refund was $2,797. Last year, more than 85 people took advantage of the VITA service locally, and they collected refunds of more than $20,000. The volunteers are trained to ensure that filers get benefits to which they are entitled, including Earned Income Tax Credits.

People wanting to take advantage of this free service should bring with them the following items:

• Proof of identification (photo ID) for each filer.

• Social Security Cards (if return is filed jointly, all cards must be available, and both individuals must be present to sign the return).

• Filers without Social Security cards must bring an IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN ) assignment letter.

• Wage and earning statements (W-2, 1099, etc.).

• Dividend and interest statements.

• Birth dates of the filer(s), spouse and dependents.

• Banking account and routing numbers for direct deposit, which can be found on a blank check.

This service is completely free of any expense to the taxpayer. In 2015, the local VITA program was selected for a random site audit, and the program received a perfect score from the IRS. For more information about the schedule or other questions, contact the program director, Ben Carstarphen, via email, <carstjb0@sewanee.edu>, or by phone, (704) 675-1025. 

Funding for the VITA program is provided by the University’s Canale Endowment.

Lecture on Rebranding by Alumna on Wednesday

Martha (Marty) Boal Willis, C ’82, the chief marketing officer for Oppenheimer Funds, will present a lecture on “Going Against the Herd: How We Defied Conventions by Defining Our Brand,” at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27, in Gailor Auditorium. A reception will follow the talk. Willis is the Babson Center for Global Commerce’s Graham Executive-in-Residence for the 2016 Easter semester.

Willis’ talk will focus on her firm’s 2015 launch of a major rebranding effort that urges investors to focus on long-term optimism other than short-term market negativity. The campaign, called “Invest in a Beautiful World,” stresses the value of long-term global investment. 

Willis has a long history of support for the University, including a six-year term on the board of regents, serving as chair from 2009 to 2011. She also chaired the University’s investment committee from 2004 to 2009. Willis and her husband, Bill, are the parents of three children; one, Caroline Willis, also attended Sewanee and graduated in 2011. The Graham Executive Residencies are made possible by a generous gift from Diane and the late Henry H. Graham Jr. For more information go to <www.sewanee.edu>.

VISTA Program Announces 2015–16 Team

Five new volunteers are joining three continuing members for the second year of the South Cumberland Americorps VISTA Program.

“The first-year team of VISTA volunteers can be proud of what they accomplished in partnership with community organizations all across this area. We think this new team will build on those successes by continuing to build community, organizational and leadership capacity here on the Plateau,” said Jim Peterman, director of community engagement at the University of the South, which is the organizational home for the VISTA program. 

The volunteers (who include four Sewanee graduates) and their assignments in the community are Elaine Babb Taylor, C’15, community ambassador coordinator, Discover Together; Jennifer Horton, C’15, communication and assessment coordinator, Mountain T.O.P.; Spike Hosch, C ’12, economic development coordinator, Babson Center; Erica Teasley, C’11, economic development coordinator, Grundy County Mayor’s Office; 

Kelly Farina, healthy living coordinator, Sewanee Dining; McKenzie Liegel, school health activities coordinator, Grundy County Health Council; Bobby Luffman, health network coordinator with Grundy County Health Council; and Hilda Vaughan, grant writing and nonprofit management coordinator with South Cumberland Community Fund.

In 2014–15 the VISTA program members organized and implemented mobile food pantries, partnered with USDA to develop a summer meal program, secured funding for school garden projects and health activities in schools, created a local weatherization network, and researched and developed best practices for community ambassador, work force and economic development programs.

The VISTA program, a collaboration between the South Cumberland Community Fund, the University, and community partners, has started programs on the South Cumberland Plateau to address community-identified needs and pressing issues such as food security, education and economic development. By partnering with the VISTA program, local nonprofit groups are leveraging their resources to provide better outcomes for themselves and the clients they serve.

VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Authorized in 1964 and founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965, VISTA was incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993. VISTA has been on the forefront of ending poverty in America for 50 years.

For more information, visit <www.southcumberlandcommunityfund.org/capacity-building> or contact Nicky Hamilton, VISTA director, at <nhamilto@sewanee.edu>.

Mountain Goat Trail Celebrates Opening

The Mountain Goat Trail Alliance and the town of Monteagle are hosting the formal grand opening of the Mountain Goat Trail Phase III segment, between Monteagle and Sewanee, at 11 a.m., today (Friday), May 15, at Tom’s Place, 335 W. Main St., (across from CVS and Papa Ron’s in Monteagle).

Monteagle Mayor Marilyn Campbell Rodman will lead the ceremony recognizing the completion of the trail and of the Pedestrian Enhancement Project in Monteagle. Elected officials and representatives from the Tennessee Departments of Transportation and of Environment and Conservation will be on hand to help celebrate.

The Mountain Goat Trail is a rail-to-trail community outdoor recreation project to convert the abandoned Mountain Goat railroad right-of-way into a multiuse recreational corridor connecting Grundy, Marion and Franklin counties. The completed Mountain Goat Trail could bring more than $1.2 million in annual economic benefits to the area, according to a report by the Babson Center for Global Commerce at Sewanee. When completed, the trail will connect Cowan to Palmer.

Corker to Students: “We Want a Stable World”

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

A stable world translates into “good paying jobs in Tennessee,” Senator Bob Corker said, addressing the community on April 9 in a lecture sponsored by the Babson Center for Global Commerce. Corker spoke to a full house, with Gailor Auditorium packed to capacity and others viewing his talk via closed circuit TV.

“Terrorism pales in comparison to other international issues our nation is dealing with,” Corker said.

Corker was recently elected chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He talked briefly about Russia’s efforts to suppress the westernization of the Ukraine, China’s strategy for expanding its territorial waters, and human trafficking, but he devoted his remarks primarily to deterring Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Opinions differed widely about the April 2 “verbal political agreement with Iran,” Corker said. Iran expects the economic sanctions imposed to pressure them into compliance to be lifted, but the details of the agreement have yet to be laid out. Iran has three nuclear facilities, two capable of producing weapons grade nuclear material. 

“We don’t know,” what’s going on at these facilities, Corker said, and “We don’t know if Iran is trustworthy.”

Corker will advance bipartisan legislation requiring the final agreement be made public; giving Congress authority to approve the agreement, with sanctions remaining in place if approval is denied; and requiring the president to certify Iran is in compliance every 90 days.

The goal of the agreement , he said, was to increase the “breakout time,” the time it will take Iran to develop nuclear weapons, from three months, where it stands now, to a year, in the hope that over the ten-year span of the agreement, the political climate improves.

“We’re the richest nation in the world,” Corker said, “with only 4.5 percent of the world’s population, but with 22 percent of its GDP.” “We want a stable world,” he said, in order to maintain that economic advantage.

Asked what the federal government was doing to strengthen the economic stability of rural communities by supporting the growth of small businesses, Corker said there were “too many regulatory burdens on small businesses,” and he wanted to see that change. “The pendulum needs to swing more back toward the center.”

Responding to concerns about human trafficking in Tennessee, particularly prostitution, Corker said a bill sponsored by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) will “tweak existing laws” to enable the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to utilize surveillance to address the problem. Men and women are advertised for sale on the internet, Corker said, but existing laws hamper the TBI’s ability to deal with the issue. 

Corker’s “End Modern Slavery Initiative” focuses on slavery and human trafficking outside U.S. borders. Corker became passionate about ending slavery and human trafficking after talking with 20 young women from the Philippines who had been forced into sexual servitude.

International Leadership Topic for Sen. Corker

Sen. Bob Corker will be in Sewanee on Thursday, April 9, to speak on why U.S. leadership is needed around the globe. His talk will be at 2 p.m. in Gailor Auditorium. 

The event is sponsored by the Babson Center for Global Commerce, the department of politics, and the department of international and global studies at the University. 

Corker will invite questions on pressing international issues, including ISIS, Iran and the End Modern Slavery Initiative Act, a proposal he has offered to end slavery and human trafficking worldwide.

In 2012, Tennesseans elected Corker to his second term in the U.S. Senate. Prior to serving as senator, Corker was Tennessee’s commissioner of finance and mayor of Chattanooga. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1974 with a degree in industrial management. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Chattanooga.

Corker is the chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee in the senate. Since taking office in 2007, he has visited more than 60 countries to gain a deeper understanding of the strategic relationships between the United States and other nations. As the lead Republican on the committee, Corker works with colleagues to set the committee agenda and help carry out legislative and oversight responsibilities.

After Corker’s brief lecture, he will open the floor for a question-and-answer session with students. A reception will follow.

Civic Assn. Learns about Mountain Goat Trail, Hears Updates on Community Parks Project

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the March 5 dinner meeting of the Sewanee Civic Association, members and guests heard updates on the Community Chest and parks programs. In their presentation on the Mountain Goat Trail, the featured speakers cited some impressive benefits to the community.

Reporting on the renovation of Elliott Park, Parks Committee chair Stephen Burnett said the request-for-information phase was nearly complete. Updating the Civic Association on the Dog Park, Phil White said the initiative was meeting all of its regular monthly bills, but donations were needed for the two shelters planned for the facility. The shelters will offer pet owners protection from rain and sun. Donations can be made at Southern Community Bank.

Patrick Dean and Janice Thomas, representing the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance (MGTA), provided an overview of the trail project which, when complete, will extend 32.5 miles from Cowan to Palmer, following the path of the Mountain Goat Railroad constructed in the 1850s to transport coal from the mountain to the valley.

Ten years ago, Sewanee teenager Ian Prunty launched the trail project, raising money for the first two-mile section on the Domain of the University of the South. Although the region offers many hiking trails, most are for the able-bodied. The paved, 10-footwide Mountain Goat Trail is unique for being accessible to people of all levels of ability.

For many years, the coal mining communities on the railroad route prospered, but when coal resources dwindled, the economies of the communities suffered greatly. 

Under the direction of Chip Manning with the Babson Center for Global Commerce, University students conducted an economic impact study which showed an 80 percent completed trail would bring $1.2 million annually to towns on the trail route, with the greatest benefit expected in the severely economically depressed Tracy City community.

The next phase, scheduled to begin this spring, will extend from St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School to Mountain Outfitters in Monteagle, with 80 percent of the funding coming from a Tennessee Department of Transportation grant. 

The MGTA has already purchased 60 percent of the property needed for the Monteagle to Tracy City leg, and favorable negotiations are underway with CSX Railroad ,which owns most of the former rail bed earmarked for the rest of the route.

MGTA and Land Trust Reach Campaign Goal: New Land Adds 22 Acres to Monteagle-Tracy City Segment of the Trail

The Mountain Goat Trail Alliance (MGTA) and the Land Trust for Tennessee (LTTN) announced on Jan. 8 the successful completion of a capital campaign. As a result, 22 acres of the former Mountain Goat Railroad bed between Monteagle and Tracy City are now owned by the MGTA.

“The acquisition of this important section of railroad bed puts us closer to our ultimate goal: a multi-use path from Cowan to Palmer. We are so grateful to the Land Trust for Tennessee for collaborating with us on this effort,” said Janice Thomas, board president of the MGTA.

“The Mountain Goat Trail is an excellent economic development opportunity for the South Cumberland region,” said Jeanie Nelson, executive director of LTTN. “It also connects several amazing cultural and natural resources that are so important to the area.” 

The acquired property constitutes approximately 60 percent of the rail bed between Monteagle and Tracy City. When constructed, the trail between Monteagle and Tracy City will be approximately 5.6 miles long. Construction is due to begin this year on a three-mile section between Sewanee and Monteagle as well as two one-mile sections between Tracy City and Palmer.

The campaign raised more than $83,000 to acquire the property. Challenge gifts from the Cammack Family Foundation and Doug Ferris were instrumental in reaching the campaign goal.

A recent study by Sewanee’s Babson Center for Global Commerce predicts the trail will add $1.2 million in annual revenue to the economy of the South Cumberland Plateau. The supporting data includes studies of other rail-trail projects, local demographic statistics and formulas for calculating effects of tourism on a local economy. “The construction of the trail benefits the local communities in many ways ranging from offering a habitat for better outdoor education for local schools to offering community members a place to exercise,” the report concluded.

The Mountain Goat Trail is a rail-to-trail community outdoor recreation project to convert an abandoned railroad right-of-way into a multi-use recreational corridor between Grundy and Franklin Counties on the Cumberland Plateau. For more information visit <www.mountaingoattrail.org>.

The Land Trust for Tennessee is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, founded in 1999. Its mission is to preserve the unique character of Tennessee’s natural and historic landscapes for future generations. To date, The Land Trust for Tennessee has protected more than 91,000 acres statewide. For more information go to <www.landtrusttn.org>.

Mountain Goat Trail Could Have $1 Million Annual Impact on Local Economy: Babson Center Issues Economic Analysis Report

The completed Mountain Goat Trail could bring more than $1.2 million in annual economic benefits to the area, according to a report issued Nov. 20. The economic impact analysis was written by students who are part of the Babson Center for Global Commerce at Sewanee. The trail, when completed, will connect Cowan to Palmer.

“All the stakeholders connected with the Mountain Goat Trail—elected officials, business owners and private citizens—have always believed that the trail would bring economic as well as health benefits to the Mountain. Now, thanks to the Babson Center and the University of the South, we have research to support that belief,” said Janice Thomas, board president of the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance.

The report was prepared by the Babson Center’s class of 2015 Carey Fellows. Data used in the report included studies of other rail-to-trail projects, local demographic statistics and statistically relevant formulas for calculating effects of tourism on a local economy.

“The Mountain Goat Trail offers unique opportunities to connect communities, as well as attract tourists from across the Southeast. The construction of the trail also benefits the local communities in many ways, ranging from offering a habitat for better outdoor education for local schools to offering community members a place to exercise,” the report stated.

The Mountain Goat Trail is a rail-to-trail community outdoor recreation project to convert the abandoned Mountain Goat railroad right-of-way into a multi-use recreational corridor connecting Grundy, Marion, and Franklin counties. Donations to the Mountain Goat Trail Alliance are tax-deductible. For more information, go to <www.mountaingoattrail.org>.

Experts Debate Hydraulic Fracturing on Tuesday

How is hydraulic fracturing done in Tennessee? What are the benefits to the state and what hazards does the process pose? Geologist Scott Gilbert and anti-fracking activist Eric Lewis will address these questions at a debate-style panel discussion at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 16, in Convocation Hall. Sewanee geology professor Martin Knoll will present an introduction to the hydraulic fracturing process to provide context for questions posed to the two panelists.

Concern about the possibility of hydraulic fracturing in this region is increasing since a swath of East Tennessee (including Hamilton, Marion, Franklin and Grundy counties), Alabama and Kentucky was found to rest on a rock formation known as “Chattanooga Shale.” Chattanooga Shale is an extension of the formation that has sparked a natural gas boom in Pennsylvania and triggered complaints about environmental damage and health hazards.

The program is sponsored by the Babson Center, the environmental studies department, the forestry and geology department, the Green House and the Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace. For more information contact Leslie Lytle at 598-9979 or email <sllytle@blomand.net>.

Gilbert has a B.S. in geology from Tennessee Tech University. During his 22-year career with Highland Drilling, he oversaw casing programs and supervised drilling and rig deployment for hundreds of oil and gas wells in Tennessee and Kentucky and helped implement Highland’s contract with the Department of Energy to plug and abandon more than 600 wells. In 2002, he joined Nami Resources, which later became Vinland Energy, to serve as chief geologist and vice president of exploration. At present, Gilbert is manager of exploration for Monteagle Oil & Gas, LLC, where he generates prospects and oversees leases, acquisitions, well planning and permitting.

 Lewis holds a B.S. in political science from the University of Illinois. He has three decades of experience working to address environmental issues. Lewis served on the Governor’s Panel on Forestry Management in the early ’90s. He is president of the Swan Conservation Trust established to preserve forest lands in Tennessee and administrator of the Cumberland Green Bioregional Council, which works to promote environmental education. Lewis is a founding member of the Coalition for a Frack-Free Tennessee, the Tennessee Forest Defense Council and the Nashville Peace and Justice Center. His green construction business, Solar Works, has been building energy-efficient residential and commercial structures since 1979.