Woodbury Council Answers Plea To Rescue S.A.V.E.

The Woodbury Board of Mayor and Alderman came to the rescue Tuesday night of the agency which comes to rescue of domestic violence victims in Cannon County.

After listening to impassioned pleas from Lisa Baird, director of S.A.V.E., and Margaret Odom, a victim of domestic violence who has been helped by the program, the board voted unanimously to give the agency $2,000 to help meet expenses.

"We are in desperate need of funding," Baird said. "We need money until Spring. The problem of domestic violence is growing rapidly and our community is growing rapidly. We need assistance if at all possible."

Baird explained that if the agency does not receive approximately $3,500 in funding so that it can stay operational through the month of March, it will have to close its doors to the people it serves, which would only compound the problems of those who are already suffering.

"We deal with a lot of situations which are not pretty," Baird said. "We need to stop this (the growth in domestic violence) before the problem gets worse."

Odom told board members that both the agency and Baird have been a tremendous help to her since she became a domestic violence victim.

"She saved my life," Odom said of Baird. "She made me feel better about me. He's (her abuser) in jail now but I still have feelings from what he did to me."

Mayor Harold Patrick, who also serves as Cannon County's Clerk and Master, hears the requests for orders of protection that Baird brings before the court each month and reaffirmed her assertion that domestic violence incidents are increasing in the county.

"From what I can see it (services to help domestic violence victims) is needed," Patrick said.

Baird will also go before the Cannon County Commission when it meets on Jan. 16 to request funding in order for S.A.V.E. to keep its doors open until federal grant money becomes available, hopefully in April.

In other business Tuesday night, the board heard from Cannon County 911 Director Roy Sullivan, concerning a proposal for the Woodbury Fire Department radio frequency.

"There are several very important factors to be considered at this time for a proposal for the Woodbury Fire Department to be issue their own operating frequency," Sullivan said.

"I was contacted in the summer of 2009 by the TEMA (Tennessee Emergency Management Agency) Radio Analyst suggesting that FCC Call Sign WPKN580 license to the City of Woodbury had an unused frequency, 153.815 and suggested it be utilized before it was acquired by someone else. He explained that if a frequency is not used in a year, another agency can apply for ownership of that frequency. This frequency was part of a repeater pair and only one frequency is now being used by the Public Works Department. The repeater was removed some years ago.

"I previously spoke with Mayor Patrick and Public Works Director Alan Pascal about the possibility of utilizing the the repeater pair frequencies for the City of Woodbury in the most effective way possible and to prevent losing it," Sullivan said. "A new frequency for the Woodbury Fire Department appears to be the most important. A FCC license modification was applied for along with a new designation for the repeater pair as well as a new frequency for public works to see if it was even practical to pursue The modification was approved on Oct. 27, 2009. The new public works frequency is compatible with all their current equipment, only requiring a reprogram which the 911 District will have to do at all Emergency Response Agencies anyway in order to meet the upcoming FCC Narrow Banding mandate. The FCC license has been secured in the current license status until Oct. 27, 2010 and must be implemented by that date if it is to be utilized."

Sullivan said a new repeater frequency would eliminate excess radio traffic on the current countywide fire frequency during multiple incidences, and that the 911 District is responsible for the repair, maintenance and replacement of equipment used in the dispatching of emergency calls per the inter-local agreement.

He told board members the cost of establishing the repeater frequency (estimated at around $9,000) is a one-time investment and that after the frequency is implemented the 911 District would assume the responsibility for the ongoing maintenance, repair and replacement as outlined in the inter-local agreement.

After Sullivan's presentation, Vice Mayor Charley Harrell made a motion that Mayor Patrick try to work the cost of the new repeater and associated equipment into next year's budget, and it passed unanimously.

Also Tuesday the board:

• Held a public hearing and then adopted on second and final reading an ordinance to rezone approximately 1.5 +/- acres, located on Murfreesboro Road, from R-1 Residential, to C-3 Commercial.  The request for rezoning was made by William B. Smith of Smith Funeral Home, and recommended by the Woodbury Planning Commission on November 17, 2009. The rezoning is needed in order for the funeral home to construct a sign on the rear of its building facing John Bragg Highway.

• Held a public hearing and then adopted on second and final reading an ordinance to update the Town of Woodbury Water and Sewer Department cross-connection policy as recommended by the State of Tennessee, Division of Water Supply.