When Lucy Kiley, the Town Clerk for the Town of County Line, was asked by then Mayor Author Self to get some quotes for a new roof for the Town Hall, she began to realize that the Town really needed a new building that could serve multiple purposes. Mrs. Kiley says “we needed a new Town Hall, a storm shelter and it could also serve as a community center.”
With the support of then Mayor Author Self, she reached out to Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight and State Senator Shay Shelnut who were “onboard from the first conversation. They have been most helpful and encouraging to us.”
The Town of County Line is unique in that part of the small Town of about 300 people is in Blount County and part is in Jefferson County, hence the name.
Mrs. Kiley says she also reached out to Blount County Commission Chairman and Judge Chris Green “who found more funding for us.” She knows the “project is blessed by the Lord above. It was meant for this community to have this building and for it to be used to serve and shelter His people. We are grateful for the encouragement and support from everyone.”
Mrs. Kiley believes the new multipurpose Town Hall will be a wonderful legacy for current Mayor Scott Mordecai and the Council, noting that “they will leave this town better than they found it.”
The new Town Hall and Safe Room will have its groundbreaking for the new facility on Tuesday September 5th at 4pm at 2843 County Line Dr. and new construction will begin. The public is invited.
The Town received a $600k grant from FEMA and according to the Town it will “double as a tornado shelter to protect as many as 255 people in the surrounding community from EF-5 tornados with wind speeds of up to 250 mph.”
The Town Hall facility will also serve as a community center for the Town as well as serve as “a satellite operations center for Blount and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies.”
