Loudon County received 10.5 million in American Recovery Plan Act, ARPA, funds. Loudon County commission decided to spend 5.5 million on countywide projects. The second 5 million was divided among the ten commissioners, $500,000.00 per commissioner, to be spent in their respective districts. As you read in the previous story, several commissioners have committed most or some of their 500k to various projects in their districts.

At last Monday's commission workshop, 2nd district commissioners, Rosemary Quillen and William Jenkins, committed to give their entire combined, one million dollars, to Lenoir City to help build a first responders training facility in the city. Lenoir City police chief, Don White, and Lenoir City fire chief, Richard Martin, were at the meeting to pitch the idea. The new training facility would be available, at no cost, to all law enforcement and first responder agencies in the county. White also stated that the City of Loudon has been asked for a $250,000.00 contribution to the facilities. He also said Lenoir City had committed $1,000,000.00 to the project. White and Martin estimated the facility would cost around $2,000,000.00 +/-. The new facility would be located on three acres on the west side of the Civitan football field. The facility would include an indoor firing range, a fire training tower and burn box, a driving course, a children's safety city, conference rooms, possibly a back up emergency center and more. Currently, county first responders train at a facility in Blount County.

I'm sure everybody thinks a local training center is a good idea. The problem is, it will be under the control of Lenoir City mayor, Tony Aikens, not Chief White or Chief Martin. I warned those at the meeting to be very cautious in partnering with Lenoir City. The county has not faired very well when we've done that in the past.

• When the county partnered with Lenoir City on the Harrison Road project, the city miscalculated the costs by a half million dollars. The county had to bail them out.
   
• When the county partnered with Lenoir City on the Simpson Road project, the city miscalculated the costs by a million dollars. The county had to bail them out again.
   
• When the county refused to bail them out on a city road project, Mayor Aikens held up payment for county services.
   
• When he didn't like the division of the Adequate Schools Facility Tax, ASFT, distribution, he withheld all documentation to allow for the collection of the ASFT tax.

Does anyone really believe the first time Aikens doesn't like something the county is doing, that he wouldn't cut off access to the facilities for county agencies? When I mentioned this at the meeting, I was told the county would have some kind of agreement with the city for the use of the building. Kind of like the inter-local agreement we had with the city on annexations that they just violated?

One last caution to commissioners Quillen and Jenkins, better keep the ARPA money until the building is built, then give it to the city.

I don't share this information just to disparage the mayor, I simply share the the facts and history.

After all, how many times does Lucy get to pull the football away from Charlie Brown before he learns not to trust her?