Shenanigans Sale Approved at December Lease Meeting

At the Dec. 17 meeting of the Lease Committee, the following items were approved: November minutes; request to change the paint color of the shed, carport and fence and to move the shed on Lease No. 715 located at 12721 Sollace M. Freeman Hwy.; request to tear off the back of the house and put an addition on Lease No. 590 located 630 Alabama Ave.; request to add a split-rail fence on Lease No. 890 located at 215 Proctor’s Hall Rd.; and the request to transfer Lease No. 698 (Shenanigans) located at 12595 Sollace Freeman Hwy. to Bill Elder and Nelson Byrd. A request to change the exterior color of Lease No. 493 located at 68 Mikell Lane was approved outside of the meeting.

There was continuing discussion about fees and services.

Leasehold information is available online at <leases.sewanee.edu> or by calling the lease office at 598-1998. A county building permit is required for structures with roofs; call 967-0981 for information.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21. Agenda items are due in the lease office no later than Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Historic Lawsuit in Franklin County Celebration in January

by Elizabeth Clark Duncan, Special to the Messenger

On Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014, there will be a momentous gathering in downtown Sewanee to mark the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of the Franklin County school system, as part of a series of community-wide events surrounding Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

Last spring, the Sewanee Civic Association (SCA) began working on plans to honor the 50th anniversary as a tribute to the Sewanee community and eight local families who played a major role in the historic integration. During the early to mid-60s, there were numerous lawsuits nationwide regarding desegregation; however, the local suit was unique in that there were four black and four white families working together; for this reason the NAACP and its legal defense fund embraced the suit. Additionally, to further strengthen the case for integration, the Sewanee community banded together to provide funding for construction to enlarge the physical plant of the school, as well as facilitating a tutoring program to ensure that all students would thrive in the newly integrated public school. In 1964, the U.S. District Court issued an order to desegregate the schools and August of that same year saw the system begin to assimilate all children into the classroom regardless of race. 

A permanent and officially sanctioned Tennessee State Historical marker to be placed at the Sewanee Elementary School (SES) was unanimously approved by the SCA as a first step of commemoration. Despite rigid guidelines, the marker and suggested text were endorsed in the first round of subcommittees in Nashville and approved by the full Historical Commission in October. Linda Wynn, assistant director for state programs for the Tennessee Historical Commission and a civil rights educator, indicated the uniqueness of the suit and suggested added language to the marker as a highlight of its importance. The marker is in final production at Ohio-based Sewah Studios and will be erected on University Avenue prior to the January ceremony.

The group that bonded to make history were the African-American families of Hill, Sisk, Staten and Turner and the white families of Bates, Cameron, Camp and Goodstein. In January, members of those families, including Robin Bates, Doug Cameron, Marvin Goodstein, Juliette Larkins and Sandra Turner Davis, are planning to speak, as well as Vice-Chancellor John McCardell. It is hoped that Wynn from the Historical Commission will also be present, along with former Sewanee community member and previous SCA president and fund-raiser for the public school expansion, Felder Dorn from New Jersey. 

Also expressing interest in attending is former University chaplain, the Very Rev. David B. Collins, Dean Emeritus of the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. His daughter Melissa, who was in the seventh grade at the time, has begun work with Barbara Reid Bedford to organize their entire class to reconnect and attend the event. Local school board officials are also expected to be present, along with SES principal Mike Maxon and others.

The program will commence with the majority of speakers inside SES and will move outside for the marker’s unveiling and dedication by McCardell. At the conclusion, all will cross the street to enjoy a reception in Brooks Hall at Otey Parish. 

Otey Parish was instrumental in forging community relationships for the tutoring of many students prior to enrolling at Sewanee Public School (as it was called then), and it was due to devoted School of Theology students and spouses that the adjunct teaching program reached its ultimate success. 

Leading the SCA planning efforts have been Elizabeth Duncan, Susan Holmes and Cameron Swallow, with help from Frank and Barbara Hart and Barbara Schlichting. 

Sewanee Community Chest You Can Make a Difference

The Sewanee Community Chest fund drive has reached 67 percent of its goal to date, $72,608. Since 1908, the Sewanee Civic Association and its precursors have believed in the power of area citizens to help sustain community projects and programs. Through these associations, the community has funded many worthwhile endeavors, such as building and maintaining parks and the elementary school, helping to complete Alto Road, funding a state highway to the Marion County line, and underwriting blueprints for the stone gates.

The Sewanee Civic Association continues to organize the volunteer-led Community Chest, which raises tens of thousands of dollars yearly for local organizations. Through Community Chest funding, these organizations help those caught in the cycle of poverty, improve lives through outreach and community initiatives, and provide support for children with a variety of programs.

This year, the Community Chest has a goal of $108,000 to help fund 28 area programs and initiatives. The money raised in the community goes directly to organizations that support the following: 

$28,000 for Community Aid (for organizations such as Community Action Committee, Folks at Home, Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace, South Cumberland Time Bank and St. Mark’s Community Center); $37,300 for Children (Sewanee Elementary School PTO, Sewanee Children’s Center, Campora Family Resource Center, TigerSharks, Little League and Scouting); $34,500 for Quality of Life (Phil White Dog Park, Fourth of July Celebration, Sewanee Senior Center, Sewanee Community Center, Thurmond Memorial Library, Sewanee Chorale, Sewanee Angel Park, Sewanee Chorale and the Messenger); and $8,200 for Beyond Sewanee (Grundy County Food Bank, Franklin County Humane Society, Blue Monarch, Haven of Hope and Mountain Goat Trail).

Every dollar raised stays in the community, including paying for expenses such as printing and mailing. The Community Chest uses local print, graphic design and postal services. The website and email is staffed by a volunteer. 

The Sewanee Civic Association encourages all of you who benefit from life in this community whether you live, work, or just visit, to give to the Community Chest. The Sewanee Community Chest is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax-deductible. 

For more information go to <sewaneecivic.wordpress.com>.

SUD Sets 2014 Budget with No Rate Increase in 2014

 by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Dec. 17 meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Sewanee Utility District of Franklin and Marion Counties, the board approved the 2014 budget. The utility plans to complete the automated meter reading (AMR) installation without taking out a loan and with no rate increase until 2015.

At the November meeting, SUD Manager Ben Beavers said SUD had sufficient cash reserves to implement AMR without taking out a loan, although SUD’s cash reserves would drop to approximately $850,000 by the end of 2015. The board asked Beavers if any regulations bound SUD to maintain a set amount in cash reserves. At the December meeting, Beavers reported that the only cash reserve requirement binding SUD was a USDA grant for sewer rehabilitation. The required reserve amount is determined by a formula taking into account SUD’s operating budget and debt payments. By the formula, SUD’s required cash reserve above and beyond the amount already set aside for debt payment is $391,000. SUD’s projected 2015 cash reserve of $842,000 is well within the limit.

The 2014 budget projects $1.375 million in revenue and $1.722 million in expenses. The $347,000 deficit will come from cash reserves. A 3 percent rate increase would have made it unnecessary to draw on the cash reserves. SUD’s long-range plan calls for a 4 percent annual rate increase in keeping with the recommendation of SUD’s consulting firm, Raftelis Financial, Inc. A 3 percent rate increase is projected for 2015.

The board also approved the Modified Safety Plan presented by Beavers. Beavers explained that the plan differed from the current plan only in language and was modified in keeping with the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) decision to adopt international definitions and symbols as the standard for state regulations. SUD has never been cited by TOSHA for any substantial violation.

Updating the board on the Midway pumping station project, which will increase water pressure for Midway customers, Beavers said difficulty getting an easement for property tied up in an estate settlement was preventing the project from moving forward. Beavers will investigate getting an easement on University land so the project can proceed.

Reporting on the pilot Constructed Wetlands project, a joint initiative proposed by University of the South and University of Georgia students who collaborated on a feasibility study, SUD Commissioner Ken Smith said the University of the South is looking into possible corporate funding sources.

Voting in the SUD commissioners election begins Jan. 2 and will continue through Jan. 28 at the SUD office during regular business hours, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. 

Commissioners Randall Henley and Karen Singer are running for re-election uncontested.

Votes will be counted at the next business meeting of the board, scheduled for 5 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Santa Claus and Tree Lighting

Join friends and family at 5:30 p.m., today (Friday), Dec. 13, when Sewanee lights its Christmas Tree in the Sewanee Angel Park and ushers in the holidays on the Mountain with music and fun. Santa Claus will be available for photos with the kids under the music pavilion. There will be cocoa and cookies. University Avenue will be closed to traffic so that children of all ages can enjoy the event safely.

To help families in need in Sewanee, participants are encouraged to bring unwrapped toys for Operation Noel, which will be collected by members of the Sewanee Fire Department for distribution on Christmas Eve. 

The Community Action Committee will also be collecting gifts of money and nonperishable food for the families it serves across the greater Sewanee community. 

The Sewanee Chorale will lead Christmas carols. Refreshments will be served and Santa Claus will be available for pictures with the children. 

Four-Year Tuition Guarantee Continues

The University announced that it will guarantee tuition, room and board for four years for the college class entering the University next fall. The tuition these students will pay will remain level from the Fall 2014 through Spring 2018 semesters. In the Dec. 11 statement, officials noted that no student enrolled in the college next fall who goes on to graduate in four years will have a price increase during his or her time at the University.

The tuition rates for the classes of 2016 and 2017 were already guaranteed for four years, and tuition for rising seniors in the class of 2015 had previously been frozen for next year.

“Sewanee’s tuition guarantee represents a considerable savings over what families might have expected to pay across four years, based on the national trend of ever-increasing college costs,” said John M. McCardell Jr., the University’s vice-chancellor and president. “Yearly tuition increases make it difficult for families to plan. By locking in the tuition cost for four years, Sewanee is offering an element of certainty to students and their families.”

According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education, the average price of attending a private four-year college or university jumped $3,900 over the four years from 2008 to 2012. And the College Board reported in October that private four-year college tuition increased 3.8 percent last year, unadjusted for inflation.

This year’s action fully implements the policy of published tuition prices at Sewanee varying between classes. The University has moved to a tiered system of tuition, fees, room and board under which the comprehensive fee for each entering class is guaranteed for four years from that class’s matriculation. For the 2014–15 academic year, these prices will be: $43,920 for the class of 2015; $44,630 for the class of 2016; $45,970 for the class of 2017; and $47,700 for the class of 2018.

Franklin County High Opens Coffee Corner for Students • Focus is on College-to-Careers

Franklin County High School (FCHS) recently had a grand opening for the College-to-Careers Coffee Corner located in the FCHS Library. School board members Kevin Caroland and Christine Hopkins assisted school librarian Rachel Brown and postsecondary coach Jennie Turrell with the ribbon cutting. 

The College-to-Careers Coffee Corner was created with grant funds awarded to Franklin County in 2012 by Tennessee College Access Success Network (TCASN). The two-year grant has put a number of initiatives in place at FCHS to increase the college-going rate, with the Coffee Corner being the grant’s newest endeavor. 

A county’s college-going rate can be a key indicator of future economic growth. A study released in 2012 predicted that by 2018 at least 54 percent of jobs in Tennessee will require postsecondary training. The TCASN grant is aligned with the target of reaching 54 percent by 2018. At the time the grant was submitted the college-going rate for Franklin County was 42 percent, the eighth lowest in the state. The latest data published by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission indicates that Franklin County’s college-going rate is at 48.9 percent. The goal of the Franklin County TCASN grant is to reach a college-going rate of 52 percent by 2016. 

The College-to-Careers Coffee Corner serves multiple objectives. The visiting committee with AdvancED Accreditation recently suggested FCHS consider installing a coffee bar as a way to increase library circulation. The Coffee Corner also serves an identified need related to college-going. In a recent survey, students and parents indicated a need for more college-going information. In response, Franklin County’s TCASN grant known as ProjectYOU (Youth Onward Upward.) has put a number of communication strategies in place including establishing the College-to-Careers Coffee Corner. The design of the Coffee Corner allows it to serve as an information station providing brochures, forms and newsletters from a variety of postsecondary institutions. There is also a computer at the coffee station that is bookmarked with pertinent college-going information. Go to <www.projectyou.org> to learn more about the College-to-Careers Coffee Corner and other support strategies currently in place to help Franklin County students and parents with the post-secondary process.

The Tennessee College Access and Success Network has awarded more than $1.6 million to projects serving more than 60,500 students and families across the state. The TCAS Network aims to establish a college-going culture in communities across the state by removing barriers to higher education, promoting college persistence, and increasing postsecondary completion rates for all Tennesseans. To learn more about the TCAS Network, go to <www.tncollegeaccess.org>, call Wendy Blackmore at (615) 983-6909 or email to <wblackmore@tncollegeaccess.org>. —Special to the Messenger