By David Fisher Staff Reporter

   

    Attorneys for plaintiffs Carol Hinman, mother of Griffin Pochop and Dominique Pochop, who are students at Westview High School and Martin Middle School, respectively, appeared before 27th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William Acree Monday at 1 p.m. to present the preliminary lab results following recent testing for mold at the two schools.

    The lab results were filed in support of plaintiff’s motion for a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction to close these schools until the alleged mold problem can be remediated and the conditions causing the mold, such as disconnected or otherwise inoperable HVAC systems and water leaks, to be corrected.

    Hinman filed the lawsuit against the Weakley County Board of Education in December seeking the injunction. Several Westview parents have been protesting the issue of mold at the school since October.

    Attorney Amber Griffin of the Parrish and Shaw law firm in Memphis, who is representing the plaintiffs in the case, submitted information in her most recent motion indicating that testing for mold took place at the two schools on January 29 and January 30, and that preliminary results on these samples has been released.

    Griffin notes in the motion that those present for the testing included: defense attorney Jason Pannu, Dr. Richard Lipsey, Ph.D.; Dr. Elliott Horner, Ph.D. and his assistant; Carol Hinman; David Hinman; Julie Joost; and Maintenance Supervisor for Weakley County Schools Royce Bates. Those present at the inspection of Westview also included Jeremy Davidson and Principal David Byars. Also present at the inspection and testing at Martin Middle School was Keith Unger.

    Griffin stated that Dr. Lipsey sent the samples taken at Westview High School and Martin Middle School for testing to EMLab P&K, and Dr. Horner did the same. Dr. Lipsey requested same-day analysis of several samples taken at various locations inside of the two schools.

    Griffin stated that Dr. Lipsey could not be present at Monday’s hearing, due to a prior obligation to inspect hangers for the Federal Aviation Administration, who is one of his professional clients. However Dr. Lipsey stated that he would answer any questions via electronic communications, if needed, during Monday’s hearing.

    Dr. Horner, who also submitted samples for testing, was present during Monday’s hearing.

    At Westview, samples were taken off of pipes, walls, ceilings, lockers, chiller room, gym, theater, classrooms, kitchen, and other locations.

    At Martin Middle School, samples were taken in: the boy’s locker room, boiler room, cafeteria, and classrooms.

(Read the rest of this story in the February 6th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)

By David Fisher Staff Reporter

  

    Members of the Dresden Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved several measures during Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, including increasing the fees for rural fire protection, as well as the water and sewer rates for out-of-town customers.

 

Rural Fire Rate Hike

 

    Dresden Mayor Danny Forrester stated that due to increases in fuel costs, as well as the wear and tear on firefighting equipment, the board approved the first reading of a resolution increasing the city’s rural fire subscription rate from $70 to $100 per year for customers receiving fire protection outside the city limits of Dresden. However, the rate hike will not affect those citizens within Dresden’s city limits.

 

Rural Water & Sewer Rate Increase

 

    Board members also approved the first reading of a resolution calling for a $10 increase in the water rates for out-of-town customers.

    This will increase the current monthly rate from $13.55 per 2,000 gallons to $23.55 per 2,000 gallons with a 2,000-gallon minimum charge. The fee for water usage over this amount would be charged out at a rate of $3.08 per each additional 1,000 gallons.

    The fee charged for sewer service outside the city limits of Dresden will be 150 percent of the water rate.

    It was noted that this rate increase would provide approximately $14,000 in additional revenue for the city’s Water and Sewer Department from Dresden High School alone, and approximately $3,514 from other rural customers.

(Read the rest of this story in this week's print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)

By David Fisher Staff Reporter

  

    Members of the Dresden Municipal/Regional Planning Commission approved moving forward with plans to annex certain areas within the city’s urban growth boundaries, while deciding against annexing other areas, based on the costs involved in providing sewer services to these areas.

 

Areas Proposed

For Annexation

 

    As the meeting opened, Planning Commission Chairman Tommy Moore mentioned that several board members had taken a tour of the areas being considered for annexation just prior to the meeting, so they would have a good understanding of what they were deciding on.

    Also on hand to answer any questions was Mr. Donny Bunton from the West Tennessee State Planning Office, who helped draw up the plans for the annexation proposals. 

    “I think now we do have, from Mr. Bunton, the expenditures, annual revenues, and information on the different areas - some that we have looked at for the past year,” Moore said. “And so, I guess we need to discuss this and see where the Planning Commission wants to go. But I think it’s probably time to make a recommendation to the city about what you think, if we have all of the information.” 

    After much discussion concerning the estimated costs of annexing several areas into Dresden’s city limits that are within the city’s urban growth boundaries, members decided to pursue annexing four areas, as depicted on an annexation map. These three areas, which are all located within the Dresden Planning Region, are:

    1. Seven properties on Highway 22 to extend the city limits further back off Highway 22, from David Memorial Road to the Dresden Industrial Park.

    2. Properties along Parkway Street to the Gaylord Road area that would take in a portion of Darnell Road and circle back to Highway 22.

    3. And a 300-foot-long corridor of property on both sides of Highway 54 East (Paris Highway) from Klutts Road extending to just past County Maintenance Road. This would also include a section of Stallings Road.

 

(Read the rest of this story in this week's February 6th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)