David JacksonJASPER, Tenn. – Residents from the Riverside community, an approximately eight-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 41 between Guild, Tennessee, and Raccoon Mountain, have been trying to get Marion County leaders to build a waterline there for many years.
In January, County Mayor David Jackson announced that Marion would be applying for a $525,000 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant to bring water to the north end of Alvin C. York Highway. Jackson said once that grant is “finished out,” county leaders will seek more grant money to bring water across the South Pittsburg Mountain area.
That news brought Riverside resident Bill Jochym to the Marion County Commission’s February meeting because he said that area’s residents have been trying to get the same thing for almost 20 years.
“I don’t know how long they’ve been trying to get a waterline,” Jochym told the board. “Maybe it’s longer than us, but we just need some water. I guess we just sort of politely got the bum’s rush on the water issue.”
He said there have been meetings on the issue that were attended by residents, Tennessee American Water representatives, county officials, and others.