County Programs Recognized As Best Practices By TCSA During 2021 Conference

Several counties have been recognized for their efforts to make their communities better through local successes, the focus of an annual awards program of the Tennessee County Services Association (TCSA). During the past several years the association has spotlighted counties that provide an array of programs and services, as well as innovations in the way they provide them. The latest round was recognized as part of the association’s annual fall conference November 3 -5 in Shelby County.

“Celebrating some of the accomplishments we see in county government is a major reason we created these awards in 2014,” TCSA Executive Director David Connor said. “This is our way of saying that what you do day in and day out really matters for your communities. Seeing innovations and different ways of taking on county services is an exciting part of this program.” County officials submit their projects to the association, which then determines each year’s winners. Sustainability and portability – other counties being able to pick up the success and implement it in their own communities – are factors.

“Our hope is that these successes inspire other counties as they consider solutions to their own problems,” said Connor. 

The awards recognize innovative solutions, a sustained pattern of excellence in governance, a best practice that increased efficiency in the delivery of county services or resulted in significant savings to taxpayers, a new approach or use of new technology to deliver services, or improved cooperation or coordination between county offices or local governments that resulted in enhance service delivery.

Counties recognized as 2021 County Success Story winners include:


Morgan County Composite Bridge Replacement Study

Networking at conferences like TCSA's Fall Conference and Trade Show can pay big dividends. Just ask Joe Miller, Highway Superintendent in Morgan County. Conversations and relationships built at past county meetings between Miller and Tim Jennings helped Morgan County find a modern solution to replacing a damaged, decades-old concrete bridge.

The county celebrated the official opening of the composite bridge with a ceremony in May 2021, marking the end of a 2-year process that involved partners with private industry and researchers at the University of Tennessee, the Insti

tute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation and The Composites Institute in Knoxville, and a number of private firms to create an affordable bridge that can be installed quickly and safely meet transportation needs in the rural community.

It is all part of a privately funded infrastructure project aimed at demonstrating fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials as a fast and easy sustainable solution for improving the thousands of structurally deficient rural bridges that plague financially strapped counties across the U.S.Described by Joe Miller as a “bridge in a box,” the replacement structure is a low-cost, low-maintenance, technologically advanced composite bridge deck system with a 100-year lifespan. Effectively, the bridge parts are precast off site and assembled at the bridge site. For Morgan County, a great deal of this was done in their newly-acquired highway garage.

The project was done at nearly zero cost to the county. The composite decking came in four pieces that were mated together to form two. Then, the pair was then transported from the highway garage to the bridge site for installation. New concrete abutments and bridge infrastructure were prepared, making it ready for the composite decking. This is Tennessee’s first attempt at next-generation composite bridge deck design, which also includes high-density fiber optic sensors and wireless sensor modules to monitor bridge systems, including mechanical load and thermal/hygroscopic loading.

According to Miller, the goal is to build a TDOT-certified structure that will one day lead to additional composite projects.


Blount County Bridge Connecting Two Schools

When the Maury County school system was looking for a traffic solution for parents dropping off their children at multiple locations, the County Highway Department became involved in building a road and bridge that spanned a creek that often floods to make drop offs and pick-ups easier and more convenient. Battle Creek Way now connects the Battle Creek elementary and middle schools, allowing traffic to cross Rutherford Creek and stay on the 200-acre campus, rather than travel through residential neighborhoods to get from one to the other.

Originally estimated to cost at least $3 million, the price was greatly reduced once Highway Superintendent Van Boshers became involved. The final cost came in at just over $1.5 million and sets up the infrastructure needed to also handle a planned high school on the property. Prior to his involvement, over-engineering threatened to cancel the project entirely. With some alterations in the plans, Boshers and his department built the 3,300 linear foot roadway with two 12-foot lanes and two 3-foot shoulders with turn lanes added at various locations. The project involved the construction of the sub-grade, eight inches of base stone, three inches of B/M mix and two inches of C/W mix, with plastic pavement markings. The bridge is a 210-linear-foot, 3-span concrete box beam structure with a total width of 40 feet over Rutherford Creek.

By performing the project in-house, the county saved roughly half the cost of the bridge.


Campbell County's Compactor Solid Waste Collection and Disposal System

Campbell County’s success story is in changing the garbage collection system from a system that uses open-top containers to one that utilizes closed containers and compactors.The initial incentive to covert our garbage collection system came from an unlikely source, black bears. The bears come for a free meal and in the process scatter garbage over several acres adjacent to the convenience center sites.  The county tried using taller fences, more sturdy fences, and electrified fences all of which did nothing to dissuade the bears from entering the convenience center sites and getting into the garbage containers.

In trying to figure out a way to address the bear problem, the county not only discovered a way to cure the bear problem, but they also discovered the many other advantages of converting its garbage collection system from an open-top container system to a closed-top compactor system.  In summary, a 40-yard open-top container will hold approximately 2 tons of non-compacted trash, but a 40-yard closed-top container will hold approximately 12 tons of compacted trash.  This allows the county to save on transportation expenses, work hours, fuel consumption and wear and tear on vehicles and equipment is reduced.  All of this is achieved while simultaneously effectuating a much cleaner way to collect and dispose of trash.

Conversion to a compactor system hasn’t been without problems.  Compactors require concrete pads, electrical connections that can provide a minimum consistence amperage and use roll-off containers and as such require roll-off trucks instead of front-loader trucks. The cost of purchasing compactors, containers, trucks and making site improvements at the 10 convenience center sites was approximately $900,000.  However, the estimated savings per year in labor costs, fuel costs and equipment maintenance/replacement costs is approximately $150,000, meaning it should pay for itself in six years, while also solving the bear problem and achieving a cleaner county.


Cumberland County Recycling Program

Cumberland County Solid Waste Department had a very successful Recycling Program and was recognized for its achievement by receiving the 2021 Government Recycler of the Year award. Cumberland County has been running a very successful recycling program for over 20 years. The county recycles over 3,000 plus tons a year and have 15 convenience centers.

Cumberland County partners with E-cyclers out of Knoxville to recycle over 25 tons of electronic waste every year. The department takes pride in our recycling program knowing we are diverting materials from the landfill. Cumberland County recycles used motor oil and reuses it to heat our recycling center building. Cumberland County also educates residents on how to recycle wire fencing, clothing, fluorescent light bulbs, latex paint, wood pallets, TVS, and glass correctly. Cumberland County Solid Waste partners with an industrial cylinder recycling company to collect and recycle propane cylinders correctly. Mayor Foster is very proud of all their hard work and dedication.


Sumner County Barn Preservation Project

A historic barn was built in Sumner County by Guy Comer in the 1930’s. He was a wealthy businessman, loved horses and wanted to build something exquisite.  The unique barn sits at a pivotal entry point into Sumner County, just off Vietnam Veterans Parkway at the intersection of Gallatin and Hendersonville.The barn has been uninhabited for more than a couple decades.  The farm was sold to Rogers Group quarry in the late 1990’s.  In 2016 the quarry deeded the barn (only the barn and a small easement) to Sumner County so it could be preserved. Various plans were considered but resulted in a stalemate. 

In 2019, the Commission began seeking a new approach.  Senator Ferrell Haile helped secure a $250,000 appropriation from the state if Sumner County would match these funds.  In August 2020 the Commission approved the matching funds and set in motion a plan to save the now-dilapidated barn with a new roof. In 2020, the Preservation Foundation of Sumner County was incorporated to help raise the necessary funds while seeking a more suitable adaptive re-use of the barn in coordination with the county’s Historic Commission. With assistance from the Greater Nashville Regional Council, a BarnStorming (brainstorming for the barn) session identified Agriculture and Education as the most suitable use for the barn given the history of the property as well as the unique land ownership restrictions with the surrounding quarry.

In the summer of 2021, a partnership was identified with Sumner County Schools to create an Ag/STEM Learning Center that will benefit all Sumner County students.  Additionally, the property will be available for community use of the property and, most importantly, this plan saves a barn that is part of Sumner County’s identity.  This facility will be one of kind in the state of Tennessee. 


Blount County's MACnet (Maryville-Alcoa County Network)

Beginning in 2018, the Cities of Maryville and Alcoa, along with Blount County, formally created the Maryville Alcoa County Network, or MACnet, a cooperative agreement designed to consolidate management of the fiber optic network running throughout the Cities and County. This interlocal body works together to expand the use of the fiber optic network, standardize and secure networking technology, and prepare for future network applications. MACnet is not an internet provider itself but establishes a dark fiber network (using new or existing, unused fiber) to incentivize internet providers to expand services across Blount County by saving providers the cost of running fiber themselves. 

Because of MACnet’s prior efforts and investments, Blount County government offices, Courts, and Schools were able to respond quickly and efficiently to the technological challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a continued response to the pandemic, MACnet has worked to establish “WiFi Zones” for students and our citizens that need to access the internet at a variety of locations across the County. To ensure that internet access could continue even when buildings were closed to the public, access was made available from the parking lots of the Blount County Public Library, as well as all 8 of Blount County’s middle schools starting in May 2020. Central community areas at Foothills Mall were also repurposed and designated for student internet use during that time. By the end of 2021, all Blount County Schools will be connected to the MACnet fiber, providing much needed connectivity, security and reduction in Internet costs across the County.

Additionally, in mid-2021, MACnet started leveraging its dark fiber network to generate revenue from the private sector (internet service providers, local businesses, etc.) and regional utilities, offsetting infrastructure costs incurred to date.


Lewis County Justice Center

The new “Lewis County Justice Center” received its certificate of full occupancy on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, and is now officially open for business. Since the early 2000’s, Lewis County Government officials had been searching for some way to separate its Court System from its regular Courthouse offices, due to spacing issues and safety concerns. Previous efforts at finding a vacant building in Hohenwald to turn into a Justice Center were unable to find anything under $1 Million. The cost at building a new Justice Center came in over $1 Million as well. However, an opportunity arose and presented itself for such a project in 2018, when the "Old Sentinel Trust Building” was purchased by Lewis County Government at a Delinquent Tax Sale for $230,000. Of that amount, $25,434 came right back to Lewis County Government’s bank account in back taxes...so the building's actual cost to the County was only $204,566. During the fiscal year 2019-2020, the County spent $116,631 on the building for renovations, remodeling and repairs, with most of that money spent with local contractors and suppliers. During fiscal year 2020-2021, the County has spent an additional $130,652 to complete renovations, as well as outfit and equip the building. When the project was completed in March of 2021, Lewis County Government had only spent $426,848 in local tax dollars on purchasing, renovating & equipping its new Justice Center! Conservative estimates have the new Justice Center appraising well over $1 Million, and experts have said that constructing and equipping the same facility would cost over $4 Million in today’s market.