Executive Insight

I received more good news recently. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation awarded White County a Convenience Center Grant in the amount of $167,029. With the required local match of $18,557, the total project budget comes to $185,586. These dollars will go straight to work for our residents.

The grant will fund building repairs, needed infrastructure, and the installation of new compactors at three convenience centers. These upgrades will help our centers operate more safely and efficiently, reduce hauling trips, and keep the sites cleaner for everyone. The better our convenience centers operate, means less time waiting, neighborhoods stay cleaner, and illegal dumping is less tempting.

I also applied for and received a Tire Environmental Act Program grant to improve how we manage waste tires. The $186,898.40 in TEAP funding will allow the county to purchase a mini excavator, a truck, and complete construction at a county owned site where waste tires can be stored and managed until retrieved by Liberty Tires. Better tire handling reduces roadside dumping, lowers fire risk, cuts mosquito breeding, and keeps our roadsides and streams cleaner.

And there is one more, White County received funding through a Waste Reduction Grant for $146,286 to expand cardboard recycling. This project will purchase ten 20-foot roll-off containers and two 22-foot roll-off containers. By adding capacity for cardboard collection, we can divert more material from the landfill, extend landfill life, and improve recycling access for businesses and families across the county.

That is over $500,000 to fund projects and investments that touch everyday life. They will help our sites run more smoothly, protect public health, and support a cleaner, more resilient, White County. I want to thank TDEC for its partnership and our county team for doing the hard work to secure these funds and plan the improvements. We will share construction schedules and site updates as they are finalized.

White County is growing, and these improvements help us keep pace with that growth. Clean, safe, and efficient, solid waste services are part of the quality of life we want for every household, and these grants help us deliver.

Thanks, D.W.