The Rhea County Commission has moved one step closer to getting county-wide Internet service by approving an agreement to move forward utilizing substantial grant funds.
John Bamber, director of the Rhea/Dayton Economic and Community Development Board, presented a request to the commission at Tuesday night’s regular meeting. In this agreement any company that gets the grant will be looking at 70 percent of the funding coming from the state of Tennessee through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).
Twenty percent of the funds will come from the company itself and no more than 10 percent from Rhea County.
Mr. Bamber said the amount the county will have to put in will not exceed $1.5 million.
He said interest in serving Rhea County has been mentioned by Bledsoe Telephone Cooperative, which is pairing with Twin Lakes Telephone Cooperative out of Cookeville, and Spring City Cable.
Commission Chairman Jim Vincent said he was glad to see some competition for this which the county would benefit from.
Currently Spring City Cable, Spectrum/Charter and EPB service parts of the county with Internet service. Graysville was the first community in Rhea County to have fiber optic service through EPB of Chattanooga, which provides electrical service for the area.
Also at the meeting, the Boys and Girls Club of the Ocoee Region made a presentation to the commission. Jared Goins, director of the James H. Tucker Unit in Cleveland, told the commission that they have made a study into the needs of the children in Rhea County and were assessing establishing a Boys and Girls Club in the Dayton area.
He said, “We serve children from 6 to 18 through our programs providing a safe environment along with tutoring and athletic programs.
Mr. Goins, who is a native Rhea Countian, said that there would be a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. on March 16 at the Dayton Chamber of Commerce to hear people of the surrounding areas and their ideas and needs.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Jim Downs, founder and executive director of Rockhouse Ministries and Programs, addressed the growing issue of drug paraphernalia being sold in the smoke shops and gas stations in Rhea County.
He said, “These items which were designed for legitimate purposes are being used to smoke marijuana, crack cocaine and methamphetamines. Manufacturers are glamorizing drug use and making their products attractive to teenagers and young adults.
“The commission has the power to deny this being sold in the county. It’s time for the Rhea County Commission to take a stand on this and lead and show the rest of Tennessee that we are cleaning up our county.
Mr. Downs addressed the commission at the Feb. 8 commission workshop to request the commission to consider giving monies it will be receiving from the opioid settlement to Rockhouse Ministries and his Fresh Start Program. He said his program is one of the few accredited rehabilitation centers outside of Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville.
He said that it originally opened as a rehab for women, but, “I found there was an overwhelming need for a men’s place. We will be expanding to include women again at a later time," said Mr. Downs.