County Commission to consider New River land request
The Anderson County Commission will vote Tuesday, Jan. 20, on whether to ask the state of Tennessee to transfer some land along state Highway 116 to local residents in the New River area.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.
The Operations Committee voted Monday, Jan. 12, to bring the proposal before the full commission.
Operations Committee Chairman Tim Isbel told The Courier News that the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency owns much of the land in the area and that residents want it for housing and retail development.
If the commission votes in favor of the request, Isbel said Anderson County Law Director James Brooks will draft a letter supporting the land transfer and assist with efforts to secure funding for water infrastructure. He also said the state could assign a ZIP code to the unincorporated area known as Rosedale or Devonia, helping to re-establish its identity.
The full commission voted at its December meeting to ask Tennessee Rep. Rick Scarbrough to advocate for Google Maps to stop labeling the area as Briceville.
“This is an area that’s been overlooked and that’s been taken from,” Isbel said. “That area, through its mineral severance tax, has made Anderson County whole, and it’s not been put back,” he said, referencing the area’s mining history.
Rails-to-trails
discussion
The vote followed discussion about other ways to assist residents, including a proposal to convert an unused rail line into a hiking and cycling trail. The Operations Committee did not vote on that proposal.
Nancy Manning, director of Oak Ridge nonprofit Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, spoke in support of converting an out-of-use Tennessee Railroad line owned by R.J. Corman Railroad Company into a walking and cycling trail. The proposed trail would run from the historic Devonia area to Oneida.
Several local governments, including the city of Clinton, have passed resolutions supporting the project, though neither the Anderson County Commission nor the Operations Committee has done so.
Manning said the proposal has faced opposition from New River residents. She said she has met with residents and that her organization is also seeking to help address infrastructure needs, including law enforcement coverage, cell towers, water lines and fire hydrants.
Commissioner Shain Vowell, who represents the area, said his constituents have been “blunt” in their opposition to the rails-to-trails project.
Two New River residents spoke at the meeting and reiterated their opposition in comments to The Courier News.
Karen McKamey said she appreciated Manning’s outreach and agreed the community needs fire hydrants and cell service. However, she said she does not support the trail project, citing concerns about liability during hunting season and the lack of trash disposal for trail users.
“No is no,” she said. “We don’t want it.”
Scottie Phillips also said the project would not benefit local residents.
“We want you’uns to help us, not hurt us,” he said.
No soliciting
The Operations Committee also unanimously advanced a proposal to ban soliciting from vehicles at the Edgemoor Road and U.S. 25W intersection in Claxton.
That item will also be considered by the full commission Tuesday.
“We had a major problem at Edgemoor Road for some time,” said Commissioner Chad McNabb, who addressed the committee on the issue during its Jan. 12 meeting.
Ben Pounds | The Courier News
Anderson County Commissioner Shain Vowell talks to fellow Commissioner Tim Isbel. Isbel spoke in favor of Google Maps recognizing the Rosedale community in the New River area rather than considering it part of Briceville.
