PROGRESS 16

PROGRESS REPORT NO. 16
(JULY 13, 2000)

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The following tasks were completed by CCWF volunteers, since the time of the last progress report.

	Steve Allen, PE with TVA made a presentation on flooding at a community meeting in Briceville on July 10th to 50 volunteers. Flooding in Coal Creek is a complicated problem. No one solution is practical. Flooding will need to be addressed on several fronts. We decided to invite other experts to make presentations at future community meetings to educate us and help develop our flood reduction/protection plan. We decided to invite a representative from TDEC as our next speaker.
	Channel 8 prepared a news story on Coal Creek (history and community spirit) that was televised on July 9th.
	Testimony on the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation was presented at the Democratic National Committee hearing in St. Louis on July 6th. The proceedings were televised on C-SPAN. The CCWF presentation is posted on our web site at www.coalcreekaml.com/DemoInfo.htm.
	Newspaper articles on Coal Creek were published in the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Clinton Courier, OakRidger, and LaFollette Press.
	A request was received by CCWF to make a presentation to the Tennessee Water Quality Control Board in October.
	At our community meeting, plans were made to host *Dick Drummond Deadwood Day 2000* to remove/anchor deadwood in areas between the bridges in Coal Creek. This public event will be similar to the one we had on June 24th where deadwood/debris were removed at the bridges. This next event will be held on a Saturday in September. We will publish a date after we hear from Congressman Zach Wamp's office regarding his schedule to attend.
	Plans were made for *Coal Creek Trash Battle 2000* to attack the trash dump on the road up to Seeber Flats. A tentative date for this event will be Saturday October 21st. We are talking with the Gore 2000 campaign staff about Vice President Gore's availability to participate in this event. We also discussed the possibility of inviting a cultural anthropologist from UT to participate in the removal of this "ancient" trash dump.
	Plans were discussed for having *Coal Creek Flood Drill 2000* to prepare for the next flood as part of our Emergency Response Plan. We hope to be ready for this full-scale flood drill by November. The Briceville Volunteer Fire Department has obtained a rescue boat and motor and will be trained in "swift water rescue" procedures. An emergency route out of Coal Creek, when normal access is blocked by flood water, has been identified. We still need to arrange for an evacuation center and the installation of warning sirens. Also, the Emergency Response Plan needs to be written and plans need to be presented to residents before we can conduct the flood drill.
	Coal Creek residents were instructed on how to access our web site. Lynette Seeber from the Briceville Public Library invited residents to use the library facilities to access the web site. Residents noted that there are several other scenic locations in Coal Creek that need to be added to our Motor Discovery Trail Guide Booklet at www.coalcreekaml.com/history.htm (i.e. Star Rock on Walden Ridge, Twin Falls in Slatestone Creek, Rattlesnake Den Cliffs, Grassy Gap Overlook, etc.).
	Teachers from an elementary school in Memphis provided testimony at the Democratic National Committee hearing in St. Louis on a federal grant they got to make a full-length video. Why don't we do the same thing at Briceville School and have the students develop a full-length video on the history of the watershed? They could interview senior citizens in the watershed whose families were involved in the Coal Creek War, mine disasters, etc. and can relate their oral family history on the video.
	We received the following message from the son of Gene White, who wrote two books about the Coal Creek watershed:

AI just wanted to let you know that Gene White, who you so graciously have mentioned throughout your website, died on Wednesday, June 28. Gene White is/was my father. I am the youngest of his three sons. Dad was very proud of his hometown of Briceville and very pleased with the efforts you have been making to improve not only the coal creek watershed - but the entire community. He had shown me the hat you sent him and I had kept him aware of your "recent developments." When he completed his 2nd book, he gave his pc to my brother's son and therefore (to my knowledge) had not personally seen your website. Neither he, mom, or dad's sister Marjorie White Adkins (Lake City Library) was aware of the e angel tree donation in his name until I told them shortly before his death. I will keep up with your efforts ongoing. I must admit that reading of your triumphs stirs very pleasant memories of my father. He was a great man and I miss him dearly.@

PROGRESS REPORT NO. 16 (JULY 13, 2000)

PROGRESS REPORT NO. 16
(JULY 13, 2000)