Greene County Law Enforcement Participates in sTEP
Local law enforcement in Greene County are once again participating in the Special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP) by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau.
Both the Sheriff’s office and the Jefferson Police Department will be looking for those not using seatbelts and drunk drivers. Both agencies also receive funds for participating in sTEP. Police Chief Dave Morlan says his department bought a new radar unit for their patrol vehicles with money from sTEP.
Deputy Dave Kersey says they will be conducting another safety checkpoint sometime during the sTEP Wave. He notes that they will be making random vehicle stops to check over the vehicle and make sure all lights and equipment are working properly. They will also check for a valid driver’s license and insurance.
May’s sTEP Wave continues through the 31st.
New Fundraiser for Greene County Early Learning Center
The Greene County Early Learning Center in Jefferson is hosting a unique fundraiser this weekend at Spring Lake Park.
Board member Michelle Fields says the Tromp the Trail 3K is a family-friendly fun run and walk with over ten obstacles for people to enjoy on the west side of the park. She points out that at one of their meetings, they decided to try a more interactive approach to one of their fundraisers to get people to do something physical.
The cost to participate is $10 for youth ages 12 and under and $20 for those over 12. Fields talks about what the proceeds will go towards.
“Our big push right now is to respond to the needs of the community. We have a waiting list of kids wanting to get into the (early learning) center, and we just don’t have the space right now. So we’re hoping to raise enough funds here to be able to basically double the space for our baby room.”
The course will be muddy and so Fields suggests wearing appropriate clothing to have fun and get dirty in. The event will take place on Sunday, May 24th at 2pm. Registrations will be accepted the day of the race.
Jefferson Woman Sentenced to Probation
A Jefferson woman was sentenced this week after she pled guilty to a charge from September.
Greene County Attorney Nick Martino says 34 year-old Erin Michelle Burnie had her five year prison sentence suspended and was instead sentenced to two years of probation for a Class D Felony theft charge.
The charge stems from an executed search warrant on September 26, 2014 in the 500 block of East Cedar Street when officers recovered several stolen items including three vehicle and drug-related items from the residence. Martino says all other charges were dropped including felonies for ongoing criminal conduct, burglary and misdemeanors for theft, possession of marijuana and meth and drug paraphernalia.
A second suspect in the case, 20 year-old Berry Arthur Downs was sentenced in March to five years in prison on two felony charges of burglary and theft.
Jefferson’s Pool to Open this Weekend
Jefferson Municipal Pool is now open for the year.
Parks and Recreation Director Vicky Lautner says adult lap swim is from 11:30am to 1pm, open swim is from 1 to 8pm, family hour is from 5:30 to 6:30pm and general admission is from 6:30 to 8pm. It will also be open during Memorial Day. Lautner points out that the admission rates will be the same as last year. Residents can also use punch passes for free admission to the pool. Lautner says if you are a member of either the Greene County Community Center or the Jefferson Community Golf Course, you have a 25-punch pass card that allows for 25 free trips to the pool this summer.
Lautner talks about some of the updates to the pool in preparation for the season.
“We’ll be getting a new lifeguard stand, our other one went down last year. And we’re also going to get stairs going into the pool. The other one was kind of broken down and towards the end of the season, we were losing the grip on it. So yes, we will be getting a new ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) stair going into the pool.”
Another reminder for patrons is about pool cleanliness. Lautner says if anyone has diarrhea, to not swim for at least 48-hours after the episode. A virus called crypto can develop in the pool. If that happens, Lautner notes that they have to shut down the pool for three to five days to treat the pool with a high concentration of chlorine to kill the hard-shell bacteria.
Questions about pool rates or other services at the pool, call the rec center in Jefferson at 386-3412.
Bell Tower Festival T-Shirts Now Available
This year’s Bell Tower Festival t-shirts are now on sale at the Greene County Chamber office.
Coordinator Angie Pedersen says there are two different colors to choose from, yellow or red, with this year’s logo featured on the front of the shirts.
“They are fantastic. (The shirts are) made by our Chamber member and local printer Muir’s Embroidery, they’re wonderful. The shirts this year feature the cool, Big Top Bell Tower circus tent swoop that you’ve seen all over town and all over the internet.”
Sizes and cost for the shirts are $8 for youth sizes, adult sizes from small to extra-large is $10 and sizes up to 6XL are $13.
Pedersen notes that there are pre-sale tickets still available for other attractions and entertainment for the festival. Tickets for PopROCKS are $10 for adults and $5 for anyone under 21. Tickets for the rides are $15 for a full sheet of tickets along with tickets for the community barbecue and the History Boy Theatre shows.
Anyone with questions can contact the Chamber office at 386-2155.