county corrects knob creek according to tdec

By Joe Karl
jkarl@theheraldnewspapers.com

published: June 25 2007 06:15 PM updated:: June 28 2007 10:06 AM

The Sevier County Highway Department took corrective action last week upon the recommendations of the letter from the Department of Energy and Conservation regarding the road constructed across Knob Creek.

Beginning last November, the County Highway Department, upon the request of County Commissioner Buster Norton, cleared the banks of Knob Creek at the site now leased to the Optimist Club. In addition, the county installed a culvert and built a road across the creek for access to the 14 acres.

Acting up a citizen's complaint, TDEC investigated and did not send an official notice of violations. Rather they sent an Inspection Report.

In the letter, TDEC did note that the work was performed in violation of the Tennessee Water Quality Act.

TDEC was complimentary stating that the work performed by the Sevier County Highway Department was done in an environmental sound manner.

In addition, the letter merely pointed out a few locations where additional armoring near the culvert would create a more desirable outcome.

"I still have not received that letter (TDEC letter) which I found out about from Joe Karl," stated Jonas Smelcer, Road Superintendent. "Normally I would get a certified letter, but I haven't received anything yet."

Editor's Note: The article entitled "TDEC: county permits missing" printed in the June 13^th issue of the Seymour Herald, it was stated that several violations were noted by TDEC. To clarify, by ‘several' the article was referring to several of the items TDEC noted to improve the work. The actual number of legal violations in the letter was one. Other than issuing the letter to the Road Superintendent, TDEC took no action.

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User Comments

#1 North Knob Creek Resident commented, on June 26, 2007 at 12:37 p.m.:

Why didn't the TDEC send an official notice of violation to Buster Norton, our Commissioner? Are they all friends too? Scary isn't it?

#2 NOV commented, on June 26, 2007 at 1:48 p.m.:

Since this was a county crew, Sevier County should have received a Notice of Violation (NOV) also. TDEC has a fat folder of such violations in Sevier County that go unpunished. Sad.

#3 Cronies!!! commented, on June 26, 2007 at 4:30 p.m.:

Baxter Wilson couldn't say enough good things about Doyle Clabo the county's stormwater guy. This Stinks! We need to gt rid of every single person that has a position of power in Sevier County. This is getting to the point of anarchy. At what point does the state come in here and run things?

#4 Permits? commented, on June 27, 2007 at 5:02 p.m.:

Did Mr. Smelcer have the required permits to "fix" his original mess?

Who's budget did this work come out of? Does Mr. Smelcer routinely perform work for his cronies out of his departments budget?

#5 Who needs a budget when you have friends... commented, on June 29, 2007 at 9:53 p.m.:

Mr. Smelcer just told the county he is out of money and he needs more. They might have to raise your taxes!! Watch out!! Perhaps Mr. Smelcer should stop doing illegal, private work for "Buster and the Boys."

#6 Paid enough! commented, on June 30, 2007 at 5:20 p.m.:

Our taxes are high enough! We don't need to foot politician's friend's bills. This is a tourist state and we shouldn't have to have our taxes raised. The tourists spend a fortune in Eastern TN.

#7 John Taxpayer commented, on July 2, 2007 at 10:29 a.m.:

This is where you make the typical Sevier County Mistake #6. The money taken in from the tourists is shipped out of state the very next day. Dollywood is a prime example. Millions of dollars leave Sevier County every day to be shipped to Branson Missouri. That so called fortune does not stay in East Tennessee. That is some of the problem.

Another interesting item to take a look at is Tanger Outlet Malls. None of those companies have factories here, now do they. All that money leaves the area as well.

The State sales tax is sent to Nashville. Now all we have is the property taxes that is supporting the county while everything else goes out of state. Our infrastructure is over burdened and our people are over worked for minimum wage jobs, but that's all. We are a poverty stricken county.

78% of county residents do not even work in this county. They can't afford too, unless the work for the county government and are realted to someone in county government.

Then we have the back room inside deals with county commissioners and neoptism and cronyism. Secret no bid contract to local vendors and providers and the Good Ole Boy System is a well oiled corruption machine. Go to Senator Finney's web site and call the toll free corruption number and the TBI and FBI and complian to them, That will get something done if enough of us complain.

We need to unite and stand up to these Good Ole Boys. They get the fortune while we get the shaft. 28 years of Stuck on Stupid with Larry Waters is enough. We need term limits, sunshine on government and honesty. We all know about the problems with these Good Ole Boys. For God's sake when do you people plan on doing something about it!