TIMS FORD COUNCIL
THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2023
GENERAL MEETING
FRANKLIN COUNTY ANNEX BUILDING, COMMUNITY ROOM
MEETING MINUTES
Board Attendees: Lois Brown, Adam Wonder, Bob Greving, Sally Lightener, Amanda Edmonson, Jake Davis, Myron Yoder, Marybeth Averill
Board Absent: Chase Lawson, Rick and Katie Silver, John Casey
General Attendees: 35 people
Meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.
Special Guest: Mayor Chris Guess welcomed everyone and spoke about how to get in touch with him, that his door is always open. Questions can be directed to his office and he also has a few radio shows people can listen to for current events. He said he was glad the Annex facility so groups like ours can utilize the space. He also mentioned that the annual budget is coming up and with all the price increases, it will be tough but he has a good group of city commissioners and they will pay attention to business. He is working to keep taxes in check if possible.
A second special guest was County Sherriff Tim Fuller.
Financial Report – Robert Greving
Year to date report. Beginning balance of $6,113.52. We have paid expenses of $1,389.13 resulting in a deficit of $79.13 Some members have contributed more than the annual dues and were recognized for their additional donations.
Minutes approval – Adam Wonder
Jake moved to approve the minutes from the January 12, 2023 and Marybeth Averill seconded. The minutes were approved.
Old Business
December 3 and February 18-20, 2023 Lake Clean Up – Jake Davis
The Council has joined forces with TN Bass Nation and Lifetime Docks for clean-up efforts. The December clean-up resulted in removing over 9,000 pounds of trash as well as 3-5 abandoned docks that we towed to the Bass Club ramp and disassembled. Martin Tyler of Lifetime Docks and the rescue squad took the lead on the abandoned docks. Bill Anderson-Franklin County Solid Waste and Danny Patterson donated the use of dumpsters and waste management to collect and dispose of the waste free of charge. Bill turned in the metal to the recycling center to help offset costs. This was a significant cost savings as a recent similar event at Percy Priest Lake had to pay $2,800 for dumpsters and removal. There were 37 volunteers resulting in 386 volunteer hours. Additionally, we had a team competition with four awards, $1,000 for first, $500 for second and $250 each for third and fourth.
The second clean-up group over President’s weekend, cleaned 350 yards of riverbank and resulted in removing 15,000 pounds of trash. As an example of why we clean, is to keep our boaters safe. The work boat we use, got a large, sunken float wrapped around it that had to be cut off. There were 92 volunteers over the three days, for a total of 662 volunteer hours.
The Council pays for grabbers, gas, and pizza.
Without sponsors it is difficult to do these events. A special thanks was given to Russell Barnett of Barnett Dodge. We need to continue to secure sponsor support. We are looking for volunteers to help with sponsorship efforts.
In an effort to partner with other groups, last weekend, Jake assisted the Duck River Watershed Group at Lake Normandy in collecting debris totaling 7,500 pounds with 30-40 volunteers. Perhaps both of our organizations can help each other out going forward on clean-up efforts. Kevin Vann, a part of the Duck River group, was recognized as he attended our meeting to learn more about our Council.
This weekend there will be a Bass Nation fishing tournament starting from Tim’s Ford Marina.
If anyone has recommendations or questions for the TVA individuals can contact him and he will pass them on.
One suggestion was for the TVA to keep the trees trimmed on the Tims Ford Dam overlook. Not sure that will happen as there have been a number of complaints about many trees being removed from the shoreline and in fact, TVA representatives are coming to the lake to review the shoreline and address those who have not worked through the proper channels. It’s important to make sure you’ve got a permit for what you’re allowed to do below the 898-foot water line. Fines can be as high as $10,000 a tree.
In summer months, watch for snakes as they are around and some are poisonous.
Social Media Site - Myron Yoder
Myron reviewed the website, and how to go online and renew dues. The dues are $15 a year per family. If a person contributes more than $15, the additional is considered a donation to the Council. It appears the social media efforts are going well, especially recently with the posting of a lot of clean-up pictures.
A question was asked about how often dues are paid. We are on a calendar year and appreciate dues being paid then. To educate the public, we will add this information to the website.
Water Testing – John Casey – Bob G spoke in his absence
There are 15-18 testing sites at critical points around the lake. Currently we have 3 teams that collect samples from May -October. We are also happy to add teams to reduce the number of sites any one team does.
A question was posed about where the results go. The answer is that if there is an issue, we go to the source to advise and, if necessary, bump it up to the TVA.
Another question was asked about posting the water temperature on the website. The answer is that the temperature varies around the lake, but Myron and Jake will discuss and see if there is a solution as many people are interested in this information.
Door Hangars – Adam Wonder
This is a low-cost way to spread the word about the Council. If anyone wants to distribute these, please take some with you and hang them on doorknobs around your area. Some of these have been distributed but there are more areas to cover. Adam is the lead on this and can provide and give suggestions where to distribute.
A suggestion was made to place an article in the Franklin Good News Magazine. We believe they lean towards articles from groups that also sponsor, but we will research this and see if there is interest by the magazine.
Other ideas offered to help people learn about the Council include Tom Liddell being willing to donate yard signs that we could use to post around the area as well as encouraging people to ‘like’ and comment on the Facebook page.
Other Outstanding Items – Bob Greving
As a 501(C)3 organization, we are required to file with the IRS and this has been completed.
New Business
Future Lake Clean-Up; Contests & Funding – Jake Davis
Volunteers were solicited to help raise funds for future clean-up contests. We get a much better showing when incentives are provided.
Tom Liddell will talk with Jake about assisting in raising funds for contests. Monies raised will go to the general fund and the general Council will vote on dedicating adequate funds for clean-up prizes.
Other - All
Mack Warr educated the group that the Council was associated in the past with the 12th District Drug Court to utilize individuals doing community work as a part of their rehabilitation efforts. While that program has folded, a new program is now available, the Judge David Stewart Junior Court. Individuals in the program can only do work for not for profits. The Council has the opportunity to partner with them to help the rehabilitation efforts and capitalize in ongoing cleanup efforts. Most of the participants are under 25 years old who made a mistake and need a second chance. Under this program, the court will contact Mack with individuals assigned to do lake cleanup and the hours required. Mack will work with Jake to send them to areas of the lake that need attention and Mack will supervise. If they don’t comply and complete their hours, they will return to jail. We will have access to this program all year. Any member can let Jake know if there is an area of the lake to be cleaned to ensure we can keep these individuals engaged. A motion was made and seconded, Marybeth Averill and Bob Greving, respectively, and approval was given to pursue this program.
Jake Davis queried the group as to whether or not adults would attend a boater safety class in the evening over a couple of nights. The course itself is about 6-7 hours. Discussion ensued and landed on doing one as a test pilot to see how it goes and adjust timing as needed going forward. It was agreed that it is very important to keep educating the public on how to operate safely on the lake.
Special Presentation – Tom Liddell
Exploring and Sharing the Wonder of Tim’s Ford Lake Through the Eyes of a Photographer
Tom opened by sharing general information on how he and Laurie share photos of the lake. There is a Facebook page called ‘Tims Ford Lake – Share your photos and videos here’. Anyone can post to this site. One of the biggest contributors is Laurie Anderson. She sits for what must be hundreds of hours to catch certain pictures. The other very useful page is ‘Tims Ford Lake 411’. It has a lot of varied information and has almost 4,000 users now. You can also search U Tube for Tims Ford Lake. He has a number of videos loaded.
Tom has between 80-100,000 photos. He uses his boat, jet ski, cameras, drone and GoPro to capture his images. He explores all the nooks and crannies and believes this is where the best pictures hide. If you look hard, there are 19-20 waterfalls, not just the few most people believe.
He then went on to present about a 45 minute slide presentation that included pictures from both Laurie and Tom. The shots were spectacular and covered all aspects of the lake. Tom and Laurie are also contemplating producing a book with proceeds going to a not for profit. Tims Ford Council is a possible recipient.
Tom plans on loading tonight’s presentation on the Tims Ford Lake – Share Pictures for those who could not attend.
The Next general meeting will be held Thursday, May 11 at the Annex. The guest speaker will be Martin Tyler from Lifetime Docks. The topic will be Dock Safety and Awareness, with special emphasis on electricity around water.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m.